With its twin battery configurations the Japanese OEM’s second electrical mannequin balances vary nervousness towards charging comfort
Mazda has began rolling out left-hand drive variants of the brand new 6e in European markets. Bought because the EZ-6 in China, the mannequin is obtainable solely as an EV in Europe. The second electrical mannequin from the Japanese model was launched in Spain’s Granada area, a number one space for wind and solar energy.
An evolution of the producer’s combustion-powered mid-sized sedan, it’s solely 41mm taller than its predecessor. “It doesn’t appear like a tall automobile, though we’ve the batteries beneath the ground,” stated Christian Schultze, deputy normal supervisor and director, analysis and operations at Mazda Motor Europe. “Additionally, this provides us sure advantages when it comes to reducing the middle of gravity which helps the automotive’s dynamic efficiency round corners.”
To cater to several types of purchaser, Mazda developed the 6e with two battery choices: a 68.8kWh NMC battery with a spread of 479km; and an 80kWh LFP battery with 552km of vary. The smaller NMC battery can cost at speeds as much as 165kW DC whereas the LFP battery can recharge at as much as 90kW DC. In excellent situations, 10% to 80% cost is alleged to be achievable in 24 minutes with the NMC battery whereas a comparable recharge would take 47 minutes with the LFP pack.
“One battery has a bit extra vary, and we imagine it will likely be primarily chosen by individuals who have their very own charging at dwelling,” stated Schultze. “And the opposite one, which has quicker charging, however not as a lot capability, is for individuals who know they’ll often cost enroute the place charging velocity is extra vital than vary.”
In keeping with Schultze, discovering the candy spot between vary and battery dimension meant going again to fundamentals. “When you have got a sure package deal and set house for a sure battery, and also you wish to have extra vary, you possibly can’t do it with the identical chemistry since you’d want extra space,” he stated. “So, we needed to discover a chemistry that allowed us to make the identical dimension battery with a much bigger capability.”
Till now, Schultze defined that Mazda has maybe been overly conservative when estimating battery longevity however early outcomes from the MX 30 present real-world use is outperforming the producer’s predictions.
“Now we have MX 30 automobiles which have already achieved 200,000 km with the identical battery. We weren’t positive at the start whether or not this may occur as a result of when you have a automobile with a brief vary, 200,000 km means much more recharges.
“Over the previous 10 years, battery chemistry has developed dramatically. Once you look to the longer term, there are extra chemistries, for instance sodium-based or different chemistries that can come, positively. It’s all the time a query of uncooked materials availability, preparation of the battery, lifetime, efficiency figures, value and so forth.”
Digital and decarbonization
As a result of comparative simplicity of electrical powertrains versus ICE, Schultze famous that the 6e’s improvement centered round digital interplay. The UI has been introduced extra in keeping with techniques present in Chinese language rivals offered within the European market. UX has additionally been expanded to incorporate gesture management in addition to voice recognition.
“With a contemporary automobile just like the Mazda 6e, the brand new problem for us is the general digital management of all techniques, the connection to the skin world and the info operation inside the automotive,” stated Schultze. “That’s a brand new world for us the place we should enhance, be taught and progress as a result of increasingly more we may have an interplay between every automobile and its complete setting.
Schultze highlights clever techniques, visitors management, and movement management as examples. “Clients wish to do new issues in automobiles,” he says. “Not solely do they wish to hearken to the radio however possibly the passengers wish to watch streaming providers or purchase tickets to a museum you’re on the way in which to. Now we have to make these connections to all these totally different exterior stakeholders.” Schultze famous that whereas quite a lot of in-car experiences are conceivable, they need to not distract from the driving expertise.
The launch of the Mazda 6e is a part of the corporate’s wider decarbonization technique which focuses on figuring out appropriate low or zero emission autos for particular markets. Somewhat than providing the identical product vary in all markets, the corporate plans to be extra selective, particularly for EVs the place infrastructure in some areas makes the widespread viability of this expertise more difficult.
In Mazda’s three-pronged method to lowering emissions, one space encompasses electrification expertise, taking a look at totally electrical, plug-in hybrid and delicate hybrid autos. The second improvement goal seems at different fuels together with e-fuels, and lastly the corporate is making an attempt to attenuate the environmental impression of its manufacturing processes via the usage of renewable power.
“It’s not sufficient to only take a look at the tailpipe emissions,” stated Schultze, “We have to method this from a well-to-wheel method the place we take into account all of the CO2 emissions created from the manufacturing of the automobile, the preparation of the gasoline, the era of electrical energy and the drive and use of the automobile.”
Serving to fingers
Regulation and current infrastructure is anticipated to affect which markets Mazda selects for sure powertrains. This contains regional variations in end-of-life automobile processing laws and recycling targets. Since autos offered into the European market might be recycled in Europe, Mazda is selecting supplies primarily based on compatibility with the continent’s current recycling strategies.
Whereas OEMs with localized manufacturing can work in the direction of closed-loop recycling, Schultze argued that bringing recycled supplies from Europe again to Japan to supply new autos could be antithetical. “We’re utilizing recycled supplies however at this cut-off date not from end-of-life autos however from packaging supplies, issues like PET bottles,” Schultze stated.
Contemplating the recyclability and long-term environmental impression of EVs, Schultze added, “We at present have points with uncommon earths, so we want to consider magnets sooner or later. The European Fee is considering how we will get better the magnets from end-of-life EVs.” Schultze urged the business might have to discover synthesizing magnets or creating magnet-free autos via the event of recent applied sciences.
Waiting for its future lineup, the producer is optimizing its improvement technique via its current partnership with Changan. “We’re at present growing a brand new BEV platform primarily based on Mazda expertise, the expertise we’ve gained with our MX-30 and suggestions from clients,” stated Schultze. “We’ll additional develop our personal proprietary expertise and introduce this new BEV round 2028.
In parallel with this BEV, Mazda is growing two additional EVs as a part of its international technique to work along with companions on the event of recent EVs. “We’re leveraging our alliance with our Chinese language accomplice with whom we’ve labored collectively for greater than 20 years on R&D and manufacturing,” stated Schultze. “Previously, we engineered and developed all our merchandise in home, however the velocity of improvement has elevated dramatically, and we perceive that we have to use partnerships with exterior firms. Not solely to hurry up however to additionally acquire applied sciences and capabilities we don’t have in-house.”
Discussing how the producer’s market-specific technique might be actioned, Schultze concluded, “We’re a mid-sized firm, so meaning we can not supply automobiles in each market in a different way. Standardization is likely one of the issues we should make use of.”
Andasol Photo voltaic Energy Station
The 6e launch included a visit to the Andasol Photo voltaic Energy Station within the Granada area. Not like conventional solar energy vegetation that use photovoltaic panels, Andasol makes use of concentrated solar energy (CSP) expertise.
Parabolic mirrors focus daylight by an element of 82 onto tubes with a diameter of 70mm. Contained in the tubes, a thermal oil is heated from 290°C to 390°C alongside the loop. The new oil passes via a warmth exchanger the place it creates steam to drive a turbine related to a generator to supply electrical energy. Water cooling is used to scale back the temperature of the oil earlier than it goes around the loop once more.
One of many benefits of this method is that the recent oil additionally heats a molten salt combination which contains 60% sodium nitrate (NaNO3) and 40% potassium nitrate (KNO3). A ‘chilly’ salt tank shops the combination at round 290°C whereas the ‘scorching’ tank holds it at as much as 390°C. Extra power produced throughout the day is saved right here till the night time or cloudy intervals.
Through the day, salt from the chilly tank is pumped into the recent tank and heated with the oil. At night time, the recent tank is pumped into the chilly one to warmth the oil. When the storage tank is full, it has sufficient power to permit the plant to function for round 7.5 hours at nighttime. Through the summer season months, this implies the ability can produce inexperienced electrical energy across the clock, considerably rising its output in comparison with photovoltaic options.
To maximise gentle seize, mirror rows are aligned North-South, so that they rotate from East to West monitoring the solar. In-built three phases, your entire website has been producing power since 2011. Andasol 3, the latest section of the challenge options 210,000 parabolic mirrors paired with a warmth storage capability of 29,000 tonnes of salt. Annual working hours are estimated to be round 3700 at peak load. Collectively, Andasol 1, 2 and three produce round 150MW of inexperienced electrical energy yearly.
Spanning round 600 hectares, the situation was chosen for its excessive altitude at 1100m above sea stage, usually sunny climate and good entry to water from the Sierra Nevada mountain vary. As a result of variety of wind farms within the native space, the location can also be close to excessive voltage energy traces. To take care of the efficacy of the mirrors they’re cleaned each night time to take away mud and particles from the floor.
Spain main the cost
“We’re right here as a result of Spain can be a showcase of the sustainability transition,” Schultze defined. “Spain is a frontrunner within the deployment of inexperienced electrical energy, and they’re additionally very profitable in deploying electrified mobility.”
Because of authorities incentives on the acquisition value of recent EVs and subsidies on dwelling and public charging, Mazda expects the 6e to be properly suited to the area. As the corporate assesses the place to supply particular merchandise, native inexperienced power manufacturing is amongst its priorities. Schultze stated, “In case you have electrical energy that’s made by coal and gasoline, then an EV is not any greener than some other automobile.”
In 2024, sustainable power accounted for 56% of the nation’s electrical energy manufacturing utilizing power era strategies corresponding to wind, photo voltaic and hydropower. Within the first half of 2025, spurred on by the MOVES III incentive for as much as €7,000 off a brand new EV, greater than 46,000 EVs have been registered in Spain, a year-on-year improve of 84%.
“The general public charging community is progressing steadily with greater than 40,000 cost factors. Even high-speed chargers at the moment are coming to extra distant areas. It reveals very clearly that clear power and clear mobility can go collectively if it’s deliberate properly, the place folks dwell and the place folks drive,” Schultze added.
