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I recently took delivery of a Mazda CX-90 PHEV. My other car is a 2012 Acura TSX. I wasn’t ready to jump fully into EV simply because I wanted a larger family h

I recently took delivery of a Mazda CX-90 PHEV. My other car is a 2012 Acura TSX. I wasn’t ready to jump fully into EV simply because I wanted a larger family hauler that didn’t break the bank. My driving is limited to less than 15 km per day. Therefore, the EV portion of the CX-90 was more than enough, with the ICE portion available if we ever need it. I really like Mazda and I’m glad they exist to push things like the rotary. Maybe I’ll consider the RX-9 as a fun vehicle. I want EVs to succeed but they simply don’t make sense for all use cases yet. But they don’t have to. Maybe I’ll get an EV to replace the TSX if it ever dies. But, Mazdas are great cars. I wouldn’t sleep on them.

falcrist 3y ago
I hear there are concerns about plug-in hybrid's that don't use their engines often developing issues because those engines never get used. Does the CX-90 have any features to help with that?
- jeffbee 3y ago
  My PHEV just runs the engine for no reason, if it hadn't run in a long time. Also it comes on for surprising reasons, such as when the battery is fully charged and you apply the brakes.
- HorizonXP 3y ago
  Not that I’m aware of but to be honest, I doubt I’ll have that problem. 42km of EV-only range means that every so often, I’ll need the ICE. Plus, I have a heavy foot, so if I want to experience all 340 ponies, I gotta fire up the ICE. That said, the appeal of EV-only and adaptive cruise control means I drive more calmly. Most of the time. Just need to get a Comma 3X running on this and I’ll be set!
coldpie 3y ago
> I want EVs to succeed but they simply don’t make sense for all use cases yet. I think they do? There's a couple really small corner cases, like if you're on the road 99% of the time for work, or live in sub-zero temperatures all year long, or something exceptional like that. But EVs are already there right now for everything non-exceptional people use cars for. The things people think EVs can't do are the kinds of things people think they need to be able to do, but don't actually ever do, like go on 400 mile road trips every week with zero stops. YAGNI. I really like Mazda, too. They make good stuff, and their recent "anti-touchscreen" stance really jives with me[1]. [1] https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1121372_why-mazda-is-purging-touchscreens-from-its-vehicles https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1121372_why-mazda-is-pur...
- hatsunearu 3y ago
  As someone that wants to go on ski trips, it's the exact nightmare scenario for EVs. In nominal conditions it's a long, cold trip with lots of people inside, lots of shit in the trunk, and potentially stuff on the roof harming aero greatly, while also being cold and driving through mountains with potentially limited fast charging. Oh and god forbid the road gets shut down and you need to stay in the car for a few hours as they drag out someone from the ditch!
  - andix 3y ago
    What’s the difference for being stuck in the cold in an EV to an ICE car? The time you can keep the heating running is very similar (around 1,5 days with a full tank of gas or a full battery). The only benefit of the combustion engine is that you can keep some extra fuel in the trunk. But who has 50l extra fuel in their trunk?
    - smogcutter 3y ago
      Setting aside the cold, being stuck in general is easier to recover from in an ICE car. It’s very easy for AAA, emergency services, etc, to bring you a container of gasoline at the side of the road. I honestly don’t know, what’s the solution for EVs? Will AAA bring a generator? Can they charge you off the engine of the tow truck?
      - andix 3y ago
        Yes, you can charge an EV from a generator, there are already devices for that on some service trucks. There is another option (although not recommended by any manufacturer): If the EV still goes into drive mode, just tow it for a short distance and use regenerative breaking. You should be able to gain 2-5 times the towed distance as range. Edit: this technique is not recommended, although it seems to work. It’s very important that the car still turns on and you can select D. Otherwise the car may get severely damaged. If the car is off, it should not be towed more than about 5 time its length. When you tow it, there is a lot of electricity generated in the engines, even if it’s off. (There are exceptions from this rules though).

falcrist 3y ago

I hear there are concerns about plug-in hybrid's that don't use their engines often developing issues because those engines never get used. Does the CX-90 have any features to help with that?

jeffbee 3y ago
My PHEV just runs the engine for no reason, if it hadn't run in a long time. Also it comes on for surprising reasons, such as when the battery is fully charged and you apply the brakes.
HorizonXP 3y ago
Not that I’m aware of but to be honest, I doubt I’ll have that problem. 42km of EV-only range means that every so often, I’ll need the ICE. Plus, I have a heavy foot, so if I want to experience all 340 ponies, I gotta fire up the ICE. That said, the appeal of EV-only and adaptive cruise control means I drive more calmly. Most of the time. Just need to get a Comma 3X running on this and I’ll be set!

coldpie 3y ago

> I want EVs to succeed but they simply don’t make sense for all use cases yet. I think they do? There's a couple really small corner cases, like if you're on the road 99% of the time for work, or live in sub-zero temperatures all year long, or something exceptional like that. But EVs are already there right now for everything non-exceptional people use cars for. The things people think EVs can't do are the kinds of things people think they need to be able to do, but don't actually ever do, like go on 400 mile road trips every week with zero stops. YAGNI. I really like Mazda, too. They make good stuff, and their recent "anti-touchscreen" stance really jives with me[1]. [1] https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1121372_why-mazda-is-purging-touchscreens-from-its-vehicles https://www.motorauthority.com/news/1121372_why-mazda-is-pur...

hatsunearu 3y ago
As someone that wants to go on ski trips, it's the exact nightmare scenario for EVs. In nominal conditions it's a long, cold trip with lots of people inside, lots of shit in the trunk, and potentially stuff on the roof harming aero greatly, while also being cold and driving through mountains with potentially limited fast charging. Oh and god forbid the road gets shut down and you need to stay in the car for a few hours as they drag out someone from the ditch!
- andix 3y ago
  What’s the difference for being stuck in the cold in an EV to an ICE car? The time you can keep the heating running is very similar (around 1,5 days with a full tank of gas or a full battery). The only benefit of the combustion engine is that you can keep some extra fuel in the trunk. But who has 50l extra fuel in their trunk?
  - smogcutter 3y ago
    Setting aside the cold, being stuck in general is easier to recover from in an ICE car. It’s very easy for AAA, emergency services, etc, to bring you a container of gasoline at the side of the road. I honestly don’t know, what’s the solution for EVs? Will AAA bring a generator? Can they charge you off the engine of the tow truck?
    - andix 3y ago
      Yes, you can charge an EV from a generator, there are already devices for that on some service trucks. There is another option (although not recommended by any manufacturer): If the EV still goes into drive mode, just tow it for a short distance and use regenerative breaking. You should be able to gain 2-5 times the towed distance as range. Edit: this technique is not recommended, although it seems to work. It’s very important that the car still turns on and you can select D. Otherwise the car may get severely damaged. If the car is off, it should not be towed more than about 5 time its length. When you tow it, there is a lot of electricity generated in the engines, even if it’s off. (There are exceptions from this rules though).