Source : www.toromagazine.com
A little while ago, yours truly wrote about the Nissan Leaf, the world’s first fully electric, non-golf cart-like car to be made widely available in the 21st century. While the unstylish little thing is also unquestionably a game-changer, the smart eco-shopper knows that even more, ahem, electrifying offers are right around the corner.
The MINI E is a slightly different animal compared to the Leaf: This electric version of the popular small car will never make it to market, but the lessons learned will be applied to the BMW Megacity, an electric vehicle (EV) that’s set to debut in 2012. Nevertheless, during a quick test drive close to BMW Canada HQ north of Toronto, the MINI E offered eye-opening performance, particularly from its regenerative braking system.
While all EVs and hybrid cars have these systems — they charge the battery pack when you lift off the gas or apply the brake — the set-up on the MINI is far more powerful than the rest. In fact, the system is so powerful, you can drive the car without ever having to touch the brake pedal; simply lift off the gas and the car automatically reduces speed until you come to a complete stop.
To top it all off, the MINI E offers the same dynamic handling of a regular MINI Cooper combined with even quicker acceleration. I initially failed to notice that the speedometer was set to mph and not km/h; before coming to this realization, the MINI and I were rocketing along at very much over the posted speed limit, working up no sweat at all. Then I hit the regenerative brakes and a parachute deployed, top fuel dragster-style, to slow us down and get back on the right side of the law. (This whole story is true except the parachute part.)
I’ve gone on record as saying that the MINI is the best-handling, most fun-to-drive and most style-conscious compact car in existence and the electrified version continues this trend. If not for the lack of trunk space or the disappearance of the back seat (both due to the large battery pack), the E would get a straight-up ‘A.’
The MINI E was initially introduced to select customers during a trial run in 2009; some 500 examples found their way into the hands of early adopters in Southern California, New York/New Jersey and the U.K. At this year’s L.A. Auto Show, I had the chance to meet with someone who was part of the west-coast test and his enthusiasm for all things electric was downright contagious.
Around five years ago, Peter Norby decided to go green — in fact, he decided to go off the grid completely. A planning commissioner with San Diego County, he had studied various alternative-fuel vehicles options before deciding to apply for one of the 9,500 spots available in the MINI trial. He secured a MINI E and installed solar panels on his house to power the 220-volt car charging station in his garage.
Two years into his experience as an EV owner, Norby is as enthusiastic an advocate as you’re likely to find: “You’re going along at 80 miles per hour and you’re smiling,” he says, “because you’re driving on sunshine.” The MINI E was initially intended to be the family’s third car, but he sold their second car (an old Volvo) and moved the E up in the starting order. He hasn’t checked the proverbial rearview mirror since.
He also joined a network of fellow drivers in Southern California who share charging equipment when they’re planning to drive outside the car’s 150km range. This innovative approach to off-setting the electric-age phenomenon known as “range anxiety” — the fear of running out of juice and being nowhere near a suitable outlet — mirrors what early adopters did over 100 years ago when the fuel being adopted was petroleum.
“Cars back then had relatively small fuel tanks,” Norby explained. “So people would keep gasoline stored in their backyards and share each other’s fuel when driving from town to town.” If you think this is just an interesting piece of trivia, you’re likely not ready for the MINI E, the BMW Megacity or any other EV, for that matter. But if you consider this fact to be a powerful parallel, a bigger charge from your driving experience is fast approaching.
