The MINI E has arrived
The electric Mini, a.k.a. the MINI E, has arrived and is now being delivered to customers in New York and California who have signed up for the special lease. There will be only 500 of these cars initially but they have some impressive sounding statistics like a 95 mph top speed, 156 maximum mile range, and 3-hour charge time (if plugged into a powerful 240-volt 48-amp socket).
The cost of early adoption is a bit high; it will cost customers $850 a month for the special one-year lease. On the bright side collision coverage, maintenance, and roadside assistance are included. On the even brighter side electric cars are much lower impact and less expensive to drive (dollars per mile) than comparable gasoline cars.
Unfortunately Mini has been having some trouble getting the high voltage extension cord UL-listed in all areas. So some Mini E customers will be plugging their cars into lower voltage (110-volt) standard household outlets which will take a very long time (like a whole day) to recharge the cars. Hopefully they can get this red-tape cut quickly and deliver the extension cords soon.
Another drawback to the MINI E is that due to the bulky battery pack it only seats 2 people. The actual range will also vary widely and drivers could see far fewer miles on a charge depending on where and how they drive. This is all due to the lithium-ion battery technology and a good example of why for the short-term plug-in hybrids or ultra-efficient combustion engine cars make more practical sense.
But all this aside I’m really excited to see a big automaker like the BMW Group, (which Mini is apart), put an electric car on an American street in customers hands. The fact that they are doing it in the middle of a recession and way ahead of the competition is wonderful too. If this one year trail is successful Mini and the BMW Group as a whole would be well positioned for the future.
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