A new patent from Mazda has the Japanese automaker describing a way to mount a rotary engine on its side for better packaging as an electric vehicle's range extender. The company registered for the patent in Japan on August 31, 2018, and the Japan Patent Office published it on September 19, 2018.

The way Mazda sees it, the Wankel rotary engine's compact size is perfect to function as a range-extender. For even better packaging, the company wants to mount the powerplant horizontally under the rear cargo floor. However, an inherent issue with the Wankel is that it requires a small amount of oil injection into the combustion chamber in order to lubricate the spinning rotor. This patent describes what Mazda's engineers believe is the best way to orient the oil injector for this layout.