MINI Goes Electric and They Shall Call Him...MINI E
Starting next year, 500 lucky customers in California, New York and New Jersey can lease an electric MINI. With a range of 150 miles and a top speed of 95 mph, the MINI E eschews a gas engine (and the two rear seats) for a series of over 5,000 small lithium-ion batteries and an electric motor. These batteries offer up a capacity of 35 kilowatt hours and are used to power the 204 hp electric motor. This powertrain is saddled with an extra 400lbs over that of a gas MINI Cooper, resulting in a 0-60 performance of 8.5 seconds. Faster than a gas Cooper, but slower than the turbocharged Cooper S.
Before you decide to camp out for your place in line, be aware that the monthly lease payment will be a not-so-mini $850 and the lease term is for only 12 months.
Included in the payment is maintenance, a charging station (in your secure garage) and any electricity you use charging the batteries. The question of insurance coverage could not be answered, but it may also be included in the monthly payment. However, even if it doesn't include insurance, the high payment is partially mitigated by the fact that you won't have to be paying for any gas.
My take? I like it! I believe the future power source for automobiles is electricity. From both an economic and environmental standpoint, the world can no longer afford to power our vehicles by internal combustion engines. It will still take years, if not decades, for electric vehicles to become mainstream. However, we have to start somewhere. As they say, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. The MINI E will be one such bite.
Read the full press release here.
- Posted by
- Lee Scott October 30, 2008, 12:00 AM
- Permalink
- Categories:
- Car Audio and Electronics, Car Buying, Hybrids and Alternative Fuels
- Technorati Tags:
- electric car, lithium ion batteries, MINI E, plug-in electric
"California, New York and New Jersey"
I always feel left out with these things.
Reading the article, this looks like more of a test than a true product. That's not a bad way to get your feet wet with a technology that may not yet be ready for prime time. I like the approach. I'm not a fan of the $850/month though.
Personally I don't see the big deal about powering cars with electricity generated by fossil fuels, versus powering cars directly with fossil fuels. Ain't no such thing as free energy. I understand solar, wind, hydro, etc. may eventually become more efficient, but for the foreseeable future (next 20-30 years), I believe hybrids to be the right balance.
It is a lot more efficient, affordable and cleaner to generate electricity centrally from fossil fuel vs doing it in an ICE in your vehicle.
Plus, the future favors renewable energy generating technology.
Jeez, with the backseat full of batteries, usefulness just took a huge nosedive. Look at how much space those things eat.
Well, until they have the unlimited range of an ICE, these purely electric vehicles will be impractical for most folks. Unless you want to have two cars, one for the daily grind and one for long trips. Or rent another car for those long trips. But one way or another, you'll need ICE's to exist. I don't keep track of the latest developments in battery technology, but are they anywhere near a 1000 mile range on a single charge?
Is there an ICE powered car that goes 1000 miles without a fill-up? Regardless, my bladder can't go much more than 300 or 400 miles without a reverse fill-up.
Technology may one day exist where instead of a gas station, you have an electricity station that uses a high-amp plug to recharge your batteries in 5-10 minutes.
110 years ago, which came first, the ICE car or the gas station?
Obviously no car goes 1000 miles on a tank, but my point is obvious. I've never heard of the ability to recharge an electric car's battery in 5-10 minutes. That would be an acceptable substitute.
As far as which came first, obviously the ICE came before the 7/11 on every other corner. But, that was at a time when people didn't go as far. I read once that the original Model T (or maybe model A or something earlier) needed an oil change every 100 miles. People generally lived their entire lives and died within 50 miles of their birthplace. Gas stations spring up as people began to venture farhter from home. Nowawdays, new automotive technologies will need to be able to accommodate our driving habits. That's one of the main reasons why hydrogen has not taken off even in California, right?
Maybe there will be enough early adapters willing to sacrifice and plan their trips carefully enough to make do with recharging stations (of course, until they are very common, it will be expensive to use them). But, as I said, for the foreseeable future, hybrids are the right idea. Maybe I underestimate how quickly things will develop.
I like the concept of the MINI E, and I don't use my MINI's backseats anyways. I would definitely consider this vehicle when it hits mainstream and the price lowers.