Are Electric Vehicles the Only Answer? Expanding Possibilities with Mazda’s Multi-Solution Strategy for CO₂ Reduction

The car industry is undergoing a historic transformation—one that occurs perhaps once every hundred years. As Mazda celebrates its own centennial milestone, we must chart our course for the next hundred years. Carbon neutrality, and more specifically how to achieve it, is a significant marker on that path. It’s the top priority not just for us at Mazda, but for all car manufacturers, and the entire industrial sector.

Mazda’s approach to carbon neutrality is to look at the whole lifecycle of a car, and explore ways to reduce CO₂ at every stage. This means not only eco-friendly technology, but reducing CO₂ emissions in production and distribution flows and transitioning to clean fuels.

At Sustainable Brands Tokyo, held February 21-22, 2024, at the Tokyo International Forum, President Moro's keynote speech expressed Mazda’s commitment and approach to solving challenges through multiple pathways, adapting our solutions to each country and region’s specific needs and technological capabilities.

Moro continues, “Each country and region has its own mobility environment: lifestyles, vehicle usage patterns, primary power generation methods, and infrastructure development which affects charging station availability—all these factors need to be considered. At Mazda, we believe that providing multiple solutions—from clean diesel engines to hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles—that can adapt to these diverse situations while preserving customers’ freedom of choice, is the most rational and practical path to broadening and accelerating CO₂ reduction worldwide."

Recently, particularly in Europe and North America, clear differences have emerged in how countries and regions approach environmental regulations and develop infrastructure related to electric vehicles. This has prompted a shift in media discourse, moving away from the previous narrative that focused solely on electric vehicles as the universal solution.

Against this backdrop, in 2023, Mazda developed the Rotary EV, which reduces environmental impact by repurposing our proprietary rotary engine technology as a generator. Later the same year, Furthermore, at the Japan Mobility Show in October 2023, we unveiled the compact sports car concept of the future, Mazda Iconic SP*. The dual-rotor rotary engine EV system, which uses a highly adaptable rotary engine capable of running on a variety of fuels including hydrogen and biofuel, generates power from carbon-neutral fuel. When the onboard battery is charged using electricity from renewable sources, the system can run virtually carbon neutral. 

In addition to the MX-30 Rotary-EV and its rotary engine generator, the exhibition booth showcased a variety of carbon-neutral initiatives at Mazda. These included next-generation biofuel research using microalgae conducted jointly with Hiroshima University, and car components made from the recycled shells of Hiroshima’s famed oysters.

These displays attracted a diverse audience of young visitors—a generation long said to be losing interest in cars.

A university student shared how their love of the video game, Gran Turismo, sparked their interest in Mazda. One high school student, fascinated by the algae exhibit, expressed interest in pursuing algae research. Another high school student, inspired by the Mazda Iconic SP at the Japan Mobility Show, spent nearly 30 minutes in animated discussion with a designer.

We also received this comment from a high school student who previously had no interest in cars: “It was really interesting to learn that Mazda isn't just focusing on electric vehicles, but is looking at biofuels, rotary engines, and a variety of different solutions to meet different needs. 

“Before today, I only thought of cars as tools for getting from A to B. But after learning about the passion that goes into Mazda’s joy of driving philosophy, my perspective has changed. The rotary engine has especially captured my imagination. It’s exciting to think how this technology is being revived, and it’s inspired me to want to drive one day.”

Since 2023, we at Mazda have focused on our purpose of enriching life-in-motion for all we serve. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact, while also ensuring that people continue to experience the joy of driving and joy of living. This new purpose embodies these dual commitments.

At Mazda, joy of driving and sustainability are the twin forces that power us forward. Guided by these principles, we'll continue to refine innovative technologies as we adapt to the changing times.