Mazda world-first capacitor system

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'' Both models of the next Mazda6 will have the "i-Eloop'' regenerative braking system.
Neil Dowling
Contributing Journalist
11 Sep 2012
2 min read

The Mazda6 - due in Australia in March 2013 - stores the brakingĀ energy in capacitors. The benefit of capacitors include being aĀ fraction of the weight of batteries and the ability to quickly chargeĀ and discharge.

The capacitors are marketed under the "i-Eloop'' name and work inĀ conjunction with Mazda's "iStop'' stop-start system.Ā Stop-start turns the engine off when the car is stationary. The storedĀ energy is generally used to restart the engine and help run theĀ airconditioning and audio functions.

But Mazda's system uses a different technique to restart the engine.Ā All the capacitor's power goes into maintaining ventilation, audio andĀ other electrical features while the car is stationary.Ā iStop, which is standard on the Mazda3 SP20 and CX-5, aims to reduceĀ emissions and fuel consumption.

Mazda Australia spokesman Steve Maciver says iStop and i-Eloop are theĀ second "building blocks'' of Mazda's goal to maximise fuelĀ efficiency.Ā "The first was SkyActiv engines and transmissions,'' he says.Ā "Now we're introducing the next step which is to use regenerativeĀ braking to further cut emissions and fuel consumption.

"We expect these to be rolled out on future models.''Both models of the next Mazda6 will have the "i-Eloop'' regenerativeĀ braking system.Ā Mr Maciver says the new model will be available from launch as a sedan or wagon.Ā "There is no hatch,'' he says.Ā "Our research found that the majority of buyers of the hatch boughtĀ it for its coupe styling.Ā Only a small fraction bought it for itsĀ larger boot access.

"The next sedan and wagon have a more coupe-like style than theĀ current model.''Ā Mazda has dropped the liftback from its global production.Ā The Mazda6 will also introduce the SkyActiv 2.5-litre petrol engine, aĀ bigger version of the 2-litre now fitted to the Mazda3 SP20 and CX-5.

It runs on standard unleaded petrol and delivers 138kW/250Nm - upĀ 13kW/24Nm on the current 2.5-litre engine.Ā The 2.2-litre diesel is shared with the CX-5 and has 129kW/420Nm. ForĀ the first time, it will go into a Mazda passenger car with anĀ automatic transmission.

* Regenerative braking systems, now common on many vehicles, use aĀ generator to create electricity as a car brakes or coasts. ThisĀ electricity either tops up the car's existing battery or stores it inĀ additional batteries.

Neil Dowling
Contributing Journalist
GoAutoMedia Cars have been the corner stone to Neil’s passion, beginning at pre-school age, through school but then pushed sideways while he studied accounting. It was rekindled when he started contributing to magazines including Bushdriver and then when he started a motoring section in Perth’s The Western Mail. He was then appointed as a finance writer for the evening Daily News, supplemented by writing its motoring column. He moved to The Sunday Times as finance editor and after a nine-year term, finally drove back into motoring when in 1998 he was asked to rebrand and restyle the newspaper’s motoring section, expanding it over 12 years from a two-page section to a 36-page lift-out. In 2010 he was selected to join News Ltd’s national motoring group Carsguide and covered national and international events, launches, news conferences and Car of the Year awards until November 2014 when he moved into freelancing, working forĀ GoAuto, The West Australian, Western 4WDriver magazine, Bauer Media and as an online content writer for one of Australia’s biggest car groups. He has involved himself in all aspects including motorsport where he has competed in everything from motocross to motorkhanas and rallies including Targa West and the ARC Forest Rally. He loves all facets of the car industry, from design, manufacture, testing, marketing and even business structures and believes cars are one of the few high-volume consumables to combine a very high degree of engineering enlivened with an even higher degree of emotion from its consumers.
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