MAZDA’S FIRST EV IN DETAIL
35.5 THE MAGIC NUMBER
Mazda believes 35.5kWh is the ideal capacity for an EV battery pack, at least with current technology; that calculation is likely to change as batteries continue to get smaller and lighter. Other 35.5kWh Mazda EVs will follow. If you want more range from your Mazda EV, wait for an MX-30 fitted with a rotary range extender.
CX OR MX?
We drove a CX-30 with the EV powertrain of an MX-30 EV, one of three ‘frankencars’ built by Mazda to demonstrate the tech. The two cars share some underpinnings, so handling should be very similar on the production car – a very good thing. Our car didn’t have adjustable regen, but that will be o ered on the MX.
In the MX-30 the single electric motor sits on, and drives, the front axle but
the battery pack is under the floor, allowing a low centre of gravity and neutral front-rear weight distribution. Mazda has tuned the powertrain to behave in a similar manner to an old-fashioned combustion engine. On our hilly test route, we were able to ease on the throttle as corners opened out and gather pace rather than get it in whole chunks. This really doesn’t respond to torque requests like any other EV we’ve driven – in a good way.
WHEN’S IT OUT?
Mazda says the MX-30 will reach Europe in left-hand-drive form in late 2020, and should hit the UK in early 2021. There’s no date yet for the rotary-driven range-extender version, but Mazda has confirmed there will definitely be one, probably about a year later. Mazda is targeting a launch price below £30,000, when the government electric-car grant is factored in.