Mazda: 'Well-to-Wheel' Gives ICE the Advantage over Electric, Manufacturer Claims

by Stephen Briers (Fleet News) Change the debate to get true global picture on emissions says manufacturer as it continues to examine powertrain technology options. -- At a time when most of its rivals are distancing themselves from diesel by publicising their ‘holier-than-thou’ aspirations to move to electrification – albeit in many cases still using petrol/diesel as the core component – Mazda remains defiantly pro internal combustion engine (ICE).

The company believes there are significant opportunities to improve the emissions and fuel efficiencies of both diesel and petrol and it wants to switch the conversation back to a well-to-wheel debate.

Well-to-wheel was the popular argument against electric and hybrid vehicles a decade ago.

Manufacturers pounced on academic studies that claimed the methods used to extract the minerals required to produce batteries, and the coal-fired power stations providing much of the electricity to recharge them, meant that when considering the entire emissions released over the life of the car – from production to destruction – ICE came out pretty well.

“Electric vehicles are probably the solution in the long-term, but not the short-term,” says Mazda UK PR director Graeme Fudge. “So, we are looking at a suite of technologies and deploying the technology where it’s relevant to the market.”

ICE will still be a dominant feature; Mazda believes 85% of cars will still have it at their heart.

“We are balancing the need to respond to the environment with cars that people enjoy driving. We believe we can get well-to-wheel emissions to a level equivalent to an electric car, with electricity from both coal-powered or any other source,” says Fudge. READ MORE

The assertions have quietened in recent years as the calculations changed with the move to wind- and solar-powered electricity sources but, when taken at a global level, Mazda believes the environmental arguments for ICE remain robust.

So much so that the company has set a challenging target to reduce its global emissions as an average corporate well-to-wheel by 50% by 2030 over 2010 levels, and by 90% by 2050.