Mazda CEO notes that the EV space is suffering growing pains.
PHEV technology, according to him, offers the best of both worlds.
Strong demand and interest in EVs aren’t a motivation for Mazda to yet go all-electric. On the heels of launching their latest CX-90 SUV, Mazda North America President and CEO, Jeff Guyton explains why the three-row SUV, though electrified, isn’t a fully electric vehicle.
Mazda USA Boss states the obvious when responding to the question from Yahoo Finance as to why the CX-90 is not offered as a battery-electric vehicle. Essentially, there are still too many inhibiting factors that mar the ownership experience. Issues such as range, charging, ambient weather, and temperatures are growing pains that EV owners must endure goes against, for the moment, Mazda’s premium efforts.
This does not mean that Mazda is not interested in electrifying its fleet as a BEV version of the new 2024 CX-90 was considered but the available mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options offer more timely solutions.
When asked about the charging infrastructure and how far we are from it sufficient, Guyton said: “I think we’re quite a ways off. And in addition to the infrastructure, nobody really understands quite yet how much supply there’s going to be of rare earths and other materials we need for electric vehicles.”
