The competitiveness of Mazda's new 2022 MX-30 electric car is shocking, but don't worry-you may never see it anyway.

The automaker plans to sell only 560 vehicles in the 2022 calendar year, only in California.

This will make the MX-30 more common than the California condor, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that there are 504 of them.

However, with a fully charged battery, the electric car has a range of only 100 miles, which makes the MX-30 more likely to be extinct than the majestic scavengers. The condor enjoys federal protection status. The MX-30 receives only a federal tax credit of $7,500, plus any requirements your state may make to encourage electric vehicle sales.

For field observation purposes, the MX-30 is an ultra-compact SUV that can compete with electric vehicles such as Chevrolet Bolt EUV, Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro and Nissan Leaf. Like them, Mazda's small hatchback has an SUV-style appearance, but only provides front-wheel drive.

The MX-30 is Mazda's first electric car. A plug-in hybrid version with a gasoline engine to support longer driving times is expected to go on sale sometime in 2022.

The price does not include destination fees ($1,175)

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The appearance of the MX-30 is beautiful and modern, but its 100-mile battery range is 10 years out of date, comparable to the 2011 Nissan Leaf’s 73 miles, when the small Nissan became news as one of the first affordable electric cars .

Since then, EV technology has made considerable progress, although the specifications of the MX-30 may not make you think so. In a contemporary electric car comparable to the MX-30, the 2022 Leaf drove 215 miles in the EPA test. The 2022 Kia Niro EV raises the stake to 239 miles; Chevrolet Bolt EUV, 247; and Hyundai Kona EV, 258.

The base price of the MX-30 is $33,470, which is lower than those of its competitors, but not enough.

I tested a Premium Plus model with a base price of $36,480, plus a glossy "machine gray" metallic paint for $495. All prices exclude the $1,175 destination fee.

Mazda correctly pointed out that most Americans travel far less than 100 miles a day, but the frequency of long-distance travel is too high to be ignored, and the charging capacity of the United States is not enough to expect to find nearby 240v or better DC fast charging Device-when you go to grandma's house for Thanksgiving. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, it takes 5.3 hours to fully charge at 240v. Mazda said that the DC fast charger can charge the MX-30 from 20% to 80% in 36 minutes. But public chargers—especially DC fast chargers—are not universal enough. Even so, the MX-30's range will still pose a major disadvantage.

Enough battery. Why do you want to kill the horse? Nevertheless, dead horses are good food for California condors, they can ride more than 100 miles of hot air at a time.

The MX-30 is 173.3 inches long, which is longer than Bolt EUV, Kona or Niro, and shorter than Leaf.

It has a low roofline, flared fenders and a fast-back rear styling. The appearance is consistent with Mazda's other SUVs, but it is different. The chrome strip above the charging port mounted on the rear fender indicates that it is a Mazda, while the decal on the adjacent window indicates that it is electric.

The interior emphasizes the use of sustainable materials decorated with cork and fabric.

MX-30 has the smallest passenger cabin and a reasonably accommodating cargo hold. The back leg room is very limited. Two rear hinged so-called suicide doors provide access.

The front seats have plenty of space, but they have limited functions, including hard-to-reach USB and 12v ports and mobile phone trays. There is very little legroom in the rear seats. The rear hinged rear door provides usable access to the rear seat.

MX-30 uses a multifunctional rotary controller to achieve audio, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and other functions. I find common tasks such as browsing audio tracks or radio stations and accessing smartphone functions very cumbersome.

The screen installed at the top of the dashboard displays navigation, audio, smartphone display, etc., but has no touch function. Neither wireless charging nor wireless CarPlay/Android Auto is available. Compared with dials and buttons, flat panel climate control also requires more attention from the driver.

The acceleration is sufficient. The curb weight of the MX-30 is 3,655 pounds, the power is 143 horsepower, and the torque is 200 pound-feet. Its weight and power are worse than the competition. The steering requires considerable effort, but does not provide much feedback, which is different from most Mazda's movement adjustment characteristics.

The driver can add regenerative braking to recover energy when decelerating, but the MX-30 lacks the "single-pedal drive" function that many other electric vehicles provide. When the vehicle speed slows to the point that the driver hardly needs to step on the brake pedal, single-pedal driving essentially increases the energy delivered back to the battery.

Mazda's best to introduce the MX-30-a stylish, unique small car-the automaker says its plug-in hybrid will go on sale in 2022. The PHEV will use a small Wankel rotary engine — a type made by Mazda known for its RX sports car — to generate electricity for long-distance driving.

No details yet. We can expect smaller batteries than EVs, but in fact infinite range, because when the battery is exhausted, the rotary engine will generate more electricity.

We don't know what the pure battery range of PHEV is.

PHEV may be lighter. Its battery will almost certainly be smaller, but we don’t know how much or how much weight the Wankel engine and fuel tank will add. Mazda has not said whether it plans to provide the MX-30 PHEV nationwide, but according to the practices of other automakers, sales may be concentrated in California and states that share its policies to encourage electric vehicle emissions.

Front wheel five ultra-small four-door electric SUV

Base price: US$34,470 (not including a destination fee of US$1,175)

Test model: 2022 MX-30 EV with premium package

Test price: US$36,975; US$38,150, including destination.

Drive unit: 80.9 kW electric motor

Output: 107 kW/143hp: 200 pound-feet of torque

Transmission mode: single-speed direct drive

Estimated EPA fuel economy rating: 100 mile range, 98 mpge city/85 highway/92 combined

EPA estimated annual fuel cost: $700 (based on current prices)

Cargo space behind the rear seat: 21 cubic feet