Mazda RX-8 Original Generation Hydrogen RE

Overview

The Hydrogen RE was a commercially leased, dual-fuel variant of the Mazda RX-8 Original Generation. Its rotary engine could burn hydrogen or petrol. This record covers the fleet vehicle introduced in Japan in 2006; the earlier show car belongs to its development history. Mazda’s launch announcement identifies it as a modified ABA-SE3P.

Development and Japanese introduction

Public-road testing received Japanese approval in October 2004. Commercial leasing began in February 2006, followed by delivery of one car each to Idemitsu Kosan and Iwatani International in March. Hiroshima City and Hiroshima Prefecture each received a car on 21 April, bringing the documented fleet to four. These are calendar dates for agreements and deliveries, rather than model-year designations. Mazda’s target of approximately ten leases by the end of 2006 was a plan, not a confirmed production total. Mazda’s April delivery report documents this sequence.

Japanese launch specification

The February 2006 specification retained four seats and used a RENESIS Type 13B rotary engine with two 654 cc chambers. Mazda quoted 80 kW and 140 Nm on hydrogen, compared with 154 kW and 222 Nm on petrol. Hydrogen storage was rated at 110 litres and 35 MPa; the separate petrol tank held 61 litres. Published Japanese 10–15-mode cruising distances were 100 km on hydrogen and 549 km on petrol. These test-cycle figures describe the Japanese launch specification, not guaranteed road range or specifications for every later vehicle. Mazda’s specification table.

How the hydrogen system worked

Hydrogen supplied an internal-combustion engine; it was not converted into electricity by a fuel cell. Mazda’s technical presentation illustrates separate hydrogen and petrol injectors and a driver-operated fuel selector. It also explains Mazda’s interest in rotary combustion through the separation of intake and combustion regions, which helps limit abnormal combustion with readily ignitable hydrogen. The same presentation treats the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid and its electrical drivetrain separately, so its hybrid specifications should not be transferred to this RX-8. Mazda’s technical overview, slides 3–6 and 10–13.

Norwegian development

Mazda agreed to collaborate with Norway’s HyNor hydrogen project in November 2007 and began Norwegian road validation in October 2008. On 24 April 2009 it announced completion of the first Norwegian-specification Hydrogen RE. This version used the contemporary European RX-8 as its base, with left-hand drive and a manual gearbox. Local certification and maintenance training were to precede planned leasing in summer 2009. That announcement establishes a completed vehicle and a leasing plan, not the eventual number delivered. Mazda’s Norwegian specification announcement.

Mazda’s November 2009 technical presentation additionally lists an engine heater for the HyNor configuration. These market-specific changes should be kept distinct from the original Japanese specification. Technical overview, slide 9.

Historical significance and production scope

The documented Japanese deliveries establish the Hydrogen RE’s importance as an operational fleet vehicle beyond the show-car stage. Corporate users and local authorities put Mazda’s alternative-fuel rotary programme into service. Japanese fleet delivery report.

By April 2009, Mazda reported eight Japanese deliveries alongside completion of the first Norwegian-specification car. That is a dated delivery count, not a lifetime production total. The sources cited here do not establish a dedicated assembly location or final production date for the Hydrogen RE variant; the parent generation’s 2003–2012 span should not be presented as its production period. Mazda’s April 2009 report.

Mazda RX-8 Original Generation (2003–2012)

Parent generation within the Mazda RX-8 model line.

Sources

• Mazda Starts Leasing Rotary Hydrogen Vehicles — 15 February 2006; Japanese launch specification.
• Mazda Delivers Two Rotary Hydrogen Vehicles to Hiroshima Government Authorities — 21 April 2006; confirmed deliveries.
• Mazda Builds First RX-8 Hydrogen RE for Norway — 24 April 2009; Norwegian specification and programme chronology.
• Overview of Mazda Hydrogen Vehicles — 4 November 2009; Mazda technical presentation hosted by the US Department of Energy.
• Hydrogen charging port of RX-8 — photograph by 名古屋太郎; Wikimedia Commons, CC0.

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