MHEV 😊
PHEV vs MHEV
I'm struggling to decide between the PHEV vs the MHEV. What is the biggest factor(s) driving your decision?
PHEV
MHEV
PHEV
- Pure electric range of about ~30 Miles (37km). Unclear of the fuel savings
- Heavier with the battery. CX-60 driving reviews seem to inidicate that the PHEV doesnt drive as well as the MHEV
- Will PHEV (the in between option of EV and gas) be still around in 5 years?
MHEV
- You can get the higher trim options (in Canada) that aren't available in PHEV
- Inline 6 engine is what gets the CX90 into the premium category
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I won't do any heavy duty towing, but I want the option of pulling a small camper. The PHEV has max tow rating of 3500 lbs, versus the MHEV capability of 5000 lbs which offers a lot more flexibility. Obviously not a factor if you don't plan to tow.I'm struggling to decide between the PHEV vs the MHEV. What is the biggest factor(s) driving your decision?
PHEV
- Pure electric range of about ~30 Miles (37km). Unclear of the fuel savings
- Heavier with the battery. CX-60 driving reviews seem to inidicate that the PHEV doesnt drive as well as the MHEV
- Will PHEV (the in between option of EV and gas) be still around in 5 years?
MHEV
- You can get the higher trim options (in Canada) that aren't available in PHEV
- Inline 6 engine is what gets the CX90 into the premium category
I also expect that inline 6 to be a pretty sweet engine, so that'll be my choice if I go with the CX-90.
I agree the all new 6 is a sweet engine, which hopefully Mazda will hurry up and use it in other model updates, like MX-5 miata or a New Mazda 6 before these engines are banned.
I am leaning towards the PHEV because I have solar on my house and I generally drive no more than 30 miles a day. I expect the performance to be fairly similar and the PHEV might even "feel" faster with the instant torque of the battery. My biggest concern is what will the real combined MPG be with a depleted battery? Several reviews claim 25 combined. That has to be wrong. Thats what the turbo 6 is getting. Honestly, I planned on a PHEV or full EV when I added solar (so I overproduce electricity) or I would probably go with the turbo 6. I was really hoping it would be the turbo 2.5 on the PHEV.
This test of the CX60 PHEV is promising: "In real-world use with home charging, but with regular 140 mile round trips and national speed limit roads, the CX-60 PHEV averaged between 36 and 38mpg." The 90 should be good for 34-35 I would expect with the extra weight. I don't understand why it's not being reported. I also don't understand why the PHEV is being offered after the 6. You would think, since it was already in production before the 6, it would be more readily available and out first. Usually, dealers will save the preferred trim for later introduction. I am not sure if Mazda expects the PHEV to be a better seller...I am leaning towards the PHEV because I have solar on my house and I generally drive no more than 30 miles a day. I expect the performance to be fairly similar and the PHEV might even "feel" faster with the instant torque of the battery. My biggest concern is what will the real combined MPG be with a depleted battery? Several reviews claim 25 combined. That has to be wrong. Thats what the turbo 6 is getting. Honestly, I planned on a PHEV or full EV when I added solar (so I overproduce electricity) or I would probably go with the turbo 6. I was really hoping it would be the turbo 2.5 on the PHEV.
I was leaning towards PHEV, however the lease offer is up and comparable to MHEV, so no $7500 federal credit pass-through, however we still have May/June to see if that changes, however I doubt it. With Premium Plus PHEV leaving out so many features of Turbo S Premium Plus, the lease difference would not be a huge amount. If PHEV had same features at similar or even slightly higher price, would have gone with PHEV, but we will see.. I am not in a rush..
One of the most basic and important questions for choosing a PHEV is: will you actually plug it in daily? They usually take a long time to charge, so if you have a space and the discipline to plug it in everyday, then it works. But I know people who bought one and rarely plug it in, which is a waste.
If you're looking at longevity I think Mazda will sell the PHEV longer than they will the MHEV.I'm struggling to decide between the PHEV vs the MHEV. What is the biggest factor(s) driving your decision?
PHEV
- Pure electric range of about ~30 Miles (37km). Unclear of the fuel savings
- Heavier with the battery. CX-60 driving reviews seem to inidicate that the PHEV doesnt drive as well as the MHEV
- Will PHEV (the in between option of EV and gas) be still around in 5 years?
MHEV
- You can get the higher trim options (in Canada) that aren't available in PHEV
- Inline 6 engine is what gets the CX90 into the premium category
welcome to the forum @eoliv! Adding on to your point, it's not only a question of plugging it in daily, it's also a question of if you'll get a home charger installed or if you use one that can be plugged into a standard socket.One of the most basic and important questions for choosing a PHEV is: will you actually plug it in daily? They usually take a long time to charge, so if you have a space and the discipline to plug it in everyday, then it works. But I know people who bought one and rarely plug it in, which is a waste.
I think Level 2 home chargers can speed up charging quite a bit compared to the standard Level 1 charging speed.One of the most basic and important questions for choosing a PHEV is: will you actually plug it in daily? They usually take a long time to charge, so if you have a space and the discipline to plug it in everyday, then it works. But I know people who bought one and rarely plug it in, which is a waste.
The PHEV battery is small enough in capacity that a level 2 charger isn't needed. It'll fully charge from the existing wall socket overnight.
Really? My Super Off Peak (~15c/kWh) is only midnight to 6. I'm barely getting 50% charged in that time. Perhaps if I start a little earlier (9pm) and finish a little later I'd get closer but my electricity is triple that cost. If It go into Peak time its, more than 7x that cost.The PHEV battery is small enough in capacity that a level 2 charger isn't needed. It'll fully charge from the existing wall socket overnight.
That being said, I am not sure that installing level 2 is worth the cost at the moment...
Please check me; am I thinking about this correctly:
In my area the cost of gas is ~ $5/gallon
All electric, the PHEV can go about 26 miles which is about equal with the estimated 25mpg in mixed driving of the gas engine.
If the battery is 17.8kWh, then at my super off peak $0.15 rate, it will cost me 17.8 x $0.15 x 90% (efficiency) = $2.40 - cheaper than a gallon of gas
At my off peak rate of $0.48 that goes up to $7.69
and Peak at $0.82 is $13.14
On level 1, I would need to straddle off and super off peak rates (midnight to 6am weekdays) and so the cost will be almost exactly the same as a gallon of gas.
I have solar panels too which would offset that cost but I would rather offset what I can't control. Installing Level 2 would mean much faster charging but at the cost of ~$1000 (?) it would take me a little over a year to recoup the cost.
As I said, check me. Is this thinking correct?
In my area the cost of gas is ~ $5/gallon
All electric, the PHEV can go about 26 miles which is about equal with the estimated 25mpg in mixed driving of the gas engine.
If the battery is 17.8kWh, then at my super off peak $0.15 rate, it will cost me 17.8 x $0.15 x 90% (efficiency) = $2.40 - cheaper than a gallon of gas
At my off peak rate of $0.48 that goes up to $7.69
and Peak at $0.82 is $13.14
On level 1, I would need to straddle off and super off peak rates (midnight to 6am weekdays) and so the cost will be almost exactly the same as a gallon of gas.
I have solar panels too which would offset that cost but I would rather offset what I can't control. Installing Level 2 would mean much faster charging but at the cost of ~$1000 (?) it would take me a little over a year to recoup the cost.
As I said, check me. Is this thinking correct?
Based on my experience with BEV (about 1.5 years) and PHEV (about a month), I would bring up these considerations:Please check me; am I thinking about this correctly:
In my area the cost of gas is ~ $5/gallon
All electric, the PHEV can go about 26 miles which is about equal with the estimated 25mpg in mixed driving of the gas engine.
If the battery is 17.8kWh, then at my super off peak $0.15 rate, it will cost me 17.8 x $0.15 x 90% (efficiency) = $2.40 - cheaper than a gallon of gas
At my off peak rate of $0.48 that goes up to $7.69
and Peak at $0.82 is $13.14
On level 1, I would need to straddle off and super off peak rates (midnight to 6am weekdays) and so the cost will be almost exactly the same as a gallon of gas.
I have solar panels too which would offset that cost but I would rather offset what I can't control. Installing Level 2 would mean much faster charging but at the cost of ~$1000 (?) it would take me a little over a year to recoup the cost.
As I said, check me. Is this thinking correct?
- The actual EV driving range could vary considerably from 26 miles depending on conditions and habits. A/C and Heat are big ones; I can't recall if the CX-90 has a heat pump, which could make a big difference in cold conditions. Speed is another big one, and a sustained high speed is far more demanding on an EV than it is on ICE, while bursts of accleration seem to be far more demanding on ICE than EV
- The 17.8 kwh is probably nominal rather than literal, and manufacturers don't seem to follow any standard on whether they are reporting total or usable capacity. My BMW 530e has a nominal 9.2 kwh battery, but when the EV range indicates as 0 and I charge it to "full," my EVSE is reporting less than 7kwh delivered. Including charging losses (which is another consideration), the usable capacity is probably around 6.2-6.4. Some of it has to be reserved for standard hybrid operation, as well as to prevent users from charging to the absolute 100%, which is hard on the battery. Despite this, I still reliably get the rated 16 miles of EV range in my driving.
- A level 2 charger would pay for itself sooner if it allows you to stay at a better charge level more often. On a 40A circuit, a level 2 charger should be able to deliver 7.5kwh per hour to the CX-90, which means you can replenish 12-14 miles of driving an hour (assuming around 2.0 miles/kwh). This could mean the difference between charging during the day--when you stop at home between trips--or only overnight, with more ICE use in between. Emporia makes a really nice UL listed level 2 charger for $400.
Lots to discover, and everyone will have a different version of optimal. To be honest, it's why I purchased a (used) PHEV while I was waiting for the cx-90.
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