First, I hit the Off button. Then I tried to turn the car back on and realized I was still in Drive so I had to start all over again. The line behind me started getting impatient so I put on the four-ways. Then I shifted to Park, restarted and shifted to Drive. As the pissed off truck driver tried to maneuver around me, I finally got out of his way and made my left turn.

I hope the computer recorded the event and that this problem, which happened many times to other Pioneers, will be fixed with a software update at check-up time.

I had other things I had to do that day so I join Don with NOPETROL. Perhaps I can make it next time. I’d also like to arrange a picnic for MINI E Pioneers on Long Island sometime soon. If anyone’s interested, drop me a line.

Don returned around 8PM and Got Plug? got another electron boost while we chatted over dinner. Got Plug? didn’t need a full charge to get home so, when we returned from dinner, Don and Got Plug? were on their way.

Thanks, Don, for the wine and the tee shirt. It was a nice visit. I hope to get to Shelter Island for a visit soon, too.

TwistyBlitz MINI E Tee Shirts

Now  that I have a MINI E hat thanks to the folks at MINI, I’m looking forward to getting a custom tee shirt from Robert Ballard at TwistyBlitz. I already have a couple of 3″ badges from him on the back of MINI E 277. One is a plug icon and the other is a gas pump with a cirlce and slash. My car is now getting the attention it deserves!

I know a lot of MINI E Pioneers have already ordered tee shirts. If you haven’t, please check out Robert’s site. There are quite a few designs and options available as well as specific men’s and women’s sizes. Also note the car number on the sleeve of the long sleeve shirts and the back of the short sleeve shirts.

Thanks, Robert, for going through the trouble to cater to the Pioneers and sending along the picture of the shirts so I could show them off. I should also add that if you’re among the first 25 to order, Robert will throw in a free badge with your order.

For those planning to drive in Canada, here’s a few things to note. They have blinking green traffic lights. They serve the same function as left turn arrows here. Some horizontal traffic lights have red signal heads on both ends to make them stand out. Also, some of the LED traffic lights have square red, diamond yellow and round green heads. As a colorblind person I can appreciate this although my problem is usually with telling red from yellow on single blinking signals. 

Now on to the MINI E news. First of all I received my NOPETROL vanity plates. Unfortunately, they arrived after the registration sticker and were delayed because I put my mail on hold while away. I couldn’t wait to mount them and put them on in the dark last Tuesday.

Another big even this week was the installation of the 240V charging cord yesterday. Freedom at last! After the electrician installed it I topped off MINI E 277 from about 47% to 100% in about 2.5 hours. It’s going to be great to leave the house with a 100% charge each morning. 

My electrician also solved the mystery of MINI E 337. It belongs to Louis Boccio of New York Solar Solutions in Middle Island, NY. I’ll be getting in touch with him soon.

Last but not least, there is another MINI E Event in New York City on July 14 hosted by Opportunity Green. Without charging facilities in Manhattan, I can’t bring MINI E 277 with me. However, for those who can, there will be reserved parking on Broadway outside the venue. I hope to see a lot of my fellow Pioneers there.

Oh, and my wisdom teeth extraction went well. Only minor pain on one side. That must be the side that had the curved root. Maybe I can eat something at the two birthday parties I’ve been invited to today. And thanks to a full charge I’ll be showing off NOPETROL MINI E 277 at both events as well as taking it to Southaven Park tomorrow for the public run day at the Long Island Live Steamers.

I needed to get home so I didn’t follow him and since my turn was coming up I didn’t get a chance to read the magnetic sign on his door. I, therefore, have no idea who this is. I don’t see 337 listed on any blog or Facebook. Hopefully, I’ll spot it again or the owner will read this blog and contact me.

Perhaps my new license plate will make a difference when it arrives. I applied for “NOPETROL” and expect it in a few weeks. In the meantime, I’ve realized that not having the car recognized might be frustrating for me but it’s good news for MINI.

If people don’t know the car is electric powered, it means that to them it is just like any other car. I’ve gotten no beeps from cars behind me so the other drivers must find the brake lights coming on due to regenerative braking natural. So, for now, I’ll just keep driving around, wave at the occasional MINI driver I come upon and hope that the MINI E gets more media attention. I’m also considering a license plate frame that says “It’s Electric” on top with my blog address on the bottom.

The reactions by passengers and one test driver have been enthusiastic. Everyone says they want their future car to be this responsive and quiet. Imagine a highway with nothing but electric cars whizzing by. Less noise, less smell. I look forward to that future time and hope I’m not too senile to enjoy it.

One thing I did notice was a feeling everyone is calling “Range Anxiety”. I keep looking at the meter and wondering whether or not I’ll have enough juice to get through the day. I have to admit that this is my fault more than the car’s. I simply don’t know how far anything is from my home. Yes, I know how long it takes to get places but the actual mileage never concerned me. Is my Range Anxiety is totally unfounded?

One evening I stopped at a diner on my way home from work. The gauge said I had 26 miles remaining. “That’s not much,” I thought. “Maybe I should check Google maps on my iPhone and see how far I am from home.” I did just that and discovered I was 7.5 miles from home! I just never needed to know before.

As it turns out, I’ve never dropped below 19% charge in all of my travels. The Range Anxiety is mostly in my head. Of course, the other aspect, conserving power because of the long charging times, is real. It will go away once the charging cable arrives.

As for the 100 mile range, I’ve seen some discussion about being misled by MINI’s claim of 150 miles. Nothing in MINI’s literature says that the 150 mile number is anything but an ideal figure achieved on a test track. All of my advanced reading about the car accurately put the range at around 100 miles. The actual mileage will vary based on many factors including traffic conditions, overall speed, amount of hills, etc. There’s also some miles in reserve at reduced speed once you get towards empty that have to be counted but not relied upon. I have never had any illusions of getting more than 100 miles on a charge.

Hopefully, this week will bring better weather and more drive time.

Saturday, I gave up on the weather and put 277 on charge from afternoon through the night. So she was up to 100% for Sunday morning. The second and last Sundays of the month from May to October I run miniature trains for the public in Southaven Park. I took 277 there and showed her off to the membership briefly and started running trains. No one seemed notice the car very much as they walked by. Although there were a few glances. I did find out how to get people’s attention.

All I had to do was plug 277 in and people stopped to look. Some other members fielded a few questions since I was busy running my train. I answered a few and opened the car up for inspection after I put my other toys away. Finally, some recognition.

Over the weekend I managed to give a few rides. My neighbor kept repeating, “This is the future. They’re all gonna be like this.” My friend at the train club reacted the same way. My mom liked how quiet the ride was. Everyone was surprised at the power of the car. They never thought an electric vehicle could drive better than a golf cart. I also answered some questions from the fellow who brought out my food for curb-side service at Outback. He was bright enough to properly interpret the Mini E logo and asked if it was an electric vehicle. He even peeked out the door as I left, problably checking out how little noise the car made.

I’m glad I read the Owners Manual because I was suddenly confronted by a chime and indicator light. It was the battery indicator warning me I had 30% power left. No biggie.

I will need to have the outlets checked in my home, though. The outlet I used at the park had GFI protection. So that settles the theory that the low voltage charger didn’t like GFI outlets.

Today I get to do my first MINI E commute. That should be fun.

277's Scuttle

I picked up my MINI E today. MINI christened it 277. My friend Raj took me to the dealer but although he road shotgun for a few minutes, he passed on driving the car himself. I then drove to visit friends on the way home but they were out. By the time I got home it was dark and no one was around. So I set about the task of bedding 277 down for the night which proved to be no easy task.

First I unpacked the charging cord and tried the outlet in the garage. Sure enough, just like Robert encountered, I got a ground fault indication. I pulled off the multi-outlet unit and discovered that my underlying outlet was a GFI. I tried the outlet in the bathroom just inside the garage door. It showed a ground fault without a GFI. I grabbed a tester and confirmed that a ground fault is indicated. So I moved to the next closest outlet in the kitchen. Bingo! I got a winner. However, I’d have to back the car into the garage to have any hope of the end of the cord reaching the car’s socket.

I had to rearrange some things in the garage but I finally got it all hooked up. I still have some… I’ll call it stuff… that has to be trashed and I need to put what’s left up on shelves. The good news is that 277 was easy to maneuver into place. I’ll have pictures of the tight fit tomorrow.

I only put about 30 miles on 277 today which is about my normal day’s commute. If I get a full charge tonight, I should have no trouble using the car every day in spite of the lack of a high voltage charging cord.

As you might expect, I loved every one of those 30 miles. I went most of the way in silence with the wildows open. I don’t think anyone noticed the car was unusual. We’ll see what happens tomorrow when friends and neighbors get to see my 277.