I know, I know, this is a CX-5 thread, but yesterday I received an email from Mazda announcing their new, all electric MX-30. It's the wave of the future for sure, BUT with a 100 mile limit, I wouldn't consider it - even if I were in the market for an EV. Besides the lack of electric charging stations, refill times, etc, would that 100 mile limit, be a concern/deal breaker for anyone here?

 

Agreed, 100 miles is a deal breaker indeed. This is Mazda's entry to the market. I would wait for the next iteration or if you are in the EV market right now, I would look at different brands.

 

Nah, my CX-5 is less than a year old, so I'm not looking yet. In the email, Mazda mentioned that most trips are less than 30 miles, so I'm guessing they figure the 100 mile limit is ok. Well, not for me. What happens when you have the heater or AC, headlights, radio and wipers on, which reduces the limit considerably. Last winter, with a totally unprepared for 4 inches of snow, my 22 mile trip - with wipers, heater and headlights on took me 4 hours, just about all of it, standing still, Luckily, I had a full tank of gas. Hate to think of what would have happened if I had that MX-30, starting the trip with less then a 100% charge. Thinking about it, I'd still be concerned in that scenario even with a full charge. 100 mile limit - no thanks.

 

It is certainly a fair weather city car. And only sold in CA for now. I guess if you get stuck on a freeway there's always a nearby exit so you can get a recharge. I've read articles that report 500 miles is the real inflection point for many potential buyers. A reasonable days drive. I placed a deposit on a Tesla Model 3 when it was first announced and then cancelled it when the mileage was released. The places where I would want to drive it were at least 2 charges away. So what I can reach in 6 hrs with my CX-5 would take 3x in a Model 3. I would consider the upcoming hybrid CX-50,, electric powered with a rotary engine generator. If it's as fun to drive as my CX-5 it could be a real winner.

 

I won't consider any vehicle if it cannot get more than 250mi on a "fill-up" (or charge). Ideally, 300-350mi. And refills/recharging has to be available at any point when I stop along the way.

If the tech can do a couple of things, I'll possibly consider an EV. Possibly.

1. Periodic charging that can be done in under 30mins and yield 200+ miles (ie, if stopping for a bite to eat), from a normal wall (120V) power outlet.
2. 500mi on a "full" charge.
3. Full charges that can be done in much less than an entire evening's parking (ie, 8-2am instead of 6am to 6am).
4. Erase the typical longevity deficiency that Li-Ion technology exhibits. Re-doing an entire bank of batteries every 7-10yrs is foolish and needlessly expensive, which is on a par with having to swap in an $8K crate motor into a gas vehicle every 7-10yrs.

It'll be interesting to see what some of the new battery technologies end up doing, performance-wise.

Until then ...

 

When I bought my Grand Cherokee, it had a nominal range of around 625 miles. On several occasions, I did around 550 before filling it. After switching it to off-road tires and adding several hundred pounds of rock rails and other guards to supplement the OEM skid plates, the range dropped to around 500 miles. Needless to say that this is the vehicle that I tend to use for long trips. One that would have a range of less than 300 miles is a non-starter for me.

The other advantage of gas is that when the tank gets low, it takes about ten minutes to stop and fill it before getting back on the road. With electric, that changes to multiple hours to recharge, assuming you can find a charging station or an electrical outlet that someone will let you use.