The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid or Mazda5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid was a

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-to ...

powered

hybrid car A hybrid vehicle is one that uses two or more distinct types of power, such as submarines that use diesel when surfaced and batteries when submerged. Other means to store energy include pressurized fluid in hydraulic hybrids. The basic princi ...

produced by

Mazda , commonly referred to as simply Mazda, is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima, Japan. In 2015, Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles for global sales, the majority of which (nearly one ...

. Later models were also called the Mazda Hydrogen RE Plug in Hybrid. The first car was unveiled in 2005, with an improved version shown at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. Mazda planned for the car to enter production and leased a few cars to end users in 2009 in 2010.

Background

Mazda launched its first hydrogen-powered concept car, the HR-X, in 1991. The car was followed by other models, refining their technology over the following decade until the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE of 2003. This car was the first hydrogen-powered rotary-engined vehicle to be offered on a commercial lease in Japan and was used in the Norwegian

HyNor The HyNor-project was a nationally supported project which purpose was to facilitate and coordinate the introduction of hydrogen as a fuel in Norway, running from 2003 to 2012. Toward the commercial introduction of hydrogen vehicles in 2015, the H ...

project to demonstrate the viability of hydrogen as a vehicle fuel.

Design

2005 model

Realising the limitations of these smaller vehicles, Mazda developed a hydrogen vehicle based on the successful Premacy compact MPV. Mazda had previously produced the prototype Premacy FCEV in 2001 but this had been powered by a

fuel cell A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen fuel, hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions. Fuel cells are different from most bat ...

. The new model was different and was designed to demonstrate a vehicle that could make hydrogen power mainstream. The drivetrain was taken from the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE but had a 40% increase in power and increased range. Power was provided by a two rotor REGENESIS

Wankel engine The Wankel engine (, ) is a type of internal combustion engine using an eccentric rotary design to convert pressure into rotating motion. It was invented by German engineer Felix Wankel, and designed by German engineer Hanns-Dieter Paschke. ...

of capacity combined with a electric motor. Energy was stored in a petrol tank, hydrogen storage tank and

nickel metal hydride battery Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to r ...

, and the front mounted engine drove the front wheels. The battery was recharged by

regenerative braking Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...

and provided some power to increase acceleration as in a

mild hybrid Mild hybrids (also known as power-assist hybrids, battery-assisted hybrid vehicles or BAHVs) are generally cars with an internal combustion engine equipped with an electric machine (one motor/generator in a parallel hybrid configuration) allowing ...

. Internally, the car was equipped with three rows of seats, with the additional components, including the electric motor and hydrogen storage tanks having limited impact on the internal space. The car was first unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show, with a vision to be in showrooms by 2008.

2007 model

An improved version was unveiled at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show. This vehicle had a range of different features, not least that although motors were still mounted at the front, drive was to the rear. Similarly, rather than use a gearbox, drive was through the electric motor, creating a series

hybrid vehicle drivetrain Hybrid vehicle drivetrains transmit power to the driving wheels for hybrid vehicles. A hybrid vehicle has multiple forms of motive power. Hybrids come in many configurations. For example, a hybrid may receive its energy by burning gasoline, but s ...

. The hydrogen tank stored hydrogen at , while the petrol tank had a capacity of . While running on hydrogen, the Wankel engine produced and up to torque at 5000 rpm. While running on petrol, the engine produced and torque at the same engine speed. The battery was also updated to a lithium model and power increased to . The battery was not designed to be a major energy source, providing limited range, but the car was fitted with an external plug for recharging.

Performance

The 2007 car was capable of a maximum speed of and could accelerate to in 10 seconds. It had a claimed range of on hydrogen and on petrol.

Production

The car was produced in small numbers for demonstration in Japan. The first lease for a Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid started in March 2009. The first car was delivered to Iwatani Corporation on 26 May 2009. By January 2010, the company had leased five vehicles to end users.

References

External links

2007 prototype image gallery at favcars.com
{Mazda vehicles Cars introduced in 2005 Compact MPVs Hybrid electric cars Hydrogen cars

Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid The Mazda Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid or Mazda5 Hydrogen RE Hybrid was a hydrogen powered hybrid car produced by Mazda. Later models were also called the Mazda Hydrogen RE Plug in Hybrid. The first car was unveiled in 2005, with an improved version ...