Posted on 07/22/2022 6:38:50 AM PDT by Red Badger
Want to get an electric car? Well, if you want to drive that upgraded golf cart more than a few miles to work and back, you might need to think again, particularly if you’re thinking you might want to drive it at typical highway speeds.
Such is what Car and Driver found in its hilarious review of the new, electric Mazda MX-30. And that’s not some old EV that should be resigned to the scrap heap at this point…it’s the 2022 model of the car.
As background, the MX-30 is designed to be an EV for the average American worker that has to commute to his or her place of work. According to Mazda, it’s meant for a daily commute of about 30 miles in typical city/suburb terrain (so no big inclines) and with opportunities for charging it up at each end of the daily commute.
So it might be fine for commuting to work if your workplace isn’t all that far away, but, as Car and Driver found, it’s wholly unsuitable for anything else, as the car was running low on battery after a miserable 70 miles.
Yes, really. According to the review, despite having an EPA range estimate of 100 miles between charges, it only went a very unimpressive 70 miles in a 75-mile-per-hour road test.
The review might have put the car’s failure to go more than a negligible distance in even harsher terms, saying:
The argument can be made that the average owner doesn’t need more than 100 miles of range, but we aren’t going to make it. It’s 2022—we’re seeing 500 miles from electric cars, and 200 miles should be expected. The MX-30 offers an EPA-estimated 100 miles of total range; we made it only 70 miles in our 75-mph highway test. Even worse, the MX-30’s 76 MPGe for those 70 miles of highway driving is less efficient than far more powerful EVs. The Model S Plaid got 91 MPGe in the same highway test, for example. Recharging at a Level 3 charger, it can get 80 percent topped up in 36 minutes; this takes 2 hours, 50 minutes at a Level 2. Our ride from home to the test-drive site and back wouldn’t have been a possible round trip in the MX-30. Mazda does offer 10 days of no-cost loans of other vehicles from its fleet for the first three years of ownership, but who wants to swap cars any time you want to leave your neighborhood?
“Wouldn’t have been possible” isn’t really what you want to hear in a review, particularly when regarding the very reasonable idea that the car should be able to make it to a test facility and back without too much trouble.
But, of course, it’s what the review found because the new EV just isn’t that capable; the laws of physics can’t be ignored, so the ~$35,000 car can only make it the equivalent of my truck, a 2013 F-150, with four gallons of gas (about 80 miles).
That’s not only embarrassing, but it shows the problem with electric cars: they can’t go very far and, even if they might have a huge battery pack that drags them somewhere to the range of a typical car (~500 miles), it takes hours to charge them up.
Oh, and whereas Tesla’s at least have the redeeming feature of being fun to drive because they accelerate like a rocket ship, the Mazda can’t even do that, as the review noted, saying:
Mazda’s EV is currently only available with a single motor making 143 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque. It’s zippy enough around town, but on the highway, or even some of the wider, meaner streets of Los Angeles County, you won’t be passing any Teslas—or even Chevy Bolts. At the test track, it took a lazy 8.7 seconds to get the MX-30 up to 60 mph. The CX-30 does it in 7.6 seconds, while other similarly sized electric SUVs such as the single-motor ID.4 and the Hyundai Kona Electric do it in 7.6 and 6.3 seconds, respectively. It’s even worse at freeway speeds: Accelerating from 50 to 70 mph takes 5.3 seconds, which feels like an eternity on an onramp. Top speed is a mere 91 mph. This sluggishness is somewhat expected given the MX-30’s $34,695 starting price, which is slightly more than a Chevy Bolt EUV’s yet less than what it takes to unlock the ID.4 and Kona. Our well-equipped example cost $38,600. We tend to accept a certain lethargy in small gas engines in return for fuel economy or a low buy-in price, but electric motors need to make up for their lack of fun noises with fun acceleration. The drivetrain in the MX-30 feels detuned, maybe to stretch the range of its small 32.0-kWh battery pack, which leads us to our next performance demerit.
Yikes. Looks like combustion engines still have a reason to stick around after all.
I used to drive 65 miles ONE WAY to work............................
I have a 2022 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE, which gives me 54-60 MPG. It is sluggish and I've been learning to drive with less of a lead foot. It is great to have a nearly 600 mile range for local and regional driving. My other car, a Hummer H3, gets just 14-18 so his relegated to when I really need a real vehicle--off-road, towing, etc.
That Mazda looks nice but 70 miles?! I'd have to plan out my trips around town. And then have the power company turn off charging stations or have them unavailable, leaves little margin.
I read that up to half of electric charging stations are off-line at any given point in time plus electric companies are rationing them, turning them off during peak times like when you are going to the store!
Hybrid seems better bet...
Not to sound too conspiratorial minded, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re using this sort of thing just to keep us from being able to travel too far from our homes. During the pandemic we drove all over the country, and even made two trips from our home in Central Kentucky to Seattle and back. You couldn’t do that practically with an electric car. Even the ones with a decent range.
I’m old enough to remember the ads for seeing the USA in your chevrolet. We love driving around great distances and enjoying the trip. And we’re free to do so at our leisure and go wherever we want to. It’s not quite as freeing as being on a motorcycle, but surprisingly close.
I had a similar experience when I reviewed the Ford Mach E “Mustang.”
The excerpt doesn’t say, but I’ll bet those results are without AC or cabin heater running. It’ll get worse from there.
A few years ago I went to see the Tall Ships in Newport. There was a gent there at dockside pitching the latest electric motorcycle...forget the name.
I was allowed to give it a short test drive. I was advised to be aware of the acceleration. At about half throttle, it was amazing. I slowed, turned back and slowly made my way back to the sales guy.
I dismounted, handed him the handle bars and promptly shat me knickers. It was fast.
How 2010 of Mazda.
When everyone is dependent on the electric grid, the grid can be shut down or choked to fix the proles in place.
Most urban vehicle owners couldn't own an electric vehicle. They live in apartments and park on the street (with a few parking in garages). Plugging in the vehicle overnight on the street would be a logistics nightmare.
I thought I read here that take 40% off the EPA estimate for mileage and that should put you in the ballpark. So the Mazda going 60-70 miles is spot on. FUNNY how EPA doesn’t test HIGHWAY miles. Their numbers BANK on regenerative breaking to Boost/Juice the numbers.
EV? Not for me. Never, never, ever.
Say it right
“Mudder Urf”
Even if they catch on fire after locking you into the car? I think I will pass.
“Tesla is the future”
Yeah if they can ever work out that pesky little spontaneously combusting in your garage for no apparent reason bug.
Other than that.......
I bet it would have gone 100 miles at most commute speeds.
75 mph on the freeway is the least efficient for it.
32 kilowatt battery is nothing to sneeze at. I wonder what the price of the battery is.
Be very good for a solar home in Arizona.
Actually, they don't want anyone to drive at all. They want all of us to ride rickety bicycles like Communist Chinese circa 1968.
Not really that surprising.
The listed range of EV is at super optimal conditions.
The realistic range is a lot less than listed range for all EV’s.
At the end of the day, charging it doubles your electricity bill for the day.
The indoctrinated American doesn’t care. The “status” of having an EV is more important than the functionality of an EV.
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