Electric and Hybrid Car Thread

[!Aznboi128]

Originally Posted by !Aznboi128

I'm actually curious, so I asked Mazda for a mx-30 press car for a month I want to see just how hard it is to live in vancouver with 160km of range. It's going to be in the month of February so it's still going to be cold. I only have access to 120v plug so I think it's going to be a good experience.

Alright Update

TL;DR: 160km range was never a concern, solid car.

Had the MX-30 for the past month, put 1000km on it which I think is pretty generous in GVA. Living in Vancouver East side, there just isn't much traveling needed. I shared the vehicle with my wife who drops our son off at daycare averaging 35km each time we go out. So about 70km a day in just drop-off/pickup travel + errands etc so our daily commute never exceeded 100km. We did make some trips a bit further like Delta/ White Rock/ Maple Ridge as well for the one-off situations.

Since we're staying at our in-laws at the moment I didn't have access to a 240V plug so the entire time the car was plugged in to 120V 15Amp circuit for overnight charging which it did with no issues.

The mx-30 is a smaller vehicle but for us, family of three it worked out. The doors actually made getting our son in and out of the back a bit easier as he's only 15 months. If he's a teenager things would certainly be different but for now it totally works. A few times we had 5 people in the car to get breakfast/lunch or regular shopping needs and never found it to be too cramped. While fully loaded it didn't feel like it lacked power. Sure it's no Tesla but it's was quick enough to scoot off the line at every intersection.

Overall my month long EV experience was pretty positive, I never used a charger outside of my home as my commute never called for it. I was never worried about the charge levels and just had a pretty pleasant experience overall.

I asked previously if ev owners plug in their cars everyday, and I found a lot of people don't as they're worried about battery deterioration. Plugging it in to only 120 should minimize the affect and since the battery is smaller it should be cheaper to replace when it's time.

In terms of ride/handling, the MX-30 felt lighter to other EVs so it felt better than your typical big battery EVs. like I said above it can't compare when it comes to acceleration but the ride felt like a regular Mazda, it didn't thump over uneven surfaces like most big battery EVs.

[radeonboy]

Originally Posted by !Aznboi128

Alright Update

TL;DR: 160km range was never a concern, solid car.

Had the MX-30 for the past month, put 1000km on it which I think is pretty generous in GVA. Living in Vancouver East side, there just isn't much traveling needed. I shared the vehicle with my wife who drops our son off at daycare averaging 35km each time we go out. So about 70km a day in just drop-off/pickup travel + errands etc so our daily commute never exceeded 100km. We did make some trips a bit further like Delta/ White Rock/ Maple Ridge as well for the one-off situations.

Since we're staying at our in-laws at the moment I didn't have access to a 240V plug so the entire time the car was plugged in to 120V 15Amp circuit for overnight charging which it did with no issues.

The mx-30 is a smaller vehicle but for us, family of three it worked out. The doors actually made getting our son in and out of the back a bit easier as he's only 15 months. If he's a teenager things would certainly be different but for now it totally works. A few times we had 5 people in the car to get breakfast/lunch or regular shopping needs and never found it to be too cramped. While fully loaded it didn't feel like it lacked power. Sure it's no Tesla but it's was quick enough to scoot off the line at every intersection.

Overall my month long EV experience was pretty positive, I never used a charger outside of my home as my commute never called for it. I was never worried about the charge levels and just had a pretty pleasant experience overall.

I asked previously if ev owners plug in their cars everyday, and I found a lot of people don't as they're worried about battery deterioration. Plugging it in to only 120 should minimize the affect and since the battery is smaller it should be cheaper to replace when it's time.

In terms of ride/handling, the MX-30 felt lighter to other EVs so it felt better than your typical big battery EVs. like I said above it can't compare when it comes to acceleration but the ride felt like a regular Mazda, it didn't thump over uneven surfaces like most big battery EVs.

Thanks for writing this up, what you shared lined up with my assumption towards the vehicle. Is the estimated range on the MX-30 accurate?

I briefly considered the MX-30 before going for the Soul EV - the Mazda has a nicer design and interior, but the Soul has range, torque, and cargo space which I needed.

[!Aznboi128]

It's certainly a need/want.

The estimated range of 160 I would say is pretty low, now that it learns how we drive it, it's estimating 180km +10 if we turn off HVAC. But as said, haven't driven over 100km a day so I haven't been in a situation where we needed the full 160km.

[JDMDreams]

How much is it? Like $50k for 160km range is steep though. Might as well but 2 used Nissan leafs and drive them in rotation

[!Aznboi128]

Originally Posted by JDMDreams

How much is it? Like $50k for 160km range is steep though. Might as well but 2 used Nissan leafs and drive them in rotation

$42,150 before incentive. So yea, you're 100% better getting 2 used leaf and put them through rotation. But that's with anything, a old used vehicle will always be better than something new. In fact, a new Leaf is still better than a mx-30 if you're just looking at the range perspective.

What I wanted to do was look at how I would use the vehicle and forget about maximum range.

[Simplex123]

Originally Posted by !Aznboi128

Alright Update

TL;DR: 160km range was never a concern, solid car.

Thanks for the review. I'm taking delivery of an EV with 183km range in April, so I'm excited to see how it will work for my commutes between Richmond and Downtown/Burnaby

[radeonboy]

Originally Posted by Simplex123

Thanks for the review. I'm taking delivery of an EV with 183km range in April, so I'm excited to see how it will work for my commutes between Richmond and Downtown/Burnaby

Mini Cooper SE? Downtown/Burnaby to Richmond shouldn't be a problem if you can charge at home overnight.

[!Aznboi128]

Originally Posted by Simplex123

Thanks for the review. I'm taking delivery of an EV with 183km range in April, so I'm excited to see how it will work for my commutes between Richmond and Downtown/Burnaby

Nice!

As an urban EV 200km range is more than enough. I know a lot of shoppers right now are buying the EVs with the longest range rather than anything else while I get it if you're replacing your car but just considering how many times you actually go out of town.

A smaller lighter battery makes the car much more fun to drive, the Mini is a riot.

[supafamous]

Originally Posted by !Aznboi128

Alright Update

TL;DR: 160km range was never a concern, solid car.

Cool! Pre-COVID I think I only ever did a couple trips a year that needed more than 150km of range - driving out to Victoria or Seattle was pretty much it so the short range can be resolved with a rental car for those trips.

Now let's see Honda bring the E to Canada (it'll never happen). I think in the EU and Asia we'll see much more creative EVs - those designed for urban use, probably for car sharing services. 200km range max so they're small, perfect for a grocery run and cheaper to build.

[!Aznboi128]

Right? The E makes total sense for the Vancouver environment. Sadly Honda will never bring a car just for dedicated areas like Mazda did with the MX-30.

[supafamous]

Originally Posted by !Aznboi128

Right? The E makes total sense for the Vancouver environment. Sadly Honda will never bring a car just for dedicated areas like Mazda did with the MX-30.

The Honda E even comes with Pilot Sport 4 tires! Soichiro Honda would be so proud of the E - it's the closest embodiment to the original Civic. I love it when Honda makes a REAL Honda.

[6thGear.]

Originally Posted by radeonboy

Mini Cooper SE? Downtown/Burnaby to Richmond shouldn't be a problem if you can charge at home overnight.

I'd be interested in hearing how the Mini is. My wife has been eyeing that for quite some time

[jcmaz]

Test drove a Mini Cooper SE a couple years back. The acceleration is great in the city, feels quick up to around 80km/h. Interior fabric felt a bit cheap but I think we were in the one with cloth seats. It's a nice city car.

I think getting the base model Cooper SE is a good deal, but once you go up the trim levels, it quickly becomes a mid to high 40k EV. There are plenty of options at that price range with more range.

[!Aznboi128]

Originally Posted by jcmaz

Test drove a Mini Cooper SE a couple years back. The acceleration is great in the city, feels quick up to around 80km/h. Interior fabric felt a bit cheap but I think we were in the one with cloth seats. It's a nice city car.

I think getting the base model Cooper SE is a good deal, but once you go up the trim levels, it quickly becomes a mid to high 40k EV. There are plenty of options at that price range with more range.

Yea, but at high 40k those EVs with more range won't have the interior materials/build feel/ride quality of the mini.

Gotta keep that in mind.

The one thing for the mini is it's small, for 2 you'll be good not for anymore than that as the rear seats are quite hard to get into and dinky once you're there. Trunk size is small too but it's a great city vehicle. Imo, it fits how a mini always is. Small, light(kinda), nimble, city car.

[twitchyzero]

the EV-specific parts will be hard to come by as it's a low-volume compliance vehicle

i'd be interested if it's priced very aggressively like what fiat did with the 500e

but i'd rather spend a bit more for the long term on a ground up-designed EV

[TypeRNammer]

https://driveteslacanada.ca/news/toy...arts-at-44900/

Pricing announced for the Toyota BZ4X

[Teriyaki]

In before all we see a barrage of all black base level BZ4X's in Vancouver.

Seriously though, what are their projected production numbers? I'd imagine the waitlist on this is going to be 1-2 years if not more?

[Bender Unit]

BZ4X waitlist already 1+ year since last year.
People are lining up before it's price release.

Good for Toyota to keep it under $45,000 for Government EV Rebate

[TypeRNammer]

Makes me wonder if Subaru is going to toss in a compliance model

[JDMDreams]

What's the point lol they can't even make rav 4 primes

[lilaznviper]

i can probably predict everyone that ordered the prime move over to the Bz4x line, since the wait is already long might as well get in on the all electric

[roastpuff]

Originally Posted by TypeRNammer

Makes me wonder if Subaru is going to toss in a compliance model

Isn't that the Solterra?

[jcmaz]

Buddy told me that the Rav4 Prime was a 4 year wait and they cherry pick customers who have something to trade in and are financing or leasing.

[Simplex123]

Originally Posted by Teriyaki

In before all we see a barrage of all black base level BZ4X's in Vancouver.

It's the cheapest and best looking too. I can't stand the weird cladding/fenders that extend to the front bumper - whether painted or not.

[Manic!]

Originally Posted by jcmaz

Buddy told me that the Rav4 Prime was a 4 year wait and they cherry pick customers who have something to trade in and are financing or leasing.

Linus from LTT said a dealer told him it was a 3 to 5 year wait list.