The Mini-E: Finally We're (Almost) Seeing A Consumer Electric Car!

The BMW group has announced that it will have 500 Mini E's ready to deploy in California by the end of 2008! This electric version of the cuddly yet sporty Mini will house a 150kw (204 hp) motor powered by Li-ion batteries that will go 0-62 in 8.5 seconds, rock an electronically limited top speed of 95 mph, go an estimated 150 miles to a charge, and will be repowered in 2.5 hours by a garage charger. These vehicles unfortunately will only "initially be made available to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey", but it's a start and I'm optimistically hoping that they'll see great success and get to the consumer sometime in 2009-10.

We've known about climate change for decades, yet hardly any action has been taken until recently. We've seen fuel prices rise and the threat of peak oil has loomed closer and closer, threatening a global energy and economic meltdown at any time. Since the EV-1, subject of the film "Who Killed The Electric Car", we have yet to see a consumer-oriented, highway-capable electric vehicle come out of any of the major auto manufacturers. Sure, we've seen prototypes, concepts, and a flurry of promised vehicles from startups, and don't forget the DIY movement, where an enterprising wannabe engineer can spend a few hundred hours and $10K or more on an EV hobby kit, but where have the electric cars been for the rest of us? We want to go to the car lot, test drive a few, and slap down less than $25k for a nice, solid, reliable electric car with all of the bells and whistles. The technology is there - the only stumbling block has been battery technology, which is advancing at a blinding speed. Why hasn't the industry gotten together to make a standard interchangeable battery pack that can be swapped out with better technology in 5-10 years when it's ready? I'll take a car with a 100 mile range now with the prospect of a 300 mile range in a few years when batteries are better!

via Gas 2.0