What are you driving and why would we be interested?

Three months gone and three still to wait for my Mazda CX 30 e skyactiv x.The new MX 30 R-EV is now available with Wankel engine to help the electric one.Any thought about this last one?
Ciao

tbh it’s not well received in the motoring circles. The wankel is there as a range extender. The battery lasts 20 miles and then the engine kicks in so, if you’re doing a 100 mile drive it will be battery 20 miles and wankel for 80 miles. If you work out the mpg for the 100 miles it’s really rubbish!

I think the battery is refined to be more like 50 miles rather than 20. But otherwise I agree it’s quite hard to see it as good - just not enough EV range

Only available as a van in UK , not a car.

The back seats are unusable for anyone over 2’. We generally have them folded away.

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It’s also being released as a 4 door and ute sometime this year. It’s been extremely popular here.

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Mrs S picked up her new EV yesterday, 10 months after we placed the order
Ive only had a short drive so far- but very impressed with it

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Very impressive did they pass on the new savings.

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Our first delivery date was December 2022 ( then rescheduled) so we were required to pay by 5th December - so no savings passed on- but then again we weren’t hit with the price increase 6 months ago
Cost was circa $66000 - and we then get the government rebate of $3000

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I read in a recent CAR magazine article ‘New Cars 2023’ that a Chinese manufacturer, NIO has already launched a version of the ET7 exec saloon which has a ‘semi-solid-state battery’ option. I’m not sure what that means in construction terms but offers a range of up to 620 miles. So much for my 2028 prediction in my post above, apparently this version could be offered in Europe from next year. I really think we are at a fairly primitive stage of EV Tech and the solid state tech will mark the real revolutionary change away from ICE. The hoards of over sized and over weight SUVs which struggle to get much better than 2 miles /kwh should be regarded with the same distain currently reserved for petrol gas guzzlers as they are in effect 'lecky guzzlers!

Peter

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Indeed Peter.

Bollore also produces its own solid polymer lithium ion battery and has installed them in a few electric buses. However, there are significant limitations to the Bollore system, while “true” solid state batteries will prove to be very challenging to scale to the size that electric vehicles require. The Nio one is indeed interesting but don’t hold your breath for high volume solid state batteries in the next 3-4 years.

Longer term (i.e. 2028 onwards), solid state batteries look to be very promising though.

Best regards, BF

Agreed. I have managed to convince myself that I have one last chance to grab a performance vehicle fed by petrol before solid state tech presents itself to the general motoring market place in UK. That or just stick with my now elderly hybrid. Decisions, decisions!

Peter

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YOLO :racing_car:

Likewise, was going to look this Summer, however monthly costs are a little steep for now, pushed back to 2024!

Absolutely! Here’s the B road special that we bought last year:

We call it the shopping trolley and it complements the electric dog chariot nicely.

After a visit to Litchfield Motors in Tewkesbury, it seems to have something my wife calls “good pick-up” too…

Mind you, I’ll still miss the sound of a cross-plane V8 or a 60 deg V12 petrol engine if we can no longer fuel them.

Best regards, BF

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That’s quality Bluesfan! There was much speculation about just how much money Toyota must have buried in the development of the GR Yaris - must be a contender for bargain of the century and with the fairy dust of Litchfield sprinkled on it must be a right little rocket! Here is one just posted in a chillier environment by a rather happy chappy…

Peter

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Seems Toyota UK aren’t all that keen on giving potential customers much opportunity to explore the new GR online :man_shrugging:t4:

Ah, but Youtube is very helpful in this regard!

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Great, thank you Peter. I haven’t seen this video before. He does seem to like his new toy and I can appreciate why.

As for the carbon fibre air intake that he is referring to, I can confirm that it does work most effectively in our shopping trolley. Much better in matt finish. Gloss finish is a bit too showy…

Best regards, BF