What is ¡-ELOOP ? Again Mazda is first with innovation

¡-ELOOP

is a new type of brake energy
regeneration system. It provides many of the
benefits of hybrid vehicles (recapturing of
wasted energy to enhance efficiency) without the
complexity. This innovative system incorporates
two automotive firsts:

 It is the first system to use a capacitor in
a passenger vehicle to store electricity
generated by brake energy regeneration

 It is the first system to routinely power a
passenger vehicle’s electrical components
from a capacitor, even while the car is
in motion

How Does it Work?

Traditionally, when an engine is running (during
normal driving) up to 10% of the energy goes to
charging the battery and running the electrical
systems found throughout the vehicle. However,
with ¡-ELOOP, when a vehicle is slowing down
(and the engine is coasting/not burning fuel) an
advanced, variable-voltage alternator is driven
by the kinetic energy of the vehicle.
As the vehicle slows down, the drive wheels force
the engine to turn, even though no fuel is being
burned – this is commonly known as engine
braking. The turning of the engine drives the
alternator, which in turn creates the electricity
to run the electrical systems of the vehicle. Any
excess energy is sent to charge the capacitor

The Benefits

Customers may not understand the
technology behind ¡-ELOOP but
the benefits are simple – significantly
improved fuel efficiency without
the weight, cost or complexity of a
conventional hybrid. It is just one
more example of the innovation of
SKYACTIV-Technology.

What is a Capacitor?
Batteries store electricity as chemical energy
and they release that energy by reversing the
chemical process. This is why batteries warm
up when they’re charged or discharged (think
of how a cell phone heats up when you’ve been
talking for an extended period of time). Because
of this chemical process, batteries don’t like
to be charged or discharged, quickly. In fact,
a battery can only be cycled a limited number
of times before its effectiveness decreases
and it needs to be replaced.
A capacitor can be cycled an indefinite number
of times because it stores electricity as
electricity (think of rubbing a balloon on your
head and sticking it to a wall with the resulting
static electricity).
In normal driving, the electrical needs of the
vehicle are handled by the alternator and the
capacitor. This means that the battery doesn’t
need to be charged as frequently. Consequently,
the battery in vehicles equipped with ¡-ELOOP,
is expected to have a much longer life.