So who got stuck with the Mini E over the long holiday weekend?
When the car clipboard got passed around last week, I saw the Camaro, the Challenger, the Suzuki, among other cars still available. I looked at Mike, our Vehicle Testing Manager, and said, "I'm not traveling this weekend, I'll take the Mini E."
And he said, "You just made everyone left on the list very happy."
Now, don't get us wrong, we like the Mini E. It's cute as a button and fun to drive if you don't need to go anywhere. What a statement for a car, huh?
I know it's beating a dead horse to say the Mini E is not practical. But that's what we're faced with every time we drive it. It's a fun little car. But don't go shopping, or try to pile your kids into it. And don't go too far.
It's nice not to have to go to the gas station and touch the swine-flu-infested pump. But it's a pain in the neck to have to wait a day for it to recharge.
All things you've heard before. But that's the reality of the Mini E over this holiday weekend.
Good thing I'm doing my Black Friday shopping online.
Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor
firstwagon says:
02:02 PM, 11/27/09
I'm guessing it's an American thing but what exactly is Black Friday and why do they call it that?
dderosa says:
02:10 PM, 11/27/09
It's the first big shopping day of the Christmas season. It supposedly puts the stores "in the black" or turning a profit. -- Donna
firstwagon says:
03:42 PM, 11/27/09
That makes more sense.
"Black Friday" sounds sinister like it's marking something bad that happened. Didn't see why that would make some Friday in November a prime shopping day.
thejohnp says:
05:28 PM, 11/27/09
From my days working at the mall, it was my understanding that it was called "Black Friday" by retailers for retailers to describe the absolute worst day of the year to work. Somehow the term started to get used by everyone.
tomm250 says:
07:11 PM, 11/27/09
Why do you have to wait a day for the car to charge? Do you not have a wall charger? I have a Mini-E (#250) and it only takes me 3 1/2 hours to charge up and go 100 miles. For me the car is VERY practical. I've had the car since mid June and I have 15,500 miles on it five and a half months later. I drive it 700+ miles a week and do all my shopping & commuting with it. I had 18 cases of Pepsi in it one time when I had to set up a catering event! Yeah, when I go shopping I usually don't have a passenger so I have the entire passenger compartment t fill up. By the end of my year with the car I'll have driven it about 33,000 miles and used it for everything I need to do in a car outside of a few trips to Vermont and the Hamptons when I took my Toyota. Electric cars with limited range are not for everyone, especially if you frequently need to go on far trips or especially if you are a one car family. However as I am proving, even if you are a high mileage driver, an electric car with a 100 mile range (I've gone as far as 125 miles on a single charge) can be used a a daily driven, commuter car. http://minie250.blogspot.com/
dderosa says:
09:03 PM, 11/27/09
It's great that you're putting that many miles on it. We have a quick charger at the office. But when I take the car home, I have to use the regular slow charger. -- Donna
tomm250 says:
10:06 PM, 11/27/09
Oh, OK that makes sense. It would be helpful if you explained that though, as a casual reader would think it always takes a day to charge it, and that would render the car useless as you indicate. Using the 110v slow charge as you are is frustrating, I wish you could have the car for a month with a 220v charger at your disposal to charge as you sleep. I have two chargers. One at home and one at my business so I can charge up wherever I'm at. The car is always charged and I don't even think about range anymore, frequently driving 150 - 200 miles in a day. I'd buy the car in a minute if they would sell it to me.
super_ongoy says:
03:34 AM, 11/29/09
That thing looks like a baked turkey!