Mazda: ‘Electric car with a long range is not the future’

Mazda likes to do things differently than other car manufacturers. For example, it has developed innovative petrol engines with its Skyactiv-X machines and with the MX-30 R-EV it has a stubborn plug-in hybrid whose combustion engine is a small rotary engine. The EV range is quite limited with only the Mazda MX-30 and that is also an EV with a relatively limited range. It also does not seem that Mazda is convinced of electric cars with a long range. At least not if we listen to the words of the CEO of the American branch of Mazda.

Mazda USA CEO Jefrrey Guyton tells Green Car Reports that consumers now still want EVs that can travel at least about 500 kilometers, but that this will be different in the future. According to Guyton, consumers who already have EV experience and are looking for a replacement for their first electric car are finding that they don’t need a range of 480-500 kilometers or more at all. This is partly due to the fact that the charging infrastructure is getting better and that charging itself will also become faster and faster.

However, the above does not mean that Mazda is not developing new electric models, nor that there are no cars with a large range. Mazda is investing heavily in electrification and will be introducing three new electric models on the SkyActiv Multi-Solution Scalable Architecture up to and including 2025. That is a basis that is not only intended for EVs. Mazda will later also introduce a platform specially intended for electric cars: the SkyActiv EV Scalable Architecture.