The Mazda MX-30 low-range EV is needlessly stressful

I am not sure if I drove the first electric Mazda SUV as much as I charged it.

I feel like the MX-30 was always plugged in during my four days with it. It has a 35.5 kWh battery that offers about 100 miles of range. It is an affordable EV with federal tax credits, but other less expensive ones have better batteries and are more expensive. The Kona EV has 258 miles on it. The Nissan Leaf has a 40 kWh battery that can give it over 150 miles on a low range.

I drove the MX-30 for a few hours along the Southern California coast last year. This was a chance to see what it would be like to live in this car. It doesn't make sense, even as a second car for quick jaunts. A meeting in Silicon Valley is still 50 miles away.

There is a count for every mile in the MX-30. I made an additional stop in San Mateo to make sure I could get back to SF with enough juice for a 16-mile drive after I found public charging stations in Palo Alto. The small battery makes it hard to calculate trip mileage.

The Mazda MX-30 tagline should be, "Always charging." Credit: Composite / Sasha Lekach / Mashable

I only had access to Level 1 charging at home. Half the battery took more than 16 hours to refill. Level 2 charging is usually found at public charging stations. It takes about six hours to charge from empty. It is the fast-charging stations that are helpful. You can get 80 percent charged in 20 minutes.

Charging yet again. Credit: Sasha Lekach / Mashable

The experience of most electric cars was not reassuring. There was no doubt that I was driving an electric car because of the silent start, quick pick-up, and on-screen graphics that showed if I was generating or using power. It didn't offer any different driving modes to maximize the battery or prioritize. One-pedal driving is the mode where the brakes collect as much energy as they can and the battery can be regenerated while stopping or slowing.

The e-Mazda was a winner. It was a cute, rounded bubble of a compact SUV with looks almost identical to its gas-powered counterpart.

Credit: Mazda

It was cramped in the backseat with the suicide doors and no openable windows. The sun roof made it feel bigger than it was for back-seat passengers. It was even more disappointing to see that the hood was not open. Mazda left gaping holes instead of the front trunk space. Bummer.

Credit: Sasha Lekach / Mashable

Mazda says it made an EV, but only in California with a limited initial production of 560 vehicles. You will be wishing for a real electric Mazda if you wait long at the charging stations.