Electric Vehicle Mileage

stucar1975

I bought a EV Mazda last July and was told the car had a range of 124 miles on a full charge. I was never told this would deplete throughout the seasons. I had to charge every 2nd day in Winter as I was lucky to get 90 miles and even though the Temperature is rising, I am still only getting 110 miles out of a full charge. Can anyone give me advice on whether I can get out of my 4 year lease as this is costing me a lot more money and inconvenience on what I signed up for, definitely not sold as promised.

Herzlos

Do you have anything in writing about the range?

If not, you'll be hard pressed because it's pretty common knowledge that (a) cars rarely get their advertised range and (b) the range goes down in winter.

You can always contact the lease company to let them know the car isn't suitable and see what they can offer but you'd likely need to buy out of the contract somehow. The huge demand for EV's may work in your favour as the car is potentially worth more now than when your lease started.

stucar1975

Thanks for that, no I don't have anything in writing, I bought the car in July so the range was pretty consistent until we hit the Winter. It is my first EV car and although I did some research, it was more on the cars themselves and where to charge them rather than any potential pitfalls. I just feel short-changed, I worked out I could go Monday - Friday with only charging once but the reality is 2-3 times a week which is not what I expected. Thanks again.

Car_54

On their website, Mazda say:

1. The quoted range is the WLTP figure, which is based on a simulated "typical" test drive, and 

2. "Range figures are for comparison purposes and may not always reflect real life driving results which depend on a number of factors. These include the starting charge of the battery, accessories fitted (post registration), variations in weather, driving styles, vehicle load and use of features such as air conditioning or heated seats."

Petriix

It's really unfortunate that you were misinformed about the capabilities of the vehicle. A quick search shows that the MX-30 EV achieved 124 miles on the WLTP combined cycle and, while this is a reasonable basis for comparison, it certainly isn't an indication of the actual real-world range. Indeed, with its 30kWh (usable) battery, the MX-30 is objectively a short range EV by current standards.

The simple truth is that no EV actually has a specific 'range'. The actual achievable distance from a full charge will vary massively depending on numerous factors, particularly speed and temperature but also driving style, journey type, weather, use of HVAC etc. With its SUV style, the MX-30 is not particularly efficient and you should expect to achieve 3-3.5 miles per kWh in normal driving (less on the motorway) giving 90-105 miles typical range with extremes of 70-140 miles depending on these factors.

Are you regularly driving more than 90 miles per day or do you not have access to cheap home charging?

stucar1975

No, I only drive around 30-35 miles per day so I assumed I would get 4 days of driving out of the car but as I said, I am now charging every second day which is not what I expected. I get that the range changes based on different circumstances but not by up to 35 miles which is quite extreme I feel. I love the car, it is a great drive with great spec but just frustrating that I am nowhere near getting the full charge that was advertised at the time. Guess I will need to just live with it but thanks for everyone's advice and thoughts.

troffasky

"just live with it"? If you're bothered enough to post on here about it, then it's surely only a little more effort to try asking the leasing company.

Not that I think you'll get anywhere with it, but even if the chances of the lessor agreeing with you are only 1%, that's a lot better than the 0% chance you'll have by not asking them!

Grumpy_chap

There is no difference between "range" on an EV and "mpg" for an ICE. 
Both are tested in standardised conditions and allow comparison between one vehicle and another as a measure of efficiency.
In both cases, actual outcomes in the real world will vary from the test outcomes.

[Deleted User]

If you’re charging at home then what is the issue as you only do 35 miles a day?
SUVs are not fuel efficient in any guise. How can a big chunky box on big wheels be efficient?

I have a 30kw leaf that manages 5.2 miles per KW because the aerodynamics are designed for efficiency. SUVs are not. 

When EVs are eventually taxed I’m sure efficiency will be rated. At the moment every EV is classed the same which is wrong ecologically speaking. 

The problem you have is that you didn’t do the research and relied on the information from a car salesman who lied to you but not in writing!

Petriix

stucar1975 said:

No, I only drive around 30-35 miles per day so I assumed I would get 4 days of driving out of the car but as I said, I am now charging every second day which is not what I expected. I get that the range changes based on different circumstances but not by up to 35 miles which is quite extreme I feel. I love the car, it is a great drive with great spec but just frustrating that I am nowhere near getting the full charge that was advertised at the time. Guess I will need to just live with it but thanks for everyone's advice and thoughts.

If it's meeting your day-to-day needs then it's less of an issue. It shouldn't really matter how often you need to charge at home, it costs you the same. The variation in range is purely down to physics (and some battery chemistry, which is effectively the same thing) so there isn't really grounds for complaint. I can sometimes extend my MG5's range well beyond it's WLTP figure by driving conservatively in good conditions. It's just unfortunate that Mazda have entered with a relatively small battery; the latest MG ZS has more than double the capacity for a similar price tag.

Car_54

stucar1975 said:

I bought a EV Mazda last July and was told the car had a range of 124 miles on a full charge. I was never told this would deplete throughout the seasons. I had to charge every 2nd day in Winter as I was lucky to get 90 miles and even though the Temperature is rising, I am still only getting 110 miles out of a full charge. Can anyone give me advice on whether I can get out of my 4 year lease as this is costing me a lot more money and inconvenience on what I signed up for, definitely not sold as promised.

So, you didn't buy it. 
Who told you the range? - The salesman you didn't buy it from, or the leasing company rep?