pointofdeparture said:
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
I could see Mazda doing something with paddle-adjustable regen braking that's pretty fun, or maybe using a 2-speed transaxle like the Taycan and allowing a degree of driver involvement.
Drivers haven't needed to be involved with spark advance for a long time, and somehow we've adapted to that level of disconnection :) Trying to paste irrelevant attributes from one power type on to another is avoiding the characteristics of the actual power type. I don't have rabbit ears on my streaming TV set even though hanging bits of aluminum foil off the antenna was a big part of the rabbit ear experience!
Now, if the car is a hybrid, some way to trigger harvesting in a straight line would be interesting. It is a legitimate way to be involved in the hybrid driving experience - give up some straight line acceleration to store power for later, when it can be deployed at your command. That's the right sort of involvement for this kind of car, not a patched on simulation of an obsolete and redundant control from bygone days.
In reply to Keith Tanner :
Hey now, let's not forget that some automakers are sticking big fugly grilles on the front of EVs to preserve some ICE characteristics! 
I haven't been lucky enough to get behind the wheel of an EV yet so I don't have any hands-on experience and am just thinking out loud, but I would like to try an i3 or Bolt or something soon to get a better feel for the changes.
The grille lobby is powerful in the automakers :) They're still trying to figure out how to give EVs a face while the ICE cars are going all-in on maximum grille. There is some internal stress in the styling departments!
The experience is no fuss BAM acceleration right now. You can hear some whining as power is deployed and I personally get quite a bit of satisfaction out of feeling the car regenerate and save all that energy to do it again. What you don't get is weird power curve bumps or vibrations. Without all the fuss it can seem a bit clinical if that's a core part of the experience to you. People use the term "golf cart" disparagingly but who hasn't had fun with a golf cart?
Basically, you get to decouple management of the machine from driving the machine.
Ian F (Forum Supporter) said:
It'll come down to how it's done. The idea of an EV or hybrid MX-5 isn't necessarily bad and it may be required in order for the model to survive. Mazda seem to have a pretty good handle on making sure they keep the essence of what makes a MX-5 a "Miata."
is there a thing like Performance Hybrid" ?
the ICE is used mostly in the city and also stop and go freeway up to 20mph or so , then the performance gasoline motor kicks in ,
Like a Prius with a Turbo motor......
F1 cars are performance hybrids. So are a bunch of recent hypercars from McLaren, Ferrari and BMW. The ability to move under pure electric power isn't the point, it's the ability to capture, store and deploy extra energy that matters.
In reply to RichardSIA :
Please show me sources that show that global warming isn't happening and that internal combustion engines are not contributing to that.
I don't understand how what I said is a political statement.
Take my check now! But I'll also keep my NA and NC!
In reply to 93EXCivic :
It’s not that global warming/climate change isn’t happening, it’s the source that the EPA claims (transportation) that I feel skeptical about. There are numerous sources who put agriculture, namely beef production, as by FAR the biggest contributor to green house gases (methane). Watch the film Cowspiracy if you’re interested in learning more.
In reply to CyberEric :
That may be well and good (or the opposite of good, but you know) but we can address CO2 and H2O production right now, incrementally. We're still working out labgrown steaks, and people react violently to the idea that maybe it would be a good idea to eat less meat so that idea is already a nonstarter.
In reply to RichardSIA :
Okay, Boomer.
BuT tHeRe'S nO ScIeNtIfIc CoNsEnSuS....except there is, and there has been for a while. And the 4% of scientists who say otherwise get a lot of funding from oil companies and others with vested interests in keeping things the way they are....at least for the next 20 years.
In reply to psteav (Forum Supporter) :
"When was the last time you ever saw any scientists ever agree on ANYthing?"
It's only "political" because the people who resist change want to make it so. Sad thing is, it's not the 30s and 40s anymore, and there's something like four TIMES as many people on the planet as there were back then, and the poorest percentage are able to live close to the lifestyle of the richest percentage back then.
In reply to RichardSIA :
First if it was really all about money for the scientist don't you think the rich fossil fuels would have stopped it by now.
Second please show me all these studies that are so ignored.
Third lets just assume you are correct and 96% of scientist are wrong. We know that burning fossil fuels releases lots of chemicals/gases that are harmful to human health and the environment. Is having cleaner air really that terrible?
In reply to frenchyd :
Tesla is exactly what I described. Silent. Fast. Appliance. Status symbol. Zero engagement. Seriously. It's the damn poster child.
Fast does not equal engaging.
Snrub
Dork
6/25/21 7:30 p.m.
The Nissan Leaf's base battery pack is ~650lbs. If power density was improved by say 50%, I think the range could be reduced some and you could cut the battery weight significantly. I think a 2600-2700lbs EV Miata could be compelling.
Big money is being invested into batteries. I think it's reasonable to assume we'll continue to see constant, gradual improvements.
In reply to tester (Forum Supporter) :
I don't disagree that currently there are no electric cars that interest me.
But two counter points. What percentage of new cars sold are actually engaging to drive? A very small percentage so of course electrical cars are going to follow that tread when you consider how few are currently really sold. To build a sports car or hot electric hatch is a niche within a niche.
Also pretty much all new technology starts in status symbol level cars. Think how many technologies first appeared on high end sports cars or the S class or Caddys because that technology is expensive so it has to be on an expensive car. It trickles down.
Also it should be pointed out that Mazda has said every thing they make will have electrification by 2030. That includes hybrids.
In reply to RichardSIA :
So your whole argument is I think it isnt happening so it must not be. You have convinced me. Good job.
Mazda could really easily do the motor/alternator setup. That doesn't require a huge pack and should be able to give a nice torque boost. The EAssist setup in a malibu gave an extra 15 horsepower and 79 ft lbs of torque way back in 2011.
The pack would be smaller now as the pack in the pic is NiMh:
In reply to RichardSIA :
Yes. If you make a claim, back it up with DATA. Otherwise it's just an opinion and you can take it and put it where it belongs.
since you're not buying new cars and even basic TBI cars throw you for a loop, why the eff do you care? You are not the people they are selling cars to.
BTW, that Buick that you trouble with? Think how much easier it would have been to deal with if it had been electric. Fewer moving parts, better diagnostics, etc.
Nah, let's just piss in EVERYONE'S Wheaties because you don't want to bother to learn about it or understand things that are different than carbs/points.
It's been over a century since we switched from horses to those newfangled auto-mobiles and you can still go ride a horse if you want. I'm willing to bet any luddite who desires to have a carburated ICE will be able to do so for the foreseeable future. The rest of us will be passing by going much faster and buying a lot less gas or none at all.
The latest round of hypercars e.g. McLaren Speedtail, employ hybrid systems to great effect. I'm interested to see how Mazda trickles down this sort of technology to the masses. I'm willing to bet they'll do a great job on the next Miata, because the last 4 generations established a pretty amazing track record.
Dont want an hybrid or E-Miata? Go buy an old one, they only made a couple million.
Oh, I think there will continue to be significant progress on the battery/power pack front, based on nothing more than I expect it. Had you told me about some of our current technology when I started university in 1970 I'd have laughed at you for believing in pipe dreams, yet here we are. My mother tells me about the first time she ever saw an airplane overhead, I'll tell you about the first time I saw a pocket calculator, and my grandsons will tell their children about the first nuclear powered car they saw. There will be progress, just not the same as Popular Mechanics predicts.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
History repeats itself and yet the future always continues to surprise us. In the 80s VHS defeated the superior betamax format due to the porno industry producing films for distribution on VHS tapes.
And 40 years later nobody thinks that the most technological advance in that timeframe is having a device in your pocket with a 4-5" screen that can view or even produce and publish pornographic content at nearly any and all times. At least of course until it's pointed out. Then they have to give pause to attempt to think about a greater advancement.
If setting advance and gapping plugs is peaking out your own window waiting for the mail to come to see if today is the day that the latest Playboy was delivered. EVs are throwing on an occulus rift, plunging your gentleman's sausage into a glory hole and strapping in for the ride.
I look forward to the endorphin release caused by future miatas.
Snrub
Dork
6/26/21 1:24 p.m.
That's the way I think it's going to go, battery evolution instead of revolution. ICE went the same way.
In reply to captdownshift (Forum Supporter) :
LOL....I think there's a writer's job for you someplace....maybe SNL.
