Electric MINI Test Drive

Sections: Best of the Web | Efficiency | In the Press | R53 (Coupe) Apr 18th, 2007 13 Comments

Where else but at Popular Mechanics would you see a test drive of an electric MINI?

What may come as a surprise to anybody interested in driving electric is that you can have one of these vehicles right now, for about $50,000. The week after they let us drive their electric roadster, Hybrid Technologies brought a lithium ion-powered Mini Cooper by our New York offices for a test drive (see video) to show us, not the future of electric cars, but the present. Hybrid avoids the cost of developing a ground-up electric vehicle by ripping the powertrains out of standard vehicles and replacing those guts with electric innards. (Watch video of the test drive, story continues below.)

For the 100% premium, you will get a car that can go roughly 200 miles on a charge and has a top speed of 120MPH!

Full video of the review at the link below.

[ Electric MINI Cooper Test Drive ] Popularmechaics.com

Written By: DB

http://deleted gmini

look forward to reading more about it later! Very promising. And depending from where you grid is fed, could be the first coal, wind, or nuclear powered MINI as well.

I just (pound fist into hand) feel like (pound fist into hand) I need (pound fist into hand) to test drive (pound fist into hand) one of these (pound fist into hand) monsters.
lavardera

Most amusing clip from the article:

Those interested in a four-seat vehicle can get an electrified PT Cruiser although that does entail driving around in a PT Cruiser.
http://dbmini.us DB

I’m waiting for my local power company to let me plug in an electric car at night to charge and, if it’s not being driven but still on the juice in the morning, the energy stored in the car goes back into the house or back to the grid.

PG&E in Northern California is already really close to having this program in place. Sounds very very promising.

You know, since I can’t get a diesel MINI ;)
Shamus

It’s about time someone makes a converted MINI we can actually buy (the PML MINI was only a demonstrator). I wish they’d bring the cost down to more affordable levels though. As a consumer, it’s hard to justify the lowered operating costs when it takes the entire life of the car to finally break even.
According to Edmunds True Cost to Own, a standard Cooper will take over 18 years to pay off that initial 25k conversion upcharge. Unless you’re a Hip Hop Star, Actor or really passionate about the environment, you really can’t justify the initial hit in price.
http://hpudrew.gomotoring.com HPUdrew

The best news about this though is that there are people actually making working versions of the electric-car technology. Sure, right now the premium is $25k over the price of a $25k car, but give it a few years, some grant money, and some input from the larger car makers and we’ll all be electric cars at a very reasonable price.

Drew
http://dbmini.us DB

According to Edmunds True Cost to Own, a standard Cooper will take over 18 years to pay off that initial 25k conversion upcharge. Unless youÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re a Hip Hop Star, Actor or really passionate about the environment, you really canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t justify the initial hit in price.

True, but like all new technology, as more of the early adopters buy in (even at the 100% upcharge rate), the price should come down.

I think this would be a bit more viable if the cost were US$10K or less. Not sure how long that will take tho.
http://www.jwardell.com/mini/ Josh Wardell

Very cool. But if they are ripping out the whole power train, why did they spend the extra money on an MCS?
MauiMac

0-60 time?
b4mmy

Brilliant. With exchange rates UK/US the way they are at the moment I could drive one of these for less than the cost of the standard S I got in December :)
http://dbmini.us DB

But if they are ripping out the whole power train, why did they spend the extra money on an MCS?

I was going to say maybe for the 6-speed, but this car is an auto. Maybe they couldn’t get it to work with the CVT that was available on the R50.
Jon

Glad to see another electric car on the market, huge mini fan so this is great to see. I must admit that I have long adored the Tesla roadster.
lavardera

Well if they were starting with a Cooper minus the engine, fuel tank, and other expenses that they have to strip and ditch, that could take 5k or so out of the cost right there. But that would require cooperation from the mother ship.
Greg W

Wait…thers more. Honda Civic offer a electric hybrid car as well as other Jap makes, usually they are more expensive (nullifying the cost of fuel savings) and when the battery goes phut new batteries are very expensive items to replace. Like anything green or organic, it comes with an increase in the price tag. See what Al Gore started?

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