The MX-30 is Mazda’s first production electric vehicle, which combines an electric motor with 143 horsepower (106 kilowatts) and a small 35.5-kWh battery for a range of approximately 130 miles (209 kilometers) between charges. When the crossover debuted in October this year, everyone was surprised by the size of the battery pack but the automaker explained the MX-30 is different kind of EV that focuses on the joy of driving, as well as the relationship between people and cars.

Gallery: 2020 Mazda MX-30

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It turns out the automaker really means that. Christian Schultze, Mazda’s director and deputy general manager of the company’s European R&D center, told Automotive News the battery pack is “responsibly” sized in terms of CO2 emissions. How so? Let us explain briefly.

According to Schultze, the MX-30 is comparable to a diesel-powered Mazda3 hatchback based on a life-cycle assessment of total CO2 emissions, thanks to its relatively small battery package. The top manager also said that even if you have to replace the battery after approximately 100,000 miles (160,000 kilometers), the vehicle’s total CO2 emissions will remain similar to a diesel Mazda3.

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Does this make sense? We are not here to judge but Mazda’s approach appears to be the exact opposite of what most manufacturers consider the right strategy in terms of electric vehicles and their batteries - the bigger, the better. Schultze even said that installing a 95-kWh battery pack on an EV would generate substantially higher CO2 emissions right from the beginning of the car’s life cycle and replacing it at some point would add even further to its ecological footprint.