So I've got this pretty serious character flaw: I love blowouts. Sports, debates, elections, Iron Chef...it doesn't matter. I want to see the New England Patriots beat the New York City Public School junior varsity team 160 - 0. Leave the kicker out of the game, let Brady throw 5 TDs per quarter and then go for two every time. I would be glued to the TV for that one. I may even buy tickets. Celebrity boxing? Yeah, I'll Tivo Adam Carolla pummeling Clay Aiken and watch it every morning. I want to see Jeb Bush make Ralph Nader cry. Things are more fun when everyone's participating 100%-- If you don't want to be embarrassed, you'd better pick your battles. Considering that, you'd probably be shocked to find that until this weekend, I've been saying the Mini E has been mistreated by our staff. That the whole electric car thing is a good idea. That a guy like me, a guy who lives 8 miles from the office and doesn't usually carry passengers/stuff, would be fine with a Mini E. I've been saying people shouldn't pick on the little car. Well, that was, in part, because I wasn't really driving the Mini. Time to take the kid-gloves off and really drive this thing. 
Friday I hopped into our Mini E with the intent of forgetting this is a non-production electric car test mule, and driving it like I owned it.
On Saturday morning, only 39 miles more on the odometer since I took it the day before, I parked the Mini back in its reserved spot with life support system and plugged it back in.
Only 8 miles were shown as being left in the battery bank.
I passed people. I accelerated away from stop lights. I used the brakes late instead of coasting for ½ a mile. I had a passenger. I drove in traffic. I drove it on the highway. I drove this car exactly like I drive my own car and it was having none of it.
After reasonable driving, the Mini hates to start. It needs a solid two minutes of letting the fans run before you can drive it again. And then there's the battery meter.
The battery meter fell from 80%-- yeah, it starts at 80% these days regardless of how long you plug it in--to 40 to 20 to 10 in a matter of minutes...minutes I was not going hundreds of miles per hour. That distance-to-dead meter is completely unreliable and unlike a fuel tank, you can't, over time, estimate its accuracy. There's no, "Alright, at 1/8th of a tank I've still got a gallon and a half." There's nothing. Just this looming specter of a dead Mini on the side of the road, too weak for hazards and no hope of walking to a gas station with a jerrycan. "Hey, Mack, can you fill this with electrons? No. Thanks for nothing."
A friend and I were out driving on Saturday for about 9 miles, he had to bear witness to most of this fiasco, and just about halfway back to the office he asks, "So how long are we going to have to wait for this?"
"We're not," I said, "it's going to take some 4 hours. We're taking my car."
"4 hours? There's no fast charger? How is this going to replace gas? When will the public get to own one of these?"
"4 hours is the fast charge. As for the public...10 years? Unless there's a miracle in speed-charging / battery life."
It's a neat little toy (would be neater without the wussy traction control), but it's not a real car, not even close. I'm the guy who should want this. I live in the city, am single, walk to the grocery store and live >10 miles from work. An electric car should work for me.
This one doesn't. It doesn't have the range or the reliability. They should pay me $900 for putting up with this thing. For $900/mo I could make payments on a small, real car and use the extra $700/mo to plant trees or buy carbon offsets or invest in some upstart green corporation making fuel from old mattresses--I'd actually feel the money was more well spent then.
Mike Magrath, Vehicle Testing Assistant @ 2,459 miles
subaru123 says:
04:37 PM, 10/26/09
Or for an extra $49 a month you could lease a GT-R.
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/2009/10/2009-nissan-gt-r-949-a-month.html#comments
cwc1 says:
06:05 PM, 10/26/09
Thanks for the reality check. This is what's getting overlooked in so much of the hype about electric vehicles as the current technology exists.
firstwagon says:
07:04 PM, 10/26/09
I've noticed there are a number of MiniE owners who post here. I'd be curious to see if they have had simular issues.
Right now Mikes comment reminds me of a friend I know with a Prius. He used to have an Accord and was always complaining of the terrible mileage (he drives a lot of miles for work).
He bought a Prius expecting great mileage but only gets about 22 mpg.
I caught a ride with him downtown last week and right away I saw why.
Every light is foot to the floor.
Every car ahead of him must be passed.
AC is to be cranked even though the windows were open and it wasn't hot out.
Braking cannot be done to the last second (eliminating any regenerative braking).
In normal cars if you drive bad, you get bad mileage.
In electric cars if you drive bad, you get bad range.
I kinda like how electics remind you of your ways in a much more real way then just having whip out the VISA card to buy more gas.
slickersdrip says:
07:05 PM, 10/26/09
Couldn't agree more with this.
Loved the first paragraph, too. Then again I'm a huge Patriots fan and personally congratulated Jeb Bush winning the 2002 Governor's election on inauguration day.
hybris says:
07:41 PM, 10/26/09
Mike you are quickly becoming my favorite editor.
I'm glad to hear that someone actually drove this thing like they owned it or at least rented it.
cneff says:
07:44 PM, 10/26/09
Sounds like something is wrong with it Mike - it should not drop that fast even if you floor it. Added, only maxing at 80% sounds like a fault somewhere, maybe in the batt pack.
When you sat for 2 mins waiting for the car to start did you see an hr glass on the dash? If so that is normal, annoying yes, yet normal in this test car. It is adjusting the capacitors among other things and is somewhat random.
MINI E #402 in NJ
kingkhalas says:
08:22 PM, 10/26/09
Appreciate the post.
Realistic and constructive criticism. Definitely lacking in other reviews of "green" cars.
tcrook says:
10:51 PM, 10/26/09
Agree with Cneff above. Something doesn't sound right. I start every day at 100%, plug in via 110 when I'm at work and drive it like a sports car in between the stop and go traffic I encounter on my 85 mile or so commute. Today I pulled into our garage with 40 miles remaining. Car was plugged in a work for approx 6 1/2 hours at 110 outlet. Love driving emission free and only spending $2.40 on electricity instead of $12.00+ driving our Ford Freestyle. Totally understand the lease price far out weighs this savings but just wanted folks to be aware the low cost in some areas of electricity if you charge off peak.
Tomorrow I have a meeting and a few errands to run...will probably be a 100 mile day and I'm not worried one bit about running out of juice. Love driving the MINI E and look forward to the production vehicle that makes its way to market. I have no doubt that many if not all of the issues folks in the field trial are raising will be addressed in the next vehicle.
Todd
http://electricminicooper.blogspot.com/
coletrickle says:
07:32 AM, 10/27/09
This "car" is absurd.
jaguar36 says:
08:43 AM, 10/27/09
No, you aren't the guy who should want this. Sorry, the intended audience for this car is not the single city dweller at all. Its the suburban married person with a 20 mile commute. The person who has a second car for trips, not someone who would only use this as their only car.
I'm amazed that you guys don't seem to get this. Stop trying to use this car as if it were a regular car. Stop using the 110v charger. Stop complaing about it's price.
The only valid bit in this whole post is the lack of consistency in the battery measurements. Have you guys even talked to anyone at Mini about the lack of full charging?
soareyes says:
10:36 AM, 10/27/09
I agree with cneff and tcrook that you must have a battery problem. Has the car been in for the 3 month/3000 mile checkup yet? Several of the cars had a few bad modules, and even then the drivers didn't notice as much of a performance hit as you are getting. Please have it checked by Mini and let us know the results.
stephen987 says:
09:14 AM, 10/28/09
All those who are surprised, please raise your hand. . .
Thought so.