At the ongoing Tokyo Motor Show in Japan, the first electric car from Mazda, the MX-30 has been revealed. It is an electric SUV, no more than 5-feet high and features Rolls Royce styled doors.
The driver’s side door can open at an angle of 82 degrees while the rear doors can open 80 degrees wide. In the electric SUV segment, the Tesla Model X is an EV that features a unique door design. The Model X doors are aptly named Falcon wings as they open upwards similar to a Mercedes SLS-AMG.
According to Mazda, its unique door design allows for easier loading and unloading of cargo along with easy access to strollers and wheelchairs.
One really interesting thing about Mazda MX-30 is the inclusion of a range-extending rotary engine, which we’ll talk about in a minute.
But, will a unique entry door and an ICE engine be enough to get customers inside the car and hopefully buy one? Let’s take a look at the interiors of the Mazda MX-30 electric car and decide for ourselves.
Mazda Electric Car Specs, Features, Price And Launch Date
The Mazda MX-30 started life as an e-TPV concept. It had a 30-40 kWh battery pack coupled with a compact rotary engine. The same has been translated to the production version of the MX-30 as well.
Due to the small battery pack, the weight of the MX-30 electric is quite less than the likes of a Tesla Model 3. The rotary engine by nature is compact and efficient, and hence able to further help with weight reduction.
The Mazda MX-30 also comes with the “G-Vectoring Control Plus” which helps the car in improving its handling in corners. Upon entering the curve, the Mazda MX-30 shifts its weight towards the front and shifts it at the rear while leaving the corner.
The overall styling of the MX-30 looks quite similar to the famous RX-8 sports car. Mainly the headlights, the front hood, and the taillights look similar to the RX-8.
Mazda’s MX-30 electric car will have a 35.5 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a rotary engine that will function as a range extender. Anyone who has ever heard of the name Mazda, be it in real life, movies or videogames, knows that the company is famous for making compact and efficient rotary engines.
The same engine is present in some of their iconic cars including the RX-7 and the RX-8. The last rotary engine or Wankel, as they are called, made by Mazda, was used by a 2012 RX-8 introduced in North America.
Talking about the interior of the car, the console looks fairly simple. The console consists of a touch screen that sits above an automatic gearbox. Several new electric cars nowadays are switching to a full-fledged Android operating system for in-car infotainment. There’s no word on Mazda doing the same though.
There is no word on the pricing or the range of the Mazda MX-30 electric car but the 35.5 kWh battery pack seems good enough for around 200 km of range. For comparison, Hyundai Kona with a 39 kWh battery delivers 258 km of range.
Needless to say, this much of battery-range will be enough for daily driving and for intercity travel, the rotary engine will take over instead.
The electric motor is situated inside the hood of the car and sits on the front axle. The AC/DC charging socket is present at the back of the car. The MX-30 will come with fast-charging enabled but there is no word on the charging rate.
You will be able to plug in the MX-30 at your home for charging overnight or you can use the rotary engine that’ll juice up the battery as it moves you forward.
The Mazda MX-30 will launch in the second half of 2020.
Should You Buy Mazda MX-30 Electric Car?
Mazda is taking this EV in an almost similar direction to Tesla. The aim of Mazda here, I believe, is to get as many pure ICE vehicles off the road as possible. This strategy is similar to Tesla’s but with one main difference. Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO, wants to replace ICE with full battery-electric vehicles and nothing else, whereas Mazda is slightly lenient with this approach.
Mazda seeks to provide a more approachable vehicle for hard-core petrol heads. The MX-30 EV can be driven in electric mode while driving within the city, for which the 200 km range is enough, and switched to using the rotary engine when going on a long tour.
The biggest problem for an ICE owner while switching to an electric vehicle is range anxiety, and Mazda MX-30 easily eliminates this issue no matter where you choose to drive it.
As for emissions, the rotary engine will pollute more than the electric battery but most of the daily driving is done in the city and Mazda MX-30 is helping cut those emissions while providing ease of usage during long tours. In this way, you’ll be cutting your emissions down by 80%.
If you don’t want to release any form of greenhouse emissions then going with a Tesla or any other long-range EV will be good for you.
Still, Mazda MX-30 is a great upcoming electric car that’ll help remove thousands of conventional power vehicles off the road.
Also Read: This Electric Pickup Truck Costs Less Than Half of Tesla Model 3