Mazda kills off MX-30 EV in US, again, after selling just 66 cars
The Mazda MX-30 EV is back on the chopping block for the 2024 model year, after a short reintroduction in California, wherein the car has only sold 66 units in 2023.
Mazda will no longer sell the MX-30 in the US, after this year’s model only sold 66 units so far. Sales started slow with single digits for the first three months of the year, then picked up to a year-high of 18 in May, and dropped 11% to 16 units in June. The MX-30 was only available in California, a common thread amongst low-production EVs which help automakers comply with California’s emissions rules.
This is not the first time the MX-30 EV has been cancelled in California. Its previous run sold a total of 505 total cars in the US, missing Mazda’s modest goal of 560 units. Then the car was off the shelves for about half a year with an uncertain future, but was resurrected this January for another run.
Now, again, the MX-30 will once again go off the market. There are still a few cars available in the US (Carscoops found 15 in a quick search), so if you were waiting to pull the trigger, this may be your last chance.
Mazda does have an additional MX-30 plug-in hybrid model, called the MX-30 R-EV, but it’s not available in the US. The R-EV has half the battery size of the BEV version, but this gives a 53-mile range – still respectable for a PHEV.
The MX-30’s cancellation means that Mazda will once again sell zero electric vehicle models in the United States. We don’t know whether Mazda will bring it back for another hurrah or if it will be dead for good this time, but last time Mazda didn’t issue a discontinuation press release, while this time it did. So we doubt it will come back, though it depends on how much it costs Mazda to build and distribute these few EVs versus how much it costs them to pay California’s emissions penalties for noncompliance.
Now we wait and see what Mazda will do next. The company recently gave an update on its EV plans and has an EV sales target of 25-40% by 2030 (which is still too low to meet EPA rules). But it doesn’t really have any known EVs on the horizon, other than a very cool-looking sportscar concept which might become an electrified Miata. In the meantime, it says it plans to focus on “large platform PHEVs” like the CX-90 and CX-70 PHEV, and the CX-50 hybrid (which is not even a plug-in).
Electrek’s Take
When we reviewed the MX-30 EV, we came away pretty unimpressed. The interior and exterior look nice, but the car offered a poor value proposition compared to other entry-level EVs like the Chevy Bolt, Nissan Leaf, and even the Mini Cooper SE.
It was also clear to us that the car was only being sold as a compliance vehicle, in small numbers only in California, and seemed like a callback to the early EV compliance programs of a decade ago.
In particular, the huge empty space under the hood, clearly intended to house a rotary engine for the PHEV version, and the “electric” badging only being present as a sticker on the window, made the effort feel quite slapdash. And Mazda even admitted it slowed down the car to make it feel more like a gas vehicle (and yet, it was still fun to drive through some canyons).
So it’s not really a surprise that this car didn’t take off. Mazda didn’t really seem like it was serious about the car, and buyers wouldn’t have much reason to buy it over the competition other than brand loyalty or because they like its quirky look or suicide doors. On a pure spec or value comparison, other offerings blew it out of the water, and were clearly more serious EVs.
It is currently an open question as to whether any Japanese automakers will really take EVs seriously – which could hurt the country as a whole if they don’t. Most Japanese companies are lagging on EVs, and it’s starting to be a problem, with both Toyota and Mitsubishi being forced pull back from China this month because they just don’t have any EVs to sell to a country that rabidly wants them.
Besides, as we always say, we really want an electric Miata!!! So we hope Mazda can turn it around and get up to speed on EVs. But it’s going to take more than 66 sales of a gimped PHEV to do so.
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JackRabbit, the maker of pint-sized electric microbikes, is back with a new product designed to quickly recharge their batteries from pure, uncut photons mainlined into an e-bike directly from the sun. In true independent charging form, the Solar Charging Kit from JackRabbit keeps riders rolling even when there’s not a convenient AC outlet in sight.
Unveiled this week, the Solar Charging Kit consists of a single folding solar panel and a tiny voltage converter that is configured to output 42.0V, which is the exact voltage required by JackRabbit’s little e-bike batteries. There’s also an added USB-A and a USB-C charging port for powering other devices in addition to charging JackRabbit batteries.
“This Solar Charging Kit plugs directly into your bike,” explained the company, “letting you recharge without needing an outlet, but with a speed comparable to the charger that comes with the OG/OG2 (42V, 2A).”
That would mean the panel outputs around 80W of solar power, which the company says can recharge its batteries in just three hours. That fairly quick recharging speed is helped by the fact that JackRabbit’s batteries are a mere 151 Wh, or around a third of the size of most e-bike batteries.
If that sounds small, then you’re right – it is. But JackRabbit is all about going micro, offering barely 25 lb rideables that are easy to store and bring on adventures, even when they aren’t actually being ridden.
With small batteries that fit under the 160Wh limit for many airlines in the US, the batteries can be quickly charged and taken to the widest number of locations. And for riders that want to go further than a single 10-mile (16-km) battery will allow, extra batteries are small enough to fit a pants pocket. The company also offers much larger Rangebuster batteries, though they won’t pass by TSA and make it onto an airplane in your personal item.
It sounds like the Solar Chargking Kit should be able to charge up JackRabbit’s large RangeBuster batteries, though likely in more than three hours.
The $349 Solar Charging Kit is a bit pricier than building something similar yourself, but it’s also safer and more convenient than hacking together your own battery charger since it’s designed to work with JackRabbit’s batteries right out of the box.
Technically it’s only inteded for JackRabbit’s micro e-bikes (themselves technically seated scooters, even if they look and feel more like a typical bike), but it’d probably work for just about any 36V e-bike that requires 42.0V to charge.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen solar charging kits for electric bikes, and it’s a trend that is certainly appreciated by outdoors and camping enthusiasts, festival goers, or anyone who finds themself and their bike spending extended periods in the great, sunny outdoors.
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Solar generated 11% of EU electricity in 2024, overtaking coal which fell below 10% for the first time, according to the European Electricity Review published today by think tank Ember.
EU gas generation declined for the fifth year in a row, and total fossil generation fell to a historic low.
“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” said Dr Chris Rosslowe, senior analyst and lead author of the report. “At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s energy transition could be where it is today; wind and solar are pushing coal to the margins and forcing gas into structural decline.”
The European Electricity Review published today by global energy think tank Ember provides the first comprehensive overview of the EU power system in 2024. It analyzes full-year electricity generation and demand data for 2024 in all EU-27 countries to understand the region’s progress in transitioning from fossil fuels to clean electricity.
Wind and solar continue their meteoric rise in the EU
The EU power sector is undergoing a deep transformation spurred on by the European Green Deal. Solar generation (11%) overtook coal (10%) for the first time in 2024, as wind (17%) generated more electricity than gas (16%) for the second year in a row.
Strong solar growth, combined with a recovery of hydropower, pushed the share of renewables to nearly half of EU power generation (47%). Fossil fuels generated 29% of the EU’s electricity in 2024. In 2019, before the Green Deal, fossil fuels provided 39% of EU electricity, while renewables provided 34%.
Solar is growing in every EU country and more than half now have either no coal power or a share below 5% in their power mix. Coal has fallen from being the EU’s third-largest power source in 2019 to the sixth-largest in 2024, bringing the end into sight for the dirtiest fossil fuel. EU gas generation also declined for the fifth year in a row (-6%) despite a very small rebound in power demand (+1%).
The EU is reaping the benefits of reduced fossil fuel dependency
The surge in wind and solar generation has reduced the EU’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and its exposure to volatile prices since the energy crisis. Ember’s analysis found that without new wind and solar capacity added over the last five years, the EU would have imported an additional 92 billion cubic meters of fossil gas and 55 million tonnes of coal, costing €59 billion.
“While the EU’s electricity transition has moved faster than anyone expected in the last five years, further progress cannot be taken for granted,” continued Rosslowe. “Delivery needs to be accelerated particularly in the wind sector, which has faced unique challenges and a widening delivery gap. Between now and 2030, annual wind additions need to more than double compared to 2024 levels. However, the achievements of the past five years should instil confidence that, with continued drive and commitment, challenges can be overcome and a more secure energy future be achieved.”
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe said: “This milestone is about more than just climate action; it is a cornerstone of European energy security and industrial competitiveness. Renewables are steadily pushing fossil fuels to the margins, with solar leading the way. We now need more flexibility to kick-in, making sure the energy system is adapting to new realities: more storage and more smart electrification in heating, transport and industries.”
Read more: China installed a record capacity of solar and wind in 2024 – in numbers
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