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Several reasons. First, like most of the Japanese manufacturers, Mazda bet against electric vehicles. They focused R&D on improving engine efficiency and getti
by ggreer 3y ago
Several reasons.
First, like most of the Japanese manufacturers, Mazda bet against electric vehicles. They focused R&D on improving engine efficiency and getting their engines to run on hydrogen. If Mazda wants to make electric vehicles now, they have to play catch-up, or license key technologies from other manufacturers.
Second, batteries are heavy. For sedans and mid-size crossovers, this isn't much of a problem. EVs of that class are about the same weight as combustion vehicles. But for a lightweight sports car with decent range, batteries would be a big chunk of the total weight. Tesla's 85kWh battery weighs around 1,200lbs. If your desired weight is 2,500lbs, that only leaves 1,300lbs for the actual car. Yes you can save some weight by making the battery part of the structure, and you don't need an exhaust system, engine block, alternator, intake, etc, but it's still a tough set of constraints to work within.
Why do customers want sports cars to be light? Well all else equal, a lighter vehicle will have better performance. But even when all else isn't equal, vehicle weight can drastically affect driving enjoyment. I have a 4,048lb Model 3 Performance and a 2,182lb Mazda Miata. In terms of specs, the Model 3 is better in every way. It can accelerate, brake, and turn better than the Miata. It even has more range than the Miata. But the Model 3 feels like it's using brute force to beat inertia into submission. (Don't get me wrong, that can be fun.) The Miata is the opposite. Its light weight means that there's very little inertia to overcome, and something about that is extremely satisfying. It's almost like having a street legal go-kart. Until battery technology improves, an electric version just won't have the same appeal.
- lostlogin 3y agoGoing with this theme, the idea of a battery car with longer range is appealing to me. However a smaller battery but quick charging would mostly remove the need. I’m not sure I want to drive around with a capacitor in the boot, but a huge battery isn’t ideal either.
- gambiting 3y agoThat's the whole thing right - most people don't actually care about having 600 miles of range, they care about being able to "refuel" quickly. My Mercedes AMG would only do like 200 miles on a tank of fuel and I don't ever recall having any kind of range anxiety with it, because you could gain all of it back within like 5 minutes and keep going.
- user_7832 3y agoIt would be theoretically possible to have a small battery ("just a 60 mile/100km range, or even smaller) combined with a generator, but I don't know if markets would appreciate that.
- 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 3y agoThis company Toyota started a pretty popular line of hybrid gas-electric cars, maybe 20 years ago, called Priuses. I think they sell pretty well. I see a lot of them running as taxis. The new ones can plug in and drive a few miles on the highway on pure electric before starting the gas engine.
- dragonwriter 3y agoIts called a series hybrid, there have been a small number of plug-in hybrids that used that design, they weren't successful in the US and are no longer in the US market. But that may not be anything particular about the technology; I wouldn't generalize from such a small set.
- narag 3y agoIt seems Mazda is going ahead with an electric Miata, they just don't know how electric it will be: https://www.motortrend.com/news/2026-mazda-mx-5-miata-electrified-future-cars/ https://www.motortrend.com/news/2026-mazda-mx-5-miata-electr...
- dontlaugh 3y agoI think it’s likely to be a mild hybrid.
- eggsboenk 3y agoThe McMurtry Spéirling is claimed to be under 1000kg. A lightweight electric car may not be an oxymoron after all. Just some concessions to make.
- ggreer 3y agoThe McMurtry Spéirling is not street legal and it costs $1 million.
- fragmede 3y agoAnd what a car it is!
- greggyb 3y agoThe Bugatti Veyron launched in 2005 with 1K horsepower and cost > $1M. As of last year, you could get a Dodge Challenger with 1K horsepower for <$100K. Those prices are unadjusted for inflation, so the price difference is even greater than 10x. While it is not a guarantee, the innovations in today's supercars do tend to become much more common with time.
- inhumantsar 3y agoI think you're drawing a lot of conclusions from that correlation. what innovations did the Veyron introduce that the Challenger used?
- gambiting 3y agoOur VW e-Up is just below 1200kg and has 150 miles range from a 36kWh battery, fits two of us, baby seat, and Costco shopping. You can absolutely have a lightweight electric car, just be realistic about what you're getting.
- discreteevent 3y ago“Adding power makes you faster on the straights. Subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere.” - Colin Chapman (Lotus)
- ggreer 3y agoI agree with the adage, but brute force seems to win in this specific case. Even though it's the lightest model made, my Miata only gets 0.82g on the skidpad.[1] The Model 3 Performance gets 0.96g thanks to its wide tires, which are needed to transfer all its power to the asphalt.[2] This difference isn't just due to the 1990 Miata's older suspension and tire technology. Even the latest Miatas only get 0.90g of lateral acceleration.[3] 1. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15141519/1990-mazda-mx-5-miata-archived-test-review/ https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15141519/1990-mazda-mx... 2. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a36329678/2019-tesla-model-3-performance-by-the-numbers/ https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a36329678/2019-tesla-mo... 3. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a22678665/2019-mazda-mx-5-miata-engine-more-power/ https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a22678665/2019-mazda-mx...
- giobox 3y ago> I agree with the adage, but brute force seems to win in this specific case. Even though it's the lightest model made, my Miata only gets 0.82g on the skidpad The current ND2 (2019+) Miata regularly pulls ~0.95 stock in magazine tests, almost identical to your model 3 Performance number. > https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2019-mazda-mx-5-miata-club-first-test-review/ https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/2019-mazda-mx-5-miata-clu... You can exceed 0.95 and get ~1 on an ND Miata with slightly wider than OEM tires (still on stock rims) and a little more negative camber, which is widely done to the car by the enthusiast community. Similarly, you can get more out of your very own NA (1990) Miata with simple tire/alignment changes, even more with cheap new sway bars or springs etc. > https://help.flyinmiata.com/align-your-suspension-chakras-By4oIc2zj https://help.flyinmiata.com/align-your-suspension-chakras-By... The ND2 is a ~1070kg car. To use a more fitting Lotus example here, the ~900kg Lotus Elise (50% of the weight of the Model 3 Performance) pulls 1g when tested by Car and Driver: > https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15146116/2007-lotus-elise-short-take-road-test/ https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15146116/2007-lotus-el...