2009 MINI E: In Lieu of Range

Yes, but.... a regular gas Mini is probably a lot more fun than the E. And the E costs a lot more money, so I don't really see the point.

The Prius' one redeeming quality is its gas mileage-- that's it. And that, really, is mostly all that is required by Prius buyers.

If you put a Corolla engine in the Prius, no one would buy it, even at a Corolla price-- it just isn't enough like a real car to be purchased as a real car. And Toyota hatchback buyers can always buy a Matrix.

What happens when you need to drive to your son's (or daughter's) soccer meet and it is a 55 mile drive -- a not uncommon occurrence here in Austin, TX. The E can never drive more than 40 miles from the house... ever (I do want a little "energy" left over, just in case). I can never use it to visit friends in Dallas or even San Antonio (a 75 minute drive from my house). In fact, because of long recharge times, driving to San Antonio becomes a four day trip. The E is incredibly impractical if you ever need to drive anyplace other than to the grocery store or short drive in a heavily populated metropolitan area. Once an E get delivered it will spend its entire existence within a 50 mile radius of the owners garage. You had better hope that there is a Mini dealership close by or your trip home from getting the car serviced will take a couple of days. You will have to find a Holiday Inn that will let you run a long extension cord from your room to the car. I would need to buy another car in order to enjoy the use of the E. This is crazy.

Good post.

I think this balance of fun and economy is what Honda was trying to do with the CR-Z. But burdening it with an IMA system doesn't bring the glee that an electric powertrain would have. Or even a 3 cyl. turbodiesel.

Nissan had the right idea with the EV Landglider concept. They created an all-new driving experience that embraces the necessary compromises - small size, aerodynamic, composite materials, max 2 passenger, limited cargo space, commuter focus, yet fun. Like an all-weather, electric Suzuki Burgman or Honda Silverwing.

They tossed out all of the assumptions (conventional shape/size/packaging) and built something that could actually be produced in a solo-commuter usable form for less than $25k.

I'd buy a Land Glider today if it were available. And then EV and fun could be used in the same sentence without question..

I would argue that the MINI-E has more than one redeeming quality. It is fun to drive as you suggest. I've driven a few Cooper S's and I would definitely say the E is just as fun to drive as they are. At low speeds, the E is much more fun to drive as the instant torque is always available, while the S has more high speed power and can be more fun to drive at 70+mph. I haven't noticed much difference in handling but I never really pushed the S's I've driven like I do my E.

The primary redeeming quality is obviously the fuel used and low maintenance costs. There are a lot of people that don't care about energy independence or the cost we all incur protecting our oil interests across the globe and that's fine. I don't judge anyone and aren't trying to impress my beliefs on anyone, but for the people that are concerned about these things, being able to drive a vehicle that uses no oil is an enormous redeeming quality, one in which they would make sacrifices to own. It means much more than simply just a different fuel to some.

You can't use the cost of this car in arguments for or against it. This is a closed beta test of a prototype car. The MINI-E will never be made and sold to the public so the cost is irreverent. If you really want to bring that into the equation, factor in that many of the lease payments were waived for many different reasons. I only had to make 6 of the 12 payments this year. So my total out of pocket cost was $5,100.00. That includes the insurance for the car, and I'm on my third set of free run-flat tires which would have cost $2,500 alone.

This car simply wouldn't work for a lot of people, way more than it actually would work for, that's obvious. However what car is good for everyone? That's why there are so many different makes and models because different people want different things out of their car. Personally, I would never buy a Prius, can't stand how they look. Maybe if it got 100mpg it would justify driving it around, even then I don't know.

The MINI-E isn't what people should think of when they think electric car. The car was designed for an internal combustion engine and was quickly retrofitted with a universal electric drive system that was not designed for this car specifically and then the battery pack was placed in the rear seating area. Even so I think it is a great commuter car but there is much to be improved on and when electric cars actually hit the streets they will be designed ground-up and EV's and be much more refined and offer an even better driving experience.

Just about every major auto manufacturer has an EV currently in the works with many of them in showrooms by 2013, which is when the BMW EV that this program is working on will be available. All this means is there will be more choices to satisfy the different needs and wants of everyone, and I think everyone wins with that.

mheikka: I like the CR-Z a lot, but like you said, the IMA system really seems out of place in this car. I'd love to see Honda put a 35Kwh pack in this car and sell it an an EV. I even know one of the other MINI-E drivers that is seriously thinking of buying one and converting it.

Tom M
MINI-E #250 @ 31,675 miles
http://minie250.blogspot.com/

I have to agree with you, Tom. Most people just compare regular cars to electric cars on monetary cost alone, not including the fact that most hybrid and electric buyers value their impact on the environment and foreign oil far higher than a normal petrol buyer would.

I, personally, wouldn't buy an electric car, but I completely understand why someone would. Its all economics and understanding that money isn't all a person values.

If you need a reason to buy a MiniE over a regular Mini... just look at the Gulf of Mexico.

Most of the worlds untapped oil is in much more risky locations then the Gulf and spills like this will happen again.

Think of the MiniE as a step in the right direction. Still a small step but a step none the less.

@tomm250 - Great feedback. The Mini-E experiment is an invaluable way to learn how consumers will interact with an EV. I wish other automakers spent more time working directly with early adopters, instead of trying to guess what consumers want in a purpose-built commuter EV, and wasting time/money/energy rushing overpriced, overcomplicated and poor performing hybrid alternatives to mass market. BMW is smart to take time to learn.

Much like the iPad, people won't know they want a purpose-built device (in this case, a commuter EV) until they experience one. Then the simplicity, elegance, utility, functionality, performance and value of a purpose-built design will clobber them over the head.

I've driven gas cars for 32 years and consider myself a pretty normal guy guy who likes cars. gas or electric. We live in North San Diego County.

I've driven the Mini-E for 15,500 miles in a little less than a year (Tom has lapped me) and it's just been a pleasure. No issues with the car, and two new tires for the front at around 10k,

I think why it works so well for our family and would forr many others is:

1. We both have predictible commutes under 30 miles each way, mine is 10 hers is 28.
2. We are a two car family, our other vehicle is a Ford Escape which we use for the occasional long haul, about twice a year.
3. We generate our own electricity via solar PV so for us electricity is 1/10th the cost of gas.

Number 3 may be a bit unusual but #1 and #2 are pretty common for a high percentage of Americans. It is this group that the electric car will work really well for in the beginning.

Of course if you have a 50 mile plus one way commute you can do a charging station on the other end at your office or place of work which doubles your range.

I have never had the feeling of range anxiety and do not hesitate to take the Mini-E on 100 mile trips to the desert, mountains or wine country as long as I check with the hotel or campground before to make sure they have a 110 plug that I can plug into. We have doene that 5 or 6 times during the year with no problems.

When you get in a gas car it feels a bit antiquated with all the gear changing and noise compared to the mini-e E and its single gear and quiet jet whine sounds.

I can't imagine going back to a gas car and look forward to even better electric cars such asthe Active E and the Megacity.

Peder