Peter Lyon
May 10, 2025
The current-model Mazda MX-5 has been around for over a decade, maintaining its basic, naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine while becoming an archrival of increasingly hefty electric sports cars like the MG Cyberster.
This might soon change, though, as we have discovered patents for an electric-powered MX-5.
The patents, which were submitted in the United States in April, depict batteries in the transmission tunnel section of an obviously MX-5-sized car. This contrasts with most pure-electric vehicles’ traditional “skateboard” architecture, which would make it challenging to achieve the low-slung driving position found in Mazda’s roadster.
Battery placement in the transmission tunnel is not new; the most recent Lamborghini Revuelto’s 3.8kWh pack does just that. Mazda’s graphics here are tied to a pure-electric vehicle, whereas Lamborghini uses this to complement a plug-in hybrid system.
The MX-5’s conventional size, form, and weight distribution have been maintained by using this somewhat creative approach to battery integration. In addition to the transmission tunnel, Mazda has installed batteries behind both seats and in front of the passenger seat; the latter is a feature that will be included in the upcoming Porsche Cayman EV.
The idea of keeping a ‘transmission tunnel’ in the first place tells us that the technology is founded on a shared architecture catering to both and ICE powertrain with a traditional gearbox mounting, and a pure-EV, although this isn’t mentioned in the patents.
According to Mazda’s application, “the yaw moment of inertia can be further reduced because the battery is installed in the tunnel portion, allowing the vehicle’s gravity centre to be near the middle of the vehicle.”
Mazda’s famous “Jinba-ittai” (horse and rider as one) philosophy has made the MX-5 seem more agile since its inception. The “yaw of inertia” that Mazda is referring to here is basically the vehicle’s directional change, and decreasing this helps make a car feel more nimble.
Although Mazda says it may be ordinary lithium-ion or possibly solid-state, with the company already investigating the latter, there is little information available regarding the battery’s chemistry.
The MX-5 EV’s battery pack size is yet unknown, but considering the emphasis on driving dynamics and minimising weight, capacity will undoubtedly be kept to a minimum (though presumably not as tiny as the Mazda MX-30’s 35.5kWh unit).
Throughout its 35-year history, the MX-5 has never particularly focused on straight-line performance; the most recent model sports a 2.0-liter engine with 181 horsepower that can sprint from 0-62 mph in an acceptably quick enough 6.5 seconds. Based on these early patents, it appears that the electric model will also employ this strategy—of focusing less on performance and more on handling.
There is only one electric motor rather than a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive setup. Like any factory MX-5, it powers the back wheels and is located in the centre of the vehicle, directly behind the seats.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Mazda can no longer ignore the full electrification of the popular MX-5. While the Hiroshima-based carmaker would want to keep its options open by offering an ICE model along with an EV spec—to keep both the traditionalists and progressives happy, the bottom line is far more critical than that. Without a clear direction of which way the tariff war with the US will go, and Mazda having to potentially take a big hit as it makes the vast majority of its models in Japan, one engineer told me recently that company could be in direct straits sooner than later thanks to Trump.
