BMW is jumping into the niche market of battery-powered automobiles with the Mini E. The car is set to be unveiled next month at the LA Auto Show, but all the details have been just been released.
A 204 hp electric motor paired to a single speed tranny will allow the two-seater – batteries take the place of the rear bench – to zip up to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds. A Mini-supplied charging station allows owners to fully charge the 48-module lithium-ion battery pack in under 2.5 hours which reportable provides 150 miles on that charge.
These cars are going to be offered up for California, New York, and New Jersey residents through a one-year lease. Only 500 of these electric cars are going to be made so you rush out to your local Mini dealership and plop down your down payment ASAP.
why only CA, NJ & NY?
This smells of GM all over again. Lease a few battery powered cars (that many, including myself, might actually purchase) to a few communities. This gets them great press and helps sell more of their other cars. No car dealer really wants to sell battery powered vehicles. They require little maintainence and the car dealerships are not able to rake in the huge profits from fixing all the problems that come with combustible engines. It would be a welcomed shock if a car company would actually sell a car like this to all of us or for that matter, any of us.
I’m with Ed. If anyone has seen “Who Killed the Electric Car?”, you become cynical whenever a manufacturer will only lease the vehicle. Major deja vu.
I’m anxiously awaiting the Th!nk City. Hopefully it will really make it here in 2009. For sale, not lease.
There’s a good reason to only release these cars in certain states. California, for example, has been pushing tax credits to buyers and sellers of electric and hybrid cars. Also, certain places have almost no demand for electric cars (try Alaska, where it’s so cold the batteries never give you their rated capacity).
So far, there has only been one electric car that seems to hold up to the hype: the Tesla Roadster. All others have absurdly short ranges or ridiculously low top speeds. Until a manufacturer gets a car for less than $30K that can drive 250+ miles per charge (many newer cars can get over 400 miles between filling up), electric cars will be amusing toys for a very small section of the US, most of which live in CA or NY.
C’mon, Anthony. For a normal commute, do you drive more than 250 miles in a day? They charge overnight, just like your cell phone, so most of us don’t need a 250+ mile range. And the Feds will give you up to $7,500 back regardless of where you live and my state (Oregon) will give you $1,500, for a total of $9,000 back. For a car that runs on the equivalent cost of $0.50 to $1.00 per gallon, with virtually NO maintenance, that’s pretty enticing.
William is correct on the reply regarding commuting. According to AAA 70% of US driving is less than 40 miles per day. And, most charging can be done late at night when the electric grid is most under-utilized. Also, more than 70% of the population live in areas well suited for battery powered cars. An argument that if we can’t provide electric cars for Alaska, we should abandon the idea is silly.
I agree this reeks of “Who Killed the Electric Car” all over again. Why only produce 500? I mean it is a great concept and car companies can make electric cars RIGHT NOW. Just stop putting IC engines in them and start putting electric motors in them. Are you trying to tell me it is cheaper to put IC engines in a car than a small electric motor?
500 indicates it’s not a PRODUCT, it’s a science experiment.
It may not be cheaper to put a gas motor in than an electric motor, but it’s a lot cheaper to put in a 20 gallon tank than a large, expensive battery.
So which would you prefer to charge your battery with, electricity from coal or nuclear?
Electric cars are PART of the solution folks, not THE solution. If the dealerships don’t like electrics because they require no maintenance, then why don’t the dealerships get the manufacturers to build alternative-fuel cars while they put in alternative-fuel filling stations?
Would you buy a natural-gas powered car if you could fill up at any Chevy dealer?
I’m curious to know what the estimated retail cost would be for this if this “test” was successful. BMW isn’t know for making affordable vehicles.
Read the fine print !!!
The cars will ONLY be leased for ONE year !!!
The cars will require maintenance by specially trained personnel EVERY 3,000 miles !!!
Oil change and service on ICE MINI is only every 10,000 to 16,000 miles !!!
And the “shocking” lease rate has not yet been announced, my guess is you can drive the 7 series BMW for much less…..
hahaha they are all liars as usual -BMW, GM, Honda, Ford,……..
so BMW is also trying to “…KILLED The Electric CAR” I hope BMW gets chastied in “Who Killed The Elecric Car Part 2″
Comon! people wake up ! its been done over and over again.
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2008/07/31/solar-car.html
would all the car makers already now, just start mass-producing EV’s for all consumers. we are simply talking about EV’s for consumers in all the large cities. Geeeezus already! Neil Armstrong danced on the Moon in 1969 but we can’t build and fairlly $ell these freekin’ things yet !
I guess GM,…. needs’ some of that “Bailout” money 1st eh ?!
hahahaha.
I am so tired of hearing bashers comments on short range, long charging times and pollution caused by electricy produced by gas or coal.
There is a comp[any in vancouver , Canada called Accelrate that makes a fast charger that charges the battery in 45 minutes or less (0 to 100 %)and that is non destructive to the battery .Battery last twice as long. This technology applies to all battery chemistries.
Several companies have developed solar panels that can heat houses and with daily commutes can be charging all daylight hours and hooked up to larger solar panels when resting. There are mutiple sources of electricity. In canada we use mostly water to produce electricity. With the creativity in electric car advances are also the same in other technologies…so, electric cars are viable today…let us have them!
I have been very excited about the Mini E since the news first became public and have been in contact with BMW for some time, however, the lease option has excluded northern California. Then the lease specifics were made public. There is no way that I will pay $850/month US$ to lease a car, even with insurance included. GM didn’t demand this much. I looked forward to the eventual sale of the Mini E on the open market, since BMW mentioned a price of $26,000 for the car, but I doubt that will occur either, considering the stratospheric lease.