Battery technology

[Sean Greene]

Hi all. I live in California and am thinking of getting a Mazda Mx-30. Does anyone know who makes the battery and if it is properly cooled? I am in the process of the Bolt buyback. I want a reliable EV that is built for longevity. I have ruled out the Leaf due to poor BMS in the heat and am considering a Mx30 or a Mini Cooper SE.

 

[marshall]

It looks like Panasonic is making the battery and that it's of the prismatic type. Maybe ask your dealer about the liquid battery cooling.

 

[Sean Greene]

Thanks. I asked the dealer, but they didn’t have too much information. They made it sound like they won’t be getting any in until 2022 anyways due to the chip shortage.

 

[Texas22Step]

Hi all. I live in California and am thinking of getting a Mazda Mx-30. Does anyone know who makes the battery and if it is properly cooled? I am in the process of the Bolt buyback. I want a reliable EV that is built for longevity. I have ruled out the Leaf due to poor BMS in the heat and am considering a Mx30 or a Mini Cooper SE.

Hello @Sean Greene! My adult son and his family live in SoCal, so I have been watching him a bit as he considers a replacement vehicle for an aged VW Golf. I recently learned about the Mazda MX-30, which looks interesting as a decent city car when it arrives in the US. (But, of course, who really knows until one sees and drives and owns the real thing?)

Anyway, I responded to your post to let you know that I have owned a 2021 MINI SE for almost one year now, and it has been perfect for me as a city car here in the Dallas area. No problems, no maintenance, great economy, low purchase price and an absolute boatload of fun driving to boot. I can recommend the MINI SE from hands-on experience and suggest you read some of the posts to the MINI SE forum on this web site (listed under BMW, since BMW has owned MINI for 20+ years now).

In any case, about your battery question, here's part of a recent post from member @insightman on the MINI SE forum that I thought might provide an answer that you wanted:

"The Korean Samsung battery in the i3 wouldn't fit into the MINI without jacking it up 6 inches, so MINI put a Chinese CATL battery into the tunnel and under the back seat. The CATL battery supposedly performs better in cold weather than the Samsung, but it hasn't been around long enough to know how well it will hold up with time."

I am hardly a technician on the subject of EV batteries, but I do know that the MINI SE I have owned has had zero battery issues and that BMW encourages MINI SE owners to charge these batteries fully (100%) and frequently. I mostly make use of a Siemens Level II charger in my garage, but there are lots of options out there and a separate federal tax credit that applies to home EV chargers as well.

Anyway, good luck with your own choice!

 

[Sean Greene]

Hello @Sean Greene! My adult son and his family live in SoCal, so I have been watching him a bit as he considers a replacement vehicle for an aged VW Golf. I recently learned about the Mazda MX-30, which looks interesting as a decent city car when it arrives in the US. (But, of course, who really knows until one sees and drives and owns the real thing?)

Anyway, I responded to your post to let you know that I have owned a 2021 MINI SE for almost one year now, and it has been perfect for me as a city car here in the Dallas area. No problems, no maintenance, great economy, low purchase price and an absolute boatload of fun driving to boot. I can recommend the MINI SE from hands-on experience and suggest you read some of the posts to the MINI SE forum on this web site (listed under BMW, since BMW has owned MINI for 20+ years now).

In any case, about your battery question, here's part of a recent post from member @insightman on the MINI SE forum that I thought might provide an answer that you wanted:

"The Korean Samsung battery in the i3 wouldn't fit into the MINI without jacking it up 6 inches, so MINI put a Chinese CATL battery into the tunnel and under the back seat. The CATL battery supposedly performs better in cold weather than the Samsung, but it hasn't been around long enough to know how well it will hold up with time."

I am hardly a technician on the subject of EV batteries, but I do know that the MINI SE I have owned has had zero battery issues and that BMW encourages MINI SE owners to charge these batteries fully (100%) and frequently. I mostly make use of a Siemens Level II charger in my garage, but there are lots of options out there and a separate federal tax credit that applies to home EV chargers as well.

Anyway, good luck with your own choice!

Thanks for the info! I placed a deposit on a Mini, but production has not started yet. I just received a call from Mazda that they expect the Mx-30 by mid-October so I also put a deposit on that. I honestly think I will be happy with either of them. I will probably end up with the Mazda since I can’t go that long without a car (finishing Chevy Bolt buyback). I read about some cold weather issues with Mazda, which won’t affect me in California. They are two different takes on a small battery car that focus on different aspects of ride quality and joy of driving. They are both probably compliance cars, but I appreciate the efforts that went into allowing them to compete on something other than just range/acceleration. I already have a Chargepoint home charger, so daily charging isn’t an issue.

 

[Domenick]

Hi all. I live in California and am thinking of getting a Mazda Mx-30. Does anyone know who makes the battery and if it is properly cooled? I am in the process of the Bolt buyback. I want a reliable EV that is built for longevity. I have ruled out the Leaf due to poor BMS in the heat and am considering a Mx30 or a Mini Cooper SE.

Hey, Sean. I'm quite sure the battery is liquid cooled.
I'm actually in California at the moment to drive the MX-30, so if you have any other questions, please let me know. I can't say anything about driving it until after October 4, when the embargo drops.
I did see it unveiled in Tokyo in 2019 and really liked the styling. Hoping its driving dynamics and other aspects help make an argument for it.

 

[Sean Greene]

Hey, Sean. I'm quite sure the battery is liquid cooled.
I'm actually in California at the moment to drive the MX-30, so if you have any other questions, please let me know. I can't say anything about driving it until after October 4, when the embargo drops.
I did see it unveiled in Tokyo in 2019 and really liked the styling. Hoping its driving dynamics and other aspects help make an argument for it.

Thanks. I did read an article that said that it is liquid cool with a heat pump. Panasonic prismatic battery. I put a deposit down and should be getting it by mid-October. My main concern would be loss of range due to battery degradation. It looks like they have a good buffer and it is liquid cooled, which should help. Hopefully that also lets the rapid charge speed stay high until about 85% charge.

 

[electriceddy]

Thanks. I did read an article that said that it is liquid cool with a heat pump. Panasonic prismatic battery. I put a deposit down and should be getting it by mid-October. My main concern would be loss of range due to battery degradation. It looks like they have a good buffer and it is liquid cooled, which should help. Hopefully that also lets the rapid charge speed stay high until about 85% charge.

Make sure the dealer completes application for the free $500 public charging via Chargepoint

PARTNERED WITH CHARGEPOINT
Mazda has partnered with ChargePoint, the world’s largest network of electric vehicle charging stations, with numerous locations across California. In addition, MX-30 owners will receive a $500 credit toward public charging or the purchase of a home charger.8

https://www.mazdausa.com/vehicles/e...XhNth5RBbYnkS3HF_fvXFdSgaucmovrqlcy6k0xjmjqwQ