I had our 2009 Mini E this weekend and discovered that the thing I like about it could also be the thing I dislike about it. Namely, sound. Because it's electric and doesn't have a motor an engine, I love the fact that I can floor it and no one can tell that's what I'm doing until I pass them. No engine straining, no telltale roar that I'm trying to get by you. Of course, I sorta miss those sounds, too. But for the Mini E, unsuspecting and cute, I like that stealthiness. It's not great at stoplight drag races, though, as the tires tend to chirp and the car is really slow off the line; talk about embarrassing. But when you're already at speed it's great.
This morning, however, when I went to start the car and pressed that "Start/Stop" button, naturally there was no sound but after I shifted to "Drive" the car didn't move forward. Um. I started all over again to see if maybe I hadn't pressed the button. But since there was no sound, except the bells from the car itself, there really was no way to tell. Just that for whatever reason the car wasn't moving even though it seemed to be on. I had about 30 miles left on the battery so it couldn't have been that.
There was something about that unsettling silence that made me feel really helpless. At least with a regular car you can hear the engine cough or the click of the starter solenoid but here? Nothing. How are you supposed to know what to check for when this happens? Is the only thing you can do when your Mini E doesn't start to call the tow truck?
After a couple more retries, the needle in the "Chargeometer" sprung to life and moved to the spot before "50," a signal that the car was now on. The Mini finally moved forward when put in "Drive." Well, thank goodness for that. No idea what just happened but it seems to be working now.
POST EDIT: I took the Mini E to the car wash this morning and afterward when I jumped in it to try to leave, again it wouldn't go. Instead I got an hourglass warning light on the Chargeometer. I was just about to reach for the owner's manual when the car wash guy opened the passenger-side door. "You OK?" he asked. "Yeah, it's just not starting. It happened this morning, too." I replied. "Jiggle the wheel," he offered. Desperate, I tried that and sure enough the car started. Wuut? Later I looked in the owner's manual and it said that the high-voltage system was activated and the solution offered was: "Please wait until the high-voltage system is activated." Not much of a solution but apparently a little wheel jiggle helps.
Caroline Pardilla, Deputy Managing Editor @ 2,601 miles
acbayard says:
10:34 AM, 11/ 2/09
"Because it's electric and doesn't have a motor" ???
You mean doesn't haven engine?
uncanny_man says:
03:29 PM, 11/ 2/09
I didn't know that the mini-e came with an ammo box under the hood! And I thought that this car was just for liberals! ;)
super_ongoy says:
09:16 AM, 11/ 3/09
Congratulations. You pay 800 bucks a month to be a lab hamster for mini. Oh right... the whole point of this blog was just that... Sorry.
cr_driver says:
10:21 AM, 11/ 3/09
Nice pic of the -engine-...... nice ammo bux , really good!
zoomzoomn says:
07:15 AM, 11/ 4/09
"...no telltale roar that I'm trying to get by you."
Damn! Announcing my intentions is one of my favorite things when I'm passing people in my either one of my rides (including the added honk from the cold air intake for effect!). Catching some slow poking bastard off guard as I launch past them can be downright hilarious. Some of the wide-eyed, stunned looks I get is almost worth the previous miles of irritation built up by poking along behind them. It's like my vehicle getting the chance to yell out "WAKE UP and get the hell outa my way!" Besides, isn't it safer to be heard? :)
paragon2 says:
09:16 AM, 11/ 4/09
My newest car is from the mid-1990s, and has this wacky thing called a Key. Do cars still use them?
Anyhow, if you turn the steering wheel once the car is off the key won't work until you turn the wheel back. An anti-theft device of some sort I believe. Could this be the case in the Min-E? (just seems better than Mini-E).