Mazda patents Dorito rotation to extend EV range
OK, so a Wankel engine doesn't actually use a Dorito for cylinders, but it sure looks like one. The company announced it would offer a range-extender rotary engine for the MX-30 "crossover" electric vehicle, but [CarBuzz] dug into the patent documents to find it had some interesting twists. p>
The MX-30 is an electric vehicle with a relatively small 35.5kWh battery. Like a hybrid vehicle, the car includes a small internal combustion engine that can charge the battery. However, it does not drive the wheels directly at any time. The Wankel has several improvements, including a secondary port that allows more air to enter the combustion chamber when the engine needs to produce high power. But there is a problem…
The secondary port is great when pushing hard, but at low speeds it produces inefficiency. To combat this, Mazda includes a valve to seal off the second port when it doesn't make sense to open it. But that's not the weird part. The weird part is that the motor also has its own electric assist motor that runs off the main battery. That's right. The battery you are charging provides power to run the electric assist motor to help the motor that is charging the battery. If it makes your head spin like the Wankel's rotor, you're not alone.
The assist motor can assist or retard the output shaft during the intake stroke. This can optimize intake into the combustion chamber. Sure, it will cause some weird movement in the engine output, but since it doesn't get the car rolling, who cares? The battery won't care if the output isn't smooth.
The Wankel appears in many strange places. We saw Wankel air compressors. Despite the detractors, many improvements have been made to the design over the years.
OK, so a Wankel engine doesn't actually use a Dorito for cylinders, but it sure looks like one. The company announced it would offer a range-extender rotary engine for the MX-30 "crossover" electric vehicle, but [CarBuzz] dug into the patent documents to find it had some interesting twists. p>
The MX-30 is an electric vehicle with a relatively small 35.5kWh battery. Like a hybrid vehicle, the car includes a small internal combustion engine that can charge the battery. However, it does not drive the wheels directly at any time. The Wankel has several improvements, including a secondary port that allows more air to enter the combustion chamber when the engine needs to produce high power. But there is a problem…
The secondary port is great when pushing hard, but at low speeds it produces inefficiency. To combat this, Mazda includes a valve to seal off the second port when it doesn't make sense to open it. But that's not the weird part. The weird part is that the motor also has its own electric assist motor that runs off the main battery. That's right. The battery you are charging provides power to run the electric assist motor to help the motor that is charging the battery. If it makes your head spin like the Wankel's rotor, you're not alone.
The assist motor can assist or retard the output shaft during the intake stroke. This can optimize intake into the combustion chamber. Sure, it will cause some weird movement in the engine output, but since it doesn't get the car rolling, who cares? The battery won't care if the output isn't smooth.
The Wankel appears in many strange places. We saw Wankel air compressors. Despite the detractors, many improvements have been made to the design over the years.
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