As the auto industry turns its attention to hydrogen fuel as a gasoline alternative, the RX-8 Hydrogen RE offers a hydrogen-powered version of RENESIS--Mazda's next-generation rotary engine introduced last year in the all-new RX-8, and winner of the 2003 International Engine of the Year award. Due to its unique nature, the rotary engine can run on hydrogen with very little modification. The RENESIS engine has the injection, compression, ignition, and exhaust areas separated from each other so no pre-ignition of the gas occurs, whereas the more common reciprocating gasoline engine needs substantial development to run on hydrogen to avoid pre-ignition on the intake cycle. This rotary engine has been developed with a dual-fuel system, allowing it to run on either gasoline or hydrogen, offering flexibility to promote the usage of hydrogen fuel and the development of a supporting infrastructure. Mazda is still several years off producing a hydrogen car for customer use, but it is actively pursuing this alternative fuel system with the RX-8.
