Mazda has patented a new all-wheel drive rotary sports car

A patent application filed back in June 2021 was published in the United States last week. The Drive journalists came across her just yesterday. The document does not contain details about the rotary engine itself, but it is clear from the application that it is located in front. Apparently, Mazda also sees potential in more traditional engine types, «like the piston engine.»

The rotary engine is part of the hybrid setup. There is also a combination of different types of electric motors — a pair of 23-horsepower induction motors for the front wheels and a 36-horsepower permanent magnet synchronous motor behind the combustion engine, which provides all-wheel drive for the model. It is noted that these two types of electric motors transmit torque differently.

The battery itself is also quite interesting. Mazda offers a unique variable voltage system that appears to use four 48V modules housed in a single chassis. At lower system load, the modules operate like a traditional 48V battery, but when full potential is required, the battery uses electrical switches to reconfigure the two pairs of battery cells to operate in series at 96V. The application says that this design allows to reduce weight, which is extremely important in a sports car with such a set of power plants.