Biofuels from micro algae growth. That’s the direction Mazda’s research will be taking in the near future. Their reason is simple: liquid fuel will remain dominant throughout the world at least until 2040, even with all electrification targets met.
With algae biofuel, only CO2 is released into the atmosphere upon combustion. And this is CO2 that was largely displaced by the algae via photosynthesis for a more ‘carbon-neutral’ effect.
Mazda’s strategy for ‘Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030’ has been markedly different than many of their rivals. They’re not going hard in the battery-electric direction. Only late last year did they announce their first electric vehicle, the MX-30. And that doesn’t quite have the range of many of its competitors, but it’s definitely adequate. Hydrogen power also doesn’t seem to be their pursuit any longer, though they did show some progress with their Renesis hydrogen rotary engine.
Instead, they’ve been pushing to improve the efficiency of existing engines and fuels. Their Skyactiv-X engine is a great example of this.
