The extraordinary MINI E can cover 240 kilometres without recharging under ideal conditions, can zip from zero to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds, and is available right now.
Unfortunately, there are some catches. The MINI E is available for leasing only and the 450 lucky participants will all be US residents. It is a one-year lease only before the cars have to be returned to the manufacturer. Other markets will see the all-electric MINI later. So it is likely to be some years before you can rock up to your local dealer and buy one.
Deliveries began with Peter Trepp and will be completed by the end of June.
Trepp is a venture capitalist with special interests in clean technology. His involvement with the MINI E thus involves work as well as play. He was selected by MINI to be the first in a field study involving 450 cars across metropolitan Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey.
“Congratulations to Peter Trepp on being the first person in the United States to take delivery of the MINI E, I hope he enjoys this year-long adventure on which he is about to embark,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President of MINI USA.
“I want to thank him and the hundreds of other pioneering spirits participating in this program, as the knowledge gained from their involvement will play a vital role in helping to shape the development of new ideas, technologies and future forms of transportation.”
Additional vehicles will be tested in Berlin and Munich, Germany; and London, England. The 450 U.S. vehicles will be leased to customers like Trepp, who applied online at MINIUSA.com to be part of the one-year field study.
As part of their participation in the field study, Trepp and the others selected will provide ongoing real world use feedback to MINI on their experiences with the zero-emission electric cars. More than twice the number of people applied as there are cars available in the U.S.
The MINI E can travel around 240 kilometres on a single charge depending on driving style and conditions, while providing the agility and handling of a MINI Cooper. It is powered by a 150 kilowatt electric motor. The energy supply comes from a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery.
The vehicle, which debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2008, can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 152 km/h. MINI will install a special wall box into each MINI E customer’s garage that can fully recharge a completely drained battery in just two-and-a-half hours.
The MINI E is the first product of BMW’s Project i, a program designed to research and develop transportation strategies and new types of vehicles specifically to meet the needs of the world’s growing mega-cities.
Trepp proved to be an ideal candidate to participate in the field study and has the pioneering spirit in his blood. His great grandfather, William Channel, invented many critical electrical and telephone components that are used today, including the power insulator, which can be found in the Smithsonian. Trepp is also chronicling his MINI E experiences online with his blog “Plugged-In With Peter’s MINI E,” which can be viewed at http://www.petersminie.blogspot.com.
He nominates Leonardo Da Vinci as his favourite pioneer but has excellent credentials in his own right. As for the MINI E, it may be regarded as a pioneer, too. It showcases the BMW Group’s place at the forefront of new fuel technology and follows in the wheeltracks of the BMW Hydrogen 7.
