MINI E Test Drive

I drove the MINI E today.
Found out my MINI dealership had 2 MINI E's there today for a few hours, and I stopped by for a test drive, of car number 419
One word that best describes the experience is smooth. This car accelerates like no car I've ever driven before, you hit the gas and it just keeps on accelerating at the same rate without any of the jerkiness your familiar with in gas engines. and at low speeds the acceleration rivals my 6 cylinder Z3 sports car which gives you a shot of acceleration, then a dead spot as you shift, then another dash of acceleration then a dead spot as you shift. I bet unless your facing a professional driver you could bet most cars from 0-30 just because you never have to shift.
The quietness is very strange the first time you start to move, but by the end of my drive it seemed almost normal, until I left in my own car;)
The Regenerative braking was not as big an issue as I had thought it would be, first off Its not an immediate take your foot off the gas and your slamed with deceleration which some reviewers seemed to suggest, there is a noticeable maybe 1 second delay from when you take your foot fully off the accelerator until the regenerative breaking kicks in, at first I thought this might be a problem but then I realized, it helped you make sure you really wanted to break, and didnt just need to shake out a foot cramp, or reduce your acceleration slightly. And you can apply the regenerative breaking slowly, by reducing the pressure on the accelerator just a little bit you get a slow deceleration. By the end of the drive I was able to judge the breaking distance easily and was breaking without touching the break petal at all.
The only down side was that with my erratic driving, jaming on the accelerator then taking my foot off to feel the breaking I dropped the car's charge by 5% after only going 3 miles, but once Im familiar with the car I'm sure Ill do better.
It was a fantastic experiance and really has me excited as I wait for my new MINI E

NYC meet the MINI E

Last night MINI had a event in NYC similar to the one on the 5th in LA, where MINI E pioneers could get meet each other and the Engineers and people behind the MINI E, and of course the MINI E's numbers 403 422 and 480. It was a 5 star event all the way, with a well stocked open bar, and some really fantastic food, including my favorite all you could eat oysters that were some of the best I've had in a long time.
The event started off with a presentation by Mark Alt, and while he did seem a bit nervous starting out he quickly got comforting with the crowd and went into a very interesting presentation, on what you can do today to help the environment by voting with your dollars. He pointed out Stu's MINI E business card and other bloggers and how important our words can be in influencing other people and being spokes people for electric cars and MINI. The presentation ended with a number of people having a chance to express why they are in the MINI E program and what it means to them.
Then we had a chance to eat and meet people, I had a great time talking to a number of very different people, only wish I'd had a chance to speak to everyone. There were the pioneers including a couple fellow bloggers Stu and Tim, there were the engineers and sales people who answered a lot of my questions, and even a few buisnessman who were working on differant ways of providing chaging services to electric vehicles, one mentioned owning old payphones on the street and working on using that infrastructure to setup charging stations throughout the city.
Some of the questions I got answers for:
Will it have satellite radio? No (really bummed about this, Im addicted to XM)
Can you pre-heat the car while its plugged in? Cant do that now, but they thought it was a great suggestion and are going to work with the engineers to see if this could be added to the software. (cool how you can change a cars behavior just by tweeking the program running it.)
what happens as you deplete the battery? After the charge meeter gets to 0% the car will still drive normally for about 10 miles, then the preformance will drop and the car will only drive very slowly for about 3 miles at which time it wont go any more. Also the 155 or 120 mile range estimate was to 0% charge so this does not include any limping home in its estimated range.
Can you charge it of a standard 220 outlet? No its limited to 11A 32A or 50A charging only.
I even got a chance to speak to the president of MINI USA and tried to get a hint from him on MINI's plans for electric cars and my favorite the extended range Electric, but he seemed to feel the weight costs would offset the gains from this design, and the MINI already had a very good gas mileage make any gains in mpg minor, cant say I agree with him, I think a EREV MINI like the MINI QED or volvo's C30 Recharge or Volt would be a great idea, as it gives you the benefits of an electric vehicle for your short daily commute while offering the range of a Gas vehicle, and of course a small vehicle like the MINI will have better acceleration and mileage then a larger vehicle, but I wasnt about to argue with the president of MINI USA, I just tried to hide my disappointment.

On a side note yesterday seemed to be a big day for spoting cars, on the way into the city I saw a first generation prius, only the second one I've ever seen and at lunch I saw a Prius that had been converted to a plug in hybrid with a plug in port, a phev sticker and a A123 stcker, see A123's site for info on how this conversion is done, really wanted to talk to the owner about this but couldnt.

Signed Installation Contract

I Signed the Installation Contract with CFCI today for them to come and install the Charger, it was a $0 bill for me, but I still took a day to really think about it and make sure I'm really serious about getting the MINI E, before any work is done. Up to now its just been talking about this and seeing what needs to be done, now this is getting REAL.

I must admit I've had my doubts about getting the MINI E, mostly its been the expense, I know I can afford it, if I didnt get it I'd just save the money for my Volt down payment, but its still a lot of money. Then there is Range Anxiety, what if It wont drive the 80 miles I need it to, because I'm not driving as efficiently as they assumed, or it wont get that range on a cold day, so many what ifs.

And the delays havent helped, when you go into a show room to buy a car the salesman will do anything to get you to sign there and then, because they know once you leave your unlikely to come back. With BMW's MINI E program, only the most committed or those who should be committed, can keep their enthusiasm and interest up for 8 plus months any day of which we could change our minds and say no I dont really want it, and I've had those days.

I've seen a lot of people dropping out in the last few weeks, mostly because of the installation expense, I've heard quotes of upto $5000 to install the charger in a detached garage, if I had to pay that much I'd be out too. This is a serious problem with the mass adoption of the Electric car, as many people dont have a high voltage line in their Garage needed to charge an Electric Car quickly. I think the government should step in now and regulate that new buildings have high voltage lines installed to the Garage for future electric cars, it would be such an inexpensive thing to do when homes are being built, and such a big expense latter. I think there should also be a tax break for installing chargers in homes, as this is a big step towards going electric.

I've also been wondering if they will have as much trouble with this in Europe as we do in the US since they are all 240v in the home, but I think they have a lower Amperage so they may still require updated wiring too.

Field Trial range expanded

I got an email from BMW inviting me to join the MINI E field trial, guess their Database isnt upto date. They had a list of requirements and they have changed them a bit. The new requirements state you must be within 110 miles of a participating dealer, I think it use to be 50 mile. While it doesnt state it I think this would mean if you live in Philladelphia or Connecticut and are willing to buy your car out of state you could be in the Field Trial. Also they dont mention the need for a Garage, I dont know if this is an omission or maybe they oked installing the Chargers outdoors now, this would really help those people who have a detached garage with little power, assuming they can park close to the house. This would be perfect at my fiancee's place, I wonder if I can talk them into installing a second charger at her place:)

MINI E: 100% Electric, Zero Emissions MINI.

Dear %%FIRSTNAME%%,

BMW Group EfficientDynamics is the principle behind every vehicle we manufacture. It stands for reduced emissions and increased fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance. It also represents innovative thinking, which doesn’t always come just in the form of a BMW. That’s why we’re proud to introduce you to another member of our family, the MINI E.

You’re invited to apply to participate in a 1-year Field Trial for the first 100% electric, zero-emissions MINI. As a MINI E Pioneer, you would be instrumental in shaping the future of MINI and BMW Group EfficientDynamics and, quite possibly, the future of motoring itself. Your experiences, opinions, and feedback could help bring us one step closer to a practical transportation alternative that has the potential to run on clean, renewable energy, without compromising any of MINI’s world-famous handling.

To be selected, among other criteria, you must meet the following:
* You must live within 110 miles of a participating MINI E dealer.
* You must have a daily round trip commute of no more than 110 miles.
* You’ll have to sign a one year closed end lease* which is $850 a month**
(includes collision coverage).
* You’ll need to agree to have a wall box to charge the MINI E installed in your home.
* You’ll need to return the car and the charging wall box at the end of the Field Trial program.
* You have to be licensed to drive a motor vehicle for 5 or more years and have a clean driver’s license.
* You’ll have to agree to bring the MINI E to your MINI E dealer for scheduled maintenance and a status check up at 3 months or 3,000 miles, whichever comes first, and at 6 months or 8,000 miles, whichever comes first.
* You’ll have to agree to provide reasonable feedback about MINI E ownership experiences to MINI USA and affiliated research teams. Feedback methods include filling out surveys and maintaining an online log book.

Availability is limited so if you think you have what it takes to be a MINI E Pioneer, contact a participating MINI E dealer to apply today.

»Visit MINI-E.COM for dealer listings and more information about the Field Trial

Meet the MINI E

Got an email from MINI that they are planning a get together with other people in the MINI E field trial or as they like to call us MINI E pioneers. This will be on May 13th in NYC and from what I've heard May 5th in LA.

The Guest speakers will be Marc Alt and Partners

Program highlights will include:
Sneak Peak and orientation of the MINI E
a special presentation from an environmental expert
Open discussion with the MINI USA management team

I'm really looking forward to this, going to have to write up a few questions to ask, already have a couple ideas.

Passed Inspection

Had the initial inspection today, an Electrician came to my house and looked over the fuss box and where I wanted the charger box, was here for maybe 15 minute, would have been 5 but I kept asking him questions. He seemed to enjoy it though, is quite enthusiastic about the new business opportunities electric cars will have for his profession, when they start installing banks of charging stations for government and business groups.

He didn't see any problem with the 100A fuss box, based on the size of my house and the amount of electrical appliances I currently have, at least for a 40A charger. He wasn't aware of the 60A charger and felt that might have been more iffy. I suspect BMW felt that way too and thats why they are installing 40A chargers in homes. Im curious what type of chargers BMW of Germany is installing on the streets of Berlin.

The Electrician had five inspections today, his first, I know one other was a co-worker. They are starting slow probably to get the hang of things, but it sounds like I may have a MINI E soon.

Next step sounds like the electrician will submit an estimate of the work, and CFCI will draw up a contract, I think this is just a contract for the charger installation, not the full lease agreement, we'll see.

Installation Email

I got an email from Clean Fuel Connection asking when over the next two weeks would be a good time for a site visit, so they can inspect my homes electrical work and make an estimate of the installation costs. The only problem is I might be away on business for the next two week, my schedule is a bit up in the air at the moment, hopefully I'll be able to work something out.

The email also had three attachments, a flow chart showing each step in the process from credit approval through taking delivery, looks like you sign the forms just before they start the electrical work. There was a Brochure on the charging station from Clipper Creek, and a FAQ sheet. The FAQ sheet states that the time to charge up the batteries with the charger when they are fully depleted is 5 hours, but a 20 mile trip would take 50 minutes to recharge. These numbers dont make sense to me they had advertised that with the charger it would take less then 3 hours to completely recharge. And using the 20 miles in 50 minutes number that would mean it takes 5.8 hours to recharge from a 120 mile trip. Either these numbers are incorrect or the original charge and range data was way off, I suspect they may be using a less powerful charger then the one used to generate the original charge time estimates

The FAQ also mentions charge times for a 120v outlet 5 hours for a 20 mile drive, over 24 to fully charge which is in line with the original numbers. But noticeably absent is any mention of the ability to charge from a 220v outlet, I hope that was just an oversight.

Hope to hear back from them soon.

Also saw this article about solar powering a MINI E, it sounds like the author in CA has already had the charger installed. So maybe CA will be seeing some MINI E's delivered in April rather then May as we'd been led to believe.

[addendum]
I spoke to a neighbor who is an electrician and he said all the houses have 100A Electrical Service and since we live in a condominium development with all the electric underground he's not even sure it can be upgraded to 200A. this has me very worried, Id assumed since the buildings were relatively new they would have 200A service, I really hope he's wrong or my place is small enough that I dont need a 200A service.

[addendum 2]
I got a call from Green Power Technologies it sounds like they are the East Coast coordinator. Had a very informative discussion with the representative who will be managing things, and have an inspection scheduled for Monday. He also informed me they had two Chargers a 40A and a 60A so even if I only have a 100A Electrical Service I should be good, as long as Im not drawing too much. This also explains the differences in charge times, I know MINI was using a 60A charger for their MINI E data sheets, but it sounds like the Clean Fuel Connection's FAQ was based on the 40A charger. I had been getting worried that I might not be able to get the MINI E, but I feel much better about things now