Courtesy of Mazda Canada, we had an opportunity to test drive the 2022 Mazda MX-30 battery EV. During that week we used the MX-30 as we would our own cars. While I struggled somewhat with public chargers and apps initially, our overall experience with it was overwhelmingly positive. So much so that my wife seriously considered getting one as her daily driver.
The MX-30 was often criticized for it’s lack of power when compared to cars in its class. However, we found it to be zippy and nimble for Vancouver streets. Acceleration at highway speeds was more than adequate.
The interior and exterior styling of the MX-30 was what swooped my wife off of her feet. Mazda definitely did a great job at designing the aesthetics and thus elevating the experience.
Of course we were also concern about the giant elephant in the room – the 160km/100mile range. During the entire week we lived with the MX-30, at no point was I ever in doubt whether we would make it to my destination. Nevertheless, we did have to plan our longer trips to include charging sessions. It was easy to do in the Greater Vancouver area as public charging infrastructures do exist. I would be more concerned when (not if) we wander further away from populated areas.
In the end we agreed with Mazda that the MX-30 was a perfect commute vehicle, and we decided it wasn’t the car for us since we do have to travel longer distances.
Soon after we returned our MX-30, we heard the rumor that Mazda was going to release MX-30 in a plug-in hybrid format. Plug-in hybrid made more sense in a world that is still early in it’s transition towards BEVs. Having a small gasoline powered charger built-in to the car would allow us to decide which source of energy makes the most sense for the activity ahead. Since then we have been patiently waiting for the official news from Mazda Canada regarding the plug-in hybrid variant of the MX-30.
Fast forward to January 2023. News regarding the MX-30 hybrid began to trickle out from sources in other countries. The e-Skyactiv R-EV is equipped with a smaller battery, but the gasoline engine can extend the total range to 600km/372miles. This seems to be exactly what we had hoped for, except one thing. The MX-30 hybrid is not available in Canada or US, at least for now.
Needless to say, we were bitterly disappointed with news. Mazda simply says they bring vehicles best suited for each country. For a country as vast and sparsely populated as Canada, wouldn’t it make sense to have a car that can go further without having to plug in every 2 hours?
I would like to suggest Mazda Canada to seriously reconsider their choice to not bring the plug-in hybrid variant of the MX-30 to Canada.
Please comment and let us know what you think below.