My MINI E

…Back to Test Drive Day

Do I Look Happy?

The MINI E demo cars have been making the rounds to dealers on both coasts. On May 19, I got my chance to drive one. Car 149, the one from the NY Auto Show, was at Habberstad MINI in Huntington, Long Island from 1 to 3 PM. I got there just shy of one o’clock, of course, and the car was out on a run with employees. When it returned, I got a few photos and then it was my turn. Cori Close, my Motoring Advisor, showed me how to slip the odd shaped tab that acted as a key into the slot in the dash and press the Start button to turn on the car. The gauges lit up but there was no other indication that the car was alive. The only noise as I slowly pulled away, I believe, was the power steering unit when I turned the wheel. There was a slight whirring sound as I accelerated and I doubt I’d have heard that at all if my window was up. Read the rest of this entry »

Test Drive Day

The MINI E demo cars have been making the rounds to dealers on both coasts. On May 19, I got my chance to drive one…

Stu will be back with his test drive review shortly.
Right now, we interrupt this post for an important news bulletin… Read the rest of this entry »

New York Event for MINI E Pioneers

To some, blogs are like graffiti. They seem to be everywhere and everyone has their story to tell. However, once you start to write a blog, you realize that they are more like cave drawings. You discover that people have to actually hunt to find your blog and recognition comes slowly. That’s how it’s been for My MINI E. I write and I pray that others will find it, read my entries and find what they read interesting. When you suddenly discover that your blog is being read it can be quite a surprise.

That is one of the things that happened at the MINI E Event in New York City on May 13. I arrived at the IAC Building around 7:30 PM and wondered how I was going to find the authors of the other blogs I’ve been reading. They would be the only Pioneers I had any knowledge of. I spoke to several people, including BMW and MINI representatives, during the cocktail period but no luck. Then the presentation began. Marc Alt was introduced as the guest speaker. He is a proponent of green design and would speak about sustainable energy sources and how the public can help pressure corporations to move in a more environmentally beneficial direction.

Who's business card is that?

The big surprise was when he opened his slide presentation with a picture of my MINI E Pioneer business card! My friend Raj and I were sitting in the first row and it took both of us a few seconds to realize what was happening. Marc proceeded to talk about my blog as well as others he’d come across and how we’re helping to spread the word about electric vehicles. He pointed out that the MINI E Field Trial is not just a personal experience, it is a social event. He commended me on my attempts to reach out and meet others in the field trial and promote sharing of charging stations. I have to admit that I had the idea for extending the range of the MINI E by charging them at other Pioneers homes since I signed up but I wasn’t the first to publically mention it. At any rate, I had no trouble finding the other bloggers after that. They found me. Read the rest of this entry »

Excitement Grows

MINI held their Los Angeles event on May 5th. Response by attendees on various blogs and forums has been enthusiastic. Some even said they were going to bow out until they went to the event. The LA Times printed an interesting article, “Mini E lease program has electric vehicle fans all charged up,” on May 11th. It explains America’s sudden excitement about electric cars.

Now that the US Automakers’ political power is waning, small companies are able to finally compete without fear of expensive lawsuits from the “Big Three.”

MINI E Pioneer Business Card

As for me, I’m psyched for the New York Event tomorrow. I can’t wait to meet the other MINI E Pioneers in the area. Attendees at the LA Event talked about the possibility of charging up at each others’ homes to increase range when getting together with other MINI owners for a drive. I’d like to do that here, too. Otherwise, my MINI E will be unable to get very far off of Long Island.

To save time and effort, I’ve created a MINI E Pioneer business card with my email and blog addresses. I’d like to eventually replace the picture with one of me in my own MINI E.

I’ll be back later in the week to post about the event and share some pictures. If you’re attending the New York Event, please stop by and introduce yourself. It’s going to be a fun night.

First: Sticker Shock – Next: Electro Shock

There were three kinds of people who applied to participate in the MINI E Field Trial. The first were those who could well afford the $850 per month lease and had no doubts about participating. The second were those who did some quick math and felt they would have the money if they got picked. The last were those who had no idea whether or not they could afford it but figured they’d see if they at least would get picked. They’d cross the next bridge when they came to it.

I fell into the second group. I knew $850 per month was a lot but I could swing it. What I never thought would happen was being picked. Well, here I am and it turns out that even with the economic downturn, I can still afford the car. However, many in the third group and some in the second group dropped out when the offer was made. That was the sticker shock.

Than along came something that I don’t think MINI expected. Most homes are not ready to support electric vehicles. For one thing, who uses 240V in their garage? Sure everyone’s got power but not that much power. If you’re lucky like me, you have the panel in the garage so the 240V is there anyway. However, many people have their panels elsewhere and others have detached garages with the panel at the house. Ouch! That’s the electro shock!

Now MINI has to contend with a new set of drop-outs. Those who cannot afford $1500 to $5000 to make the garage electric vehicle friendly. I have to admit that I was surprised at this revelation myself. It seems that the United States is not ready for widespread use of all electric vehicles. It may take a lot longer for them to catch on than anyone thought. The Chevy Volt is looking a lot better at this point since it can recharge itself from the gas engine and may be able to get by better with a 120V charger.