Mazda has announced its new long-term plan for new technologies, entitled ‘Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030’. The first part of the new technology to achieve this vision, will be Mazda’s next-generation engine called SkyActiv-X. Set to debut in 2019, SkyActiv-X will be the world’s first commercial gasoline engine to use compression ignition.
Mazda has outlined that it believes its mission is to: ‘Bring about a beautiful earth and to enrich people’s lives as well as society. The company will continue to seek ways to inspire people through the value found in cars. Through conservation initiatives, create a sustainable future in which people and cars coexist with a bountiful, beautiful earth’.
As a result, Mazda has expanded its measures for carbon dioxide reduction from a ‘well-to-wheel’ perspective, considering emissions over the vehicle’s entire life cycle. Its aim is to reduce its corporate average “well-to-wheel” carbon dioxide emissions to 50% of 2010 levels by 2030, and achieve a 90% reduction by 2050.
In line with this policy, Mazda is continuing efforts to perfect the ICE, which will help power the majority of cars worldwide for many years to come and can therefore make the greatest contribution to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and combine the results with effective electrification technologies. From 2019, Mazda will also start introducing electric vehicles and other electric drive technologies in regions that use a high ratio of clean energy for power generation, or restrict certain vehicles to reduce air pollution.
At the heart of the program though, is the SkyActiv-X engine. The world’s first commercial gasoline engine to use compression ignition. A proprietary combustion method called Spark Controlled Compression Ignition overcomes two issues that had impeded commercialization of compression ignition gasoline engines: maximizing the zone in which compression ignition is possible and achieving a seamless transition between compression ignition and spark ignition
Features
This new proprietary combustion engine combines the advantages of gasoline and diesel engines to achieve outstanding environmental performance, power and acceleration performance
Compression ignition and a supercharger fitted to improve fuel economy together deliver unprecedented engine response and increase torque 10-30% over the current SKYACTIV-G gasoline engine.
Compression ignition makes possible a super lean burn4 that improves engine efficiency up to 20-30% over the current SkyActiv-G, and from 35-45% over Mazda’s 2008 gasoline engine of the same displacement. SkyActiv-X even equals or exceeds the latest SkyActiv-D diesel engine in fuel efficiency.