Would you buy a small EV with 200km+ range?
Eddie Cunningham drives two small EVs, the Mazda MX-30 and Honda e, to see if their low range makes sense for city life
First Irish Drives
I’VE just driven two small electric cars with what we would normally regard as tiny travelling ranges: 200km and 222km respectively.
I admit it is easy to dismiss them (and the MINI electric – 234kms) as irrelevant but irrelevant they are to the majority of would-be EV owners.
So why bother making them? It’s the question both Mazda, with their new MX-30, and Honda with their e, tried to explain:
First off, EU research suggests the average daily commute is 48km, leaving you with plenty in tank.
Secondly, people with small distance needs (local shopping, short trips to stores, etc), who can charge at home, might find ownership of an EV more acceptable for environmental considerations and lower running costs than a hybrid, petrol, plug-in, or, God forbid, diesel.
Thirdly, size matters in town traffic and congested parking spaces.
I could add more, such as the smaller battery meaning lower energy to lug less weight around etc.
However, I have to emphasise we are, for now, talking about relatively small numbers of buyers and potentially limited supply.
Mazda MX-30
My more recent test – in lefthand drive pre-production models – was in the Mazda MX-30. It costs from around €30,500. Core models are due by the middle of 2021.
The GS-L entry grade has radar cruise control, head-updisplay, front and rear parking sensors, LED headlights and rear camera. GT (€31,600) and GT Sport (from €34,800 – both approx) – add on the spec.
Depending on model there is a 12-speaker Bose sound system, sunroof and 360° view camera. A special First Edition model goes on sale in February (from €31,800 approx).
The car is sedately designed and has an interior closely aligned to your typical Mazda fossil-fuel small crossover. I liked it for that; also for fewer buttons, no clutter, good visibility, lots of pep (145PS), a nicely engineered ‘engine’ noise, decent boot and, surprisingly better rear seat space than expected.
I think the electric seats on my test version were superb with lateral and lumbar support; it was so easy to get in and out too.
Yes, it’s small and the range is low and a year ago I would have dismissed a 200km-range EV. But after driving this, I think it surely has a market niche.
Honda e
The Honda e is smaller, has far less rear room and is really a mini car which showcases the brand’s future EV technology. It has a 35.5kwh battery.
It too starts just under the €30,000 mark and is being sold through a handful of dealers.
It is not as practically roomy as the similarly priced Mazda but addresses, I reckon, a different audience. Its cabin and dash are seriously ‘future’ with five screens, including the wonderful camera-derived interior wing mirrors (none on the outside).
The charging point is in the middle of the bonnet and there are pop-out door handles. All futuristic. And I loved the unbelievably tight turning circle. I turned it on half nothing a few times. Parking? So easy but just in case Parking Pilot is available. I found the ‘e’ nippy and precise during a great drive around west Dublin. It is a city car to its core, a family’s second motor, a single person’s sole mobility, for whom range is largely secondary – that has to be said about the two cars. The next year will tell a big story for both.