Mar 22, 2017 09:50 AM EDT
Mazda EV To Compete BMW i3 In 2019? Smaller Body, Lighter Materials To Support Powerful Performance Battery?

Mazda EV will also come out in 2019. The Japanese automaker discussed its plans for its upcoming fully electric car which is expected to compete with Renault ZOE and BMW i3. Mazda prefers a smaller frame with lighter materials to support powerful performance battery.

Mazda is also targeting to hop on board the electric vehicle trend. The automaker has revealed its plan to join heaps of upcoming electric vehicles in 2019. In an interview with Auto Express, European R&D boss Matsuhiro Tanaka shared that they are looking at the potentials of a fully electric car.

In the same interview at the recently concluded Geneva Motor Show, Matsuhiro Tanaka also detailed that the fully electric car they are considering will sport a small body. According to the R&D boss, Mazda believes an EV will be best to come with a small frame to balance off the total car weight considering the heavy battery. The automaker does not see it fit to produce bigger electric vehicles to go with bigger batteries.

Matsuhiro Tanaka further revealed that the plan is to create a new design for the platform. Since they will be using a different technology with a smaller frame, the upcoming EV will also require lighter materials.

The R&D boss also mentioned that their future plan is to create a new material technology to address this lighter material requirement of the upcoming Mazda EV. He explained that if the plan is to put heavy batteries on the new flagship, this would mean they would need to adjust the total weight of the EV in terms of the other car components.

Furthermore, the publication claims that sources have informed them that the upcoming EV from Mazda will use the brand's latest design language which is being utilized by the new Mazda CX-5 and RX Vision concept.

Meanwhile, Matsuhiro Tanaka also mentioned that Mazda has planned to expand its range of electric vehicles by 2021 via launching a line-up of plug-in hybrid models. The R&D boss claims they already have the technology as they have already presented the hybrid, Mazda 3.

See Now: OnePlus 6: How Different Will It Be From OnePlus 5?

 PREVIOUS POST
NEXT POST 

EDITOR'S PICK    

Hyundai to Invest $16.1 Billion for EV Business; Sets Annual Sales Goal of 1.87M Electric Cars by 2030

World's Most Expensive and Most Heavily-optioned Porsche 928 GTS is Coming Home to the U.S.

Major Boost as Tesla Giga Berlin Facility in Final Phase of Approval Process; Delivery Event Set This Month

Audi Looking for e-tron Electric Vehicles to Spur Car Brand's Growth in India in 2022

Toyota Offers Free EV Charging to Owners of 2023 bZ4X After Partnership Agreement with EVgo

2022 Suzuki Baleno Finally Unveiled in India: What are the Specs and Features of this City Car?