Diary of Change: Is it really starting now?

Diary of Change: Is it really starting now?

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It feels like there is only one issue with electric cars: their range. The further, the better. HP, torque, trunk volume? Tends to be secondary for electric vehicles. They need a lot of capacity and they shouldn't be too expensive. Mazda has long resisted electrification, now they are bringing it along MX-30 even bring an electric car onto the market. The remarkable thing about it is less the design, although the doors that open in opposite directions are an eye-catcher, but the approach: Mazda only gives the MX-30 35.5 kWh battery capacity and specifies a maximum range (according to WLTP) of 262 km. Not much. Why? Because Mazda says that the average driver only drives a little over 30 kilometers per day, so they don't need that much range and the car can be built much more sustainably - in terms of the overall environmental balance. Smaller battery, less energy required for construction and disposal. Sounds green.

Crucial point: everyday range

In everyday life, however, you soon reach the limits of practicality: in winter temperatures, the range drops to a maximum of 150 km according to the on-board computer. If you use the heater, 12-18 km are immediately lost. On the highway at 130 km/h, around one percent of battery power is lost per kilometer. On the other hand, you drive very economically in the city and with a strong recuperation setting you can sometimes even gain more than you use. Great. The doors, which require too much pivoting space, especially in narrow underground garages and tight parking spaces, are less practical. In general, sitting in the second row can only be expected of teenagers - slim fit is what that means today. The design is beyond any doubt. It is beautiful, modern, in tune with the times. Two touch displays in the interior signal: Starship Enterprise. The 360 ​​degree camera creates an upper class flair. Simply a tasty story from Mazda. The price is also salty: our test version with everything costs 41,990 euros. Okay, you can still deduct subsidies, but given its price level, the Mazda MX-30 is not an electric car for everyone. 

Range extender with Wankel engine

However, the trick of the Mazda MX-30 is different: it also gets a Wankel engine range extender. This increases the reach and the basic green conscience is not shaken to its foundations. Then the MX-30 is very similar in concept BMW i3 – who was born in 2013. Mazda advantage: No carbon chassis – lower costs, more range, more space, comparable luxury. With the range extender, the Mazda MX-30 could become the perfect commuter car for many customers. 

Conclusion

Currently only equipped with a medium-sized battery, the Mazda MX-30 is still a brave decision as the only car in the garage. With the range extender (market launch still unknown), the customer base could expand dramatically. The idea is sustainable, the implementation on rail. That's why the MX-30 is a suitable piece of the puzzle to support the mobility transition. But he hasn't reached the final conclusion yet. You have to be so fair and critical.

Our diary of change serves as a platform for car models with alternative drives, for new mobility solutions and business areas as well as mobility reports from everyday life to find out how mobility will develop from 2021 onwards. 
With kind support from Total Austria