As one of the lucky few who have driven both the Chevy Volt and the Mini E, I thought I'd share a brief comparison of the two cars. They are quite obviously very different, but both operate using an electric motor and at this stage are both works in progress.
Power Delivery: We've all talked a lot about the abundance of torque produced by the Mini E. It can be a wild ride, which can be fun, but not always. Last night while driving in the rain, maintaining traction proved difficult at times. Sure, I gunned it in a straight line just to have the wheels slip at 35 mph (the fun bit), but trying to take off in a rapid fashion for a left turn arrow was a wee bit tricky. The Mini has a huge throttle delay (like the 7 Series on sleeping pills) to prevent you from overcooking things every single time, but this delay obviously can be trouble if you need to get going in a hurry. When I finally did get going, I'd pushed the throttle almost to the floor, which quickly made the wheels spin. In other words, power delivery is weird and potentially irritating.
The Volt felt normal. The torque seemed to be kept in check and the power delivery seemed to be linear in fashion. It didn't feel as wildly powerful as the Mini, but it felt rapid enough for city use and certainly quicker than the Insight up there. I say "felt" and "seemed" because I only drove the Volt for 10 minutes in the Dodgers Stadium parking lot and not in the rain. However, it was enough to show that the Volt will drive like a normal car and it'll require less adaptation when getting behind the wheel. Not everyone will find the Mini so endearing.
Braking: Lifting off the Mini's throttle is like deploying a parachute out the back and catching a carrier wire. This severe regenerative braking is awesome in traffic and when coming up to a turn (automatic left foot braking!), but on the freeway, it can be a pain. You have to remind yourself to stay on the electricity (?) because the car won't coast. Again, some folks will like it and acclimate to it, others won't. The Volt? It doesn't do this. Once again, it feels normal despite having regenerative braking. Having said that, a more extensive test is required to gauge brake feel compared to regular cars.
Range: The Mini continues to report 80 miles every time I get into it after a day of recharging. However, when I pulled into the garage this morning, it said 71 despite travelling a total 18.4 miles. So maybe it's better than its gauge would indicate, but once it's at 0, you better be near a plug (and someplace to chill for several hours). The Volt can travel an estimated 40 miles in the city cycle, which means the gas engine wouldn't have come on for me last night or this morning. Had I gone further, that gas engine would've powered the electric motor for a total hypothetical range in the highway cycle of 300 miles plus whatever the battery was able to contribute.
Interior: Well, the Mini has two seats and a trunk the size of an overnight bag. The Volt has only four seats and a 10 cubic-foot trunk. Neither is exactly a family hauler, but advantage Volt. The Volt's controls are also more user friendly.
Cost: The Gross Capitalized Cost of our Mini E field trial prototype is $50,713.64. The Volt will cost an estimated $40,000 minus federal, state and local tax rebates. Obviously advantage Chevy, though the Mini is hardly to be taken seriously. It's for folks, businesses and automotive Web sites with enough money lying around to be the first ones on the block with an electric car (and a Mini to boot!).
So, which would I buy if I had too much money? Well, I'd buy the Mini E because I have too much money and therefore another car lying around should I need range. It's wild, it's odd, it's a Mini and it's fun for all those reasons. If I had just enough money for only one car? Well, I'd buy the Volt. It's normal, cheaper and has more seats.
James Riswick, Automotive Editor @ 3,429 miles
charlesncharge says:
10:13 AM, 12/ 8/09
James,
Very Insight-ful article!
tomm250 says:
11:08 AM, 12/ 8/09
I agree completely with your assessment. I'm one of the "fools" that are paying BMW big bucks to test out their prototype. Luckily, I can afford to do so and still have two ICE cars waiting in the wings if I ever need to go far. I have used my MINI-E for virtually all my daily driving for the past 6 months since I got it and have grown to really love it. I would pay the 50K if they would sell it to me but that will not be an option. Still, I do like the Volt and may even buy one once the lease is over(although I'm not really sure when that will be because it's generally accepted that MINI will extend the leases at a much lower rate to any of us that want to keep the cars for another year or two, but we have to wait for the official word). The Volt would be a slam dunk for me if the range was just a but more, say 60 miles. They are estimating 40 miles on battery only so we all know what that means; 20-25 highway max. Then factor in the cold weather here in NJ and maybe I'll go 15-20 miles battery only mode in the winter, on the highway and I really would like to see the 40 miles be the minimum, not attainable only under perfect conditions. All that said, I still may buy one, depending on what else is available when my time with #250 is up.
Tom M
MINI-E #250 @ 16,500 miles (since June 12th)
http://minie250.blogspot.com/
7driver says:
12:02 PM, 12/ 8/09
TomM,
I just did some math. June 12th was 180 days ago. 16,500 miles over that time comes out to an average of 92 miles a day. Given the purported 100 mile range, you've got me curious. :-)
brn says:
12:25 PM, 12/ 8/09
"Lifting off the Mini's throttle is like deploying a parachute "
This brings up a concern. If you "deploy the parachute" do break lights come on? Are the folk behind you warned that your vehicle is undergoing significant deceleration?
As an example, around here buses have two sets of break lights. One set (amber) indicates engine deceleration. The other set (red) indicates friction breaking.
tomm250 says:
12:31 PM, 12/ 8/09
7driver:
You need to factor in that the car has been in for service about 10 days and I also went away for a week so I really only drove the car about 165 days. Since you asked, here's how I'm doing it:
When it was warmer outside I could get 110-120 miles per charge and I would routinely do 110/day. I own a restaurant and unfortunately I work 7 days/week so I'm driving 700-800 miles per week. I would usually arrive home with only 2-5% charge left.
A couple months ago, MINI offered 2nd wall chargers to anyone that wanted one and had a location for it. I immediately took them up on it and installed one at my restaurant. This was a great bonus for me. I can now drive 75 or 85 miles (the reduced range in the cold weather now) then charge up before I drive home so I'm actually driving more now. Yesterday it was 29 degrees here and I drove 135 miles total.
Having a 220V charger at your place of work is probably not a possibility for most, but for those that can have one, it really makes all the difference in the world. I have absolutely no range anxiety at all anymore because whether I'm at home or work I can charge up at any time. I have the 60 amp charger at work and it will completely charge a totally discharged battery in about 3 hours.
There are 4 others that I know of that have over 12,000 on their cars and they all have only one charger so it can be done. The car would be a perfect commuter car for someone that had about a 75 mile round trip to work each day. The commute would cost them about $2.00 in electric.
Tom
tomm250 says:
12:42 PM, 12/ 8/09
Brn:
Yes, the break light go on. However I do disagree with the parachute analogy. The car does slow down but the feeling is most similar to if you were to downshift one gear. After driving it for a while you really like it. I almost never use the brakes at all. I bet I could get 60-70k on a set of brake pads.
Tom
bodyblue says:
01:23 PM, 12/ 8/09
"range anxiety "
LOL :)
bodyblue says:
02:10 PM, 12/ 8/09
Since there is a Fusion Hybrid coming to the IL fleet soon, it will be interesting to see the MPG and driving differences.
brn says:
02:44 PM, 12/ 8/09
Thanks Tom.
jriz says:
04:23 PM, 12/ 8/09
"This brings up a concern. If you "deploy the parachute" do break lights come on? Are the folk behind you warned that your vehicle is undergoing significant deceleration?"
Yes, the brake lights do come on under automatic regenerative braking.