On Sunday, I got up and walked 1/2 a mile to retrieve the now charged Mini E from our office. I think I would keep a fold-up bicycle in this car if I had to drive it ever day, because Santa Monica, despite its greenie reputation, is not the friendliest place for walking (at least not the eastern side where I live).
The Mini E showed a full charge when I got there, but oddly, the distance-to-empty meter predicted only 77 miles of driving range whereas it usually suggests 88. My blood pressure rose ever so slightly as the meter dropped steadily, mile-by-mile, during my 37-mile drive to Walnut, California. When I got there, the DTE meter showed 41 miles. Great. So much for getting lunch before I go home.
But when I returned to the car 2 hours later, it had gotten more optimistic -- 50 miles -- and I noted a similar level of fluctuation for the rest of the day.
I didn't recharge Sunday night and when I plugged it in Monday morning, I'd driven 84.6 miles as you see below. Clearly, it's possible to hit 90, and I bet 100 is in the cards, too, assuming the DTE meter is calibrated to play it safe.
So how was the drive itself? Fine. But the Mini E is low on excited. Some here have pointed out that its extra weight (the batteries) gives it a more relaxed, less frenetic personality than a Cooper S. But that's exactly what I like about the Cooper S.
The Mini E feels secure on the highway, but the quick reflexes and a lot of the steering feel are gone. The ride's a touch better, but the cockpit seems noisy. I don't actually think the cockpit is any noisier than a regular Cooper, but with no engine sounds (well, OK, there's the purr of the electric motor), it's easier to dwell on the hard run-flats slapping against the pavement.
Erin Riches, Senior Editor @ 1,767 miles.
dougtheeng says:
06:24 AM, 10/ 6/09
Can you please do a mileage test and drive it to empty? I'd like to hear more about that.
altimadude00 says:
09:46 AM, 10/ 6/09
Doug--Only if you pay for the tow truck fee afterwards! I agree with Doug, though. The range-o-meter, probably the most important gauge in the car, is seriously flawed. I would expect it to be the most accurate and most calibrated to the charge of the batteries. Oh, it's got 77 miles to go....now it's 50...ooh! you're up to 55...now it's 20! MUHAHAHA!
Why would you put a folding bicycle in the trunk? It would make a near-useless car even more useless because you couldn't use the trunk because there's a bike in the way!
lvranger says:
09:53 AM, 10/ 6/09
It seems like you guys babie it to get the most mileage. Drive it like you stole it and let us know how bad the range can get.
greenpony says:
10:14 AM, 10/ 6/09
If it could consistently get 100+ miles per day in 0-degree weather, I could consider it.
estreka says:
03:30 PM, 10/ 6/09
Pretty much any EV on the market is about as useless as a lemon. Who knows when it's gonna leave you stranded?
jedienigma says:
08:30 PM, 10/ 6/09
Why is it a Distance To Empty (DTE) meter? Shouldn't it be a Distanced to Discharged (DTD) meter? You can't empty a battery just exhaust the charge. Or is it really a Distanced To Exhausted meter?
hybris says:
10:23 PM, 10/ 6/09
Don't know if this will work but to make doug happy you guys need to drive it around town until the DTE(DTD) meter says something like 5-10 miles left then in the parking garage just drive laps then you can see just how far you can go and (hopefully) just push the car back to the recharging station.
firstwagon says:
12:35 PM, 10/ 7/09
"The range-o-meter, probably the most important gauge in the car, is seriously flawed. I would expect it to be the most accurate and most calibrated to the charge of the batteries. "
The range it reports is based on driving style and an estimate of how much charge is left in the battery. Unlike a gasoline tank filled with a liquid, you cannot precisely measure the amount of electricity in a battery.
It's just a software program using a number of inputs to give a best guess as to the range.