Mazda Looks Into EVs

You might call it jumping on the bandwagon, but a car company that has been conspicuous by its absence in the electric vehicle game, Mazda, has finally thrown its hat into the ring. After Tesla, Fisker and Aptera threw down the gauntlet, and it was picked up by major players like Nissan, Ford and Chevrolet, it was only a matter of time before Mazda had to get into the game.

The basis for Mazda’s look into EVs is the Demios, otherwise known as the Mazda 2, a car that has been a big success in the home market, and will be soon be headed stateside. Could a North American Demios/2 EV be headed our way in the near future?

Mazda’s electrification of the Demios (that’s the gas fueled version you see pictured) is part of a venture called The Tsukuba Environmental Style Test Project that will start in March of the coming year. Mazda Motor Corporation is collaborating with Itochu Corporation and host of other companies on the enterprise that will be hosted in Tsukuba City. The Tsukuba Environmental Style Test Project sets out to test a low-carbon transport system that uses clean energy.

The undertaking aims to be a comprehensive assessment of a low-carbon energy network composed of EVs, rapid chargers, solar panels, fixed battery stations, and a car sharing service. Mazda’s end of things entails providing three Mazda Demios that will be converted into electric vehicles and the Hiroshima-based car company will assist in determining the best possible vehicle specs and assessing the Demio EV’s performance.

The Tsukuba Environmental Style Test Project looks to be part of Mazda’s ongoing measured effort into slowly greening their entire product line. The company has adopted a policy to comprehensively improve its internal combustion engines and aims to phase in those improved drivetrains with electric devices such as the i-stop idling stop system, regenerative braking and hybrid systems.

The Tsukuba Environmental Style Test Project seems to be the next logical step in that development process and it will allow Mazda to generate a broader knowledge base, and garner expertise in EV infrastructure and the reuse of EV batteries.