Mini E drivers give positive feedback about the electric-car

The successful M Ways To Win Your Ex Girlfr INI E pilot implemented by MINIUSA in selected U.S. states is the subject of praise in USA Today’s report. In 2009, 450 residents of California, New Jersey, and New York were chosen from 1,800 applications to get the MINI E special lease at $850 per month.

Even though this lease amount was not that affordable, the feedback was purely positive. Like the pilot testing done in other countries, it has proven to be successful. Important data has also been gathered that will also be used for the development of the upcoming MegaCity Vehicle and BMW’s future electric sub brand.

USA Today interviewed some of the MINI E owners and found out what made them like the vehicle. Here is an excerot of their article:

Todd Crook, a 42-year-old television advertising producer from California is convinced. So is Tom Mologhney, a 43-year-old New Jersey restauranteur. They’re sold on the Mini E, BMW’s first electric car to be put in the hands of consumers in the U.S.

Now, with other electric cars poised to enter the market — the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf in November and December, respectively — the Mini E drivers are vocal advocates for battery-powered vehicles.

“I’m hooked,” says Crook.

When BMW set out to test the Mini E, a lithium-ion battery powered two-seater, the goal was to see if an electric car could withstand the real-life commuting needs of urban settings, says Mini E spokesman Dave Buchko.

Mini E feedback would inform BMW’s work on the four-seat Active E, which is planned for a summer 2011 release, and the Megacity planned to premier in 2013.

BMW found the Mini E 100-mile battery range was suited to daily commutes, Buchko says. “We’ve gained valuable insight, insight that we are putting into play with our other vehicles,” Buchko says.

The drivers say they found a car they don’t want to give up.

The drivers say they found a car they don’t want to give up.

“It’s the car of choice, the one everyone in the family fights over,” says film art director Jim Dow, 67, of Newport Beach, Calif. Dow has a BMW X3 and a Ford F250 in addition to the Mini E, but he says he, his wife and a son all vie to drive the electric car.
“The first six months I didn’t touch the other cars,” Dow says. “The truck sat for six months before I went to use it and then the battery was dead.”

Moloughney, who has put more than 41,000 miles on his Mini E in 15 months, keeps a Porsche Boxster in his Chester Township, N.J. garage as his other car. But he prefers to commute in the the Mini E seven days a week, at least 65 miles roundtrip, to his Montclair, N.J. restaurant.

Moloughney put solar panels on his home after getting the Mini E because he plans to have an electric car in his garage into the foreseeable future.

“This is not a golf cart,” Moloughney says of misconceptions about electric cars. “This car is really powerful.”

Dow says it cost him about $35 a month to drive the Mini E daily. With Norby’s solar powered home and car, fueling the car costs him nothing out of pocket. The cost of installing the solar panels will be recouped after four years of not buying gasoline, he says. After that, he’s only saving money.

Source: USA Today

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