Mazda Vision X-Coupe Introduces ‘Mobile Carbon Capture’ System

There’s a lot to like about the Mazda Vision X-Coupe Concept debuting at this week’s Tokyo Motor Show. For one thing, it boasts the sort of eye-catching design the Hiroshima-based automaker has come to be known for. 

Then there’s the powertrain. It signals that Mazda is getting ready, after years of false starts, to put its iconic Wankel rotary engine back into production. In this case, it would be part of a plug-in hybrid system pairing the gas-powered rotary with an electric drive unit, the combination capable of delivering more than 500 horsepower and nearly 100 miles of all-electric range.

The Vision X-Coupe takes things to another level entirely when it comes to being kind to the environment, however. It introduces the prototype “Mazda Mobile Carbon Capture” system, which not only stores the CO2 produced by the Wankel, but could also even suck additional pollution out of the air while being driven.

Wankel Generator

Mazda was one of only a handful of automakers to commercialize the rotary engine and continued to use it in standalone form through 2012, when it ended the run of the RX-8 sports car. A pint-sized rotary now serves solely as a generator on the MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV sold in Europe and a few other markets. It fires up only when the relatively low-range EV’s battery pack runs down.

The latest Mazda Vision is a roughly Mazda 6–sized concept vehicle making use of a larger, twin-rotor Wankel that would provide a significant boost in power and performance. Though, like the Skyactiv R-EV, the rotary engine would serve as a generator, rather than providing direct power to the wheels.

Mazda suggested the Vision X-Coupe could turn to renewable fuels, such as a carbon-neutral compound derived from algae. The concept vehicle also introduces a system capable of containing the CO2 until it could be either sequestered or even used for other purposes — such as the production of alternative fuels.

Rotary Redux

Mazda has long sought a way to revive volume production of the Wankel engine. It currently produces only a trickle of MX-30 e-Skyactive R-EV models. The challenge has been to come up with a way to solve the technology’s two biggest drawbacks: high fuel consumption and relatively high emissions levels.

The two-rotor design debuting in the Vision show car is far cleaner and more efficient than older designs, GearJunkie was advised. And by using the internal combustion engine solely as a generator, it can run within an optimum rpm range, rather than having to rev up and down, where it used to provide direct torque to the wheels.

This approach is referred to as an extended-range electric vehicle — as opposed to more familiar plug-in hybrid systems. In this configuration, Mazda officials said in Tokyo that the Vision X-Coupe Concept would be capable of delivering around 500 horsepower. Since the wheels derive torque solely from electric motors, it should be quite quick off the line.

In EV mode, expect around 100 miles of range — though that’s based on the looser WLTP standard. The tougher EPA test cycle typically reduces range estimates by about 20% — so expect about 80 miles from the Vision X-Coupe.

Carbon Capture

One of the benefits of a rotary engine is the ability to run on virtually any liquid fuel. And, Mazda has been tinkering with a biofuel produced from what it describes as “microalgae.” However, it remains to be seen if such renewable alternatives will ever make up a significant portion of the public fuel supply.

One of the most intriguing features of the X-Coupe is its Mazda Mobile Carbon Capture system. The technology, the automaker claims, can separate out the carbon dioxide produced by the Wankel before it emerges from the tailpipe. And because the microalgae-based fuel also pulls CO2 out of the air, Mazda “envisions a future where the more kilometers you drive, the more you help reduce CO2,” said Mazda’s global President and CEO Masahiro Moro.

For the moment, the automaker isn’t discussing production plans for the Vision X-Coupe or the Wankel drive system. But it plans to test the carbon capture system on a modified Mazda Spirit Racing competition car in the upcoming Super Taikyu endurance racing series.