No Car Yet. Interior Impressions.

Still no ETA on the Mini E. I assume that the cable is the holdup. It's interesting to consider that the car is ready, the charger box is installed, and yet there is no cable. Why can't I just go down to Cables-R-Us and buy a cable? I wish.

In the mean time, here is an interior picture of the Mini E.

Although I have not actually driven a Mini E yet, I did get a chance to sit in one at the Mini E Party on May 5. I don't know about you, but my first thought was bumble bee. Perhaps this could be a marketing vehicle for Wilson tennis balls? Nevertheless, that visual was quickly erased when I discovered how incredibly comfortable the seats are. BMW/Mini makes a very sporty and form-fitting seat that nestles you into thinking you could drive this car across the country. (Of course, you'd need a network of Mini E chargers to make that trip.) For drivers who are 6' 5" or so (I am 6'), you may stay away, but don't. The Mini has plenty of headroom and remains ergonomically friendly.

Having never owned a Mini before, I performed my typical push-button tactile scan of the interior. Why I have to push every button and make sure the lights work, I don't know, but I do. What I found is that this looks and feels like a true rally car with no apologies for being an electric prototype. The low automatic gear shift combined with a perfectly placed tachometer and racing steering wheel position this car for serious rally fun. Who needs back seats when you're a rally car anyway?

I found the speedometer placement unusual, yet strangely familiar. I own a 2008 Toyota Prius (yes, green nerd alert) and the speedometer is also centrally located on the dash. Without any real knowledge about automobile manufacturing, I attribute this to the fact that these cars are sold with both right and left driver positions; thereby helping to reduce manufacturing costs somewhat. However, if we look back at this 1967 Morris Mini Cooper S, you can see a similar dash configuration. The other thing I notice is that the 1967 Mini is missing Bluetooth and a navigation system. I feel much better now.

The rest of the interior has an excellent fit and finish. My only complaints are these. First, I'm not a fan of low button placement (e.g. heat and air conditioning controls) that require the driver to take his/her eyes off the road. Second, I would like to see a better iPod integration given that we're in 2009. An MP3 player interface should be standard equipment (not just an input jack) and allow you to hide/lock the device somewhere un-obvious. Of course this requires a user interface on the dash - more work and cost for sure.

You may be wondering about storage. Mini has already cautioned us to avoid storing anything behind the seats. This is because there are cooling vents located just behind the front seats. These vents serve to cool the 5,088 lithium ion batteries that will inevitably get hot during use. I understand that during testing there were no problems with the batteries overheating; of course I'm hoping for the same real-life experience. There is a "platform" area on top of the batteries and a small space behind the batteries for storage, but Mini reps told me not to put anything on top of the batteries for fear that unstrapped items could fly around the cabin. The small area at the rear is small, maybe enough room for groceries but not much more. However, I don't view this as a problem because it comes with the exciting territory of being a pioneer.

I'll leave you with one last impression...cup holders. In the top picture you'll see 2 cup holders, but in fact there is one more located at the back of the armrest. So here's the score, 3 cup holders, 2 seats. Mini should be doing a marketing deal with Starbucks for sure.

One day soon, I'm going to need a name for my Mini E. Any suggestions?

Stay tuned.

Peter

What Will Power the Car of the Future?

This week, the U.S. government pulled the plug on funding hydrogen fuel-cell research. It is widely felt by both analysts and scientists that ethanol is less efficient than electricity. So if electricity is the heir apparent, how do we address the many issues facing electric power such as clean generation, delivery, management and cost?

These are not trivial issues, however, the solutions to these and related issues are well known and promise to make economical sense. Here is Marketplace Radio's take on the situation:

Marketplace Radio

Peter

Mini E Orientation Party

I know what you're thinking...get out of the damn picture Peter so we can see the car. I had had a drink and couldn't help myself.

On Tue, May 5, the Mini E team held a spectacular orientation and party for all Mini E Pioneers in the LA area. The event was held at the California Science Center and for many (myself included) it was our first chance to actually sit in a Mini E. They brought 4 cars to the event including car #007 (you may recall from an earlier post that each car is numbered). It turns out that nobody will get 007 - not even James Bond. These 4 cars are all show cars and will NOT be given out to participants in the program. (The car in the picture is #056)

In terms of design, the cars are identical with one notable exception. The show cars have the large MINI E sticker on the side doors (as you can see in the picture) and the program cars will not have this sticker. However the rest of the car will be the same. They are very comfortable, even for the tallest of drivers. But remember that there are no back seats for passengers. Those seats are instead filled with 5,088 lithium ion batteries. There is a small trunk behind the batteries, but I don't think it's enough to carry even a single golf bag. This is really a 2 passenger commuter car.

What options come on the car?
The Mini E does not come with many frills. For example, there is no navigation system. There is no Bluetooth connection. There is no satellite radio either. The reason for this, is that for now they want to avoid adding features that could significantly reduce the life of the battery. There is an AM/FM radio with CD player and a plug for an iPod - thankfully. There is also heat and A/C on board.

Will movie stars be getting these cars?
The overriding answer to this question is NO. I am an excellent example of that; believe me, nobody is casting me in a movie any time soon. The Mini team has gone to great lengths to make sure that this program is not perceived as only for the Hollywood elite. They poured over applications looking for real people who are passionate about the implications of electric cars in our future society. Several of the team members I met this evening were able to recall details about my application and the reasons for my interest in the program. It was quite impressive. There is one notable exception that I know of, however. There is a very high profile movie star getting a Mini E (whose name I will respectfully leave out of my blog), but was accepted to the program because of his passion for electric cars and environmental issues. Furthermore, I understand that he truly plans to use the car for daily driving. I hope I run into him and if I do you can expect to see a picture with us and our Mini E's here one day.

Driving impressions:
I have not yet driven a Mini E. However, I learned something very interesting at this event. Because of the regenerative braking engineered into this car, there is virtually no reason to use the brake; even at a stop light. Apparently, when you remove your foot from the accelerator (notice I didn't call it the "gas" pedal), the car immediately begins to slow down. I'm sure this will take some getting used to, but I'm anxious to try it out. Check back for more details.

More:

Here is the blog from Edmunds about the event:

http://blogs.edmunds.com/strategies/2009/05/mini-e-hello-silence-my-old-friend.html

Here are the pictures from the Mini E website:

http://www.raregsecure.com/MINIEPluggedIN/photos.cfm

That's all for now. Thank you for following along.

Peter

Wall Box Installation

On Friday, April 24 my wall box charging station was installed. Clean Fuel Connection (CFC) installed the box and did an excellent job. They had to pull the wires from my main electrical panel on the South side of my house all the way through my basement to my garage on the North side of my house. It was not an easily install, but they did a nice job. The guys were very professional.

As you can see in the picture, there isn't much to the box. There are very simple "on" and "off" switches on the front and a place for the power cable to hang. If you look closely, there is no power cable yet. That's because the cables are delayed - still. I don't think it's anyone's fault, it's just one of those thousand little things that are hard to predict when you start a program like this.

I learned from the installers that CFC has a list of 90 people who will receive these boxes in the greater LA area. I'm not sure if that's the complete list because I heard that 200 cars are being delivered to LA. I'll try to get to the bottom of that. However, CFC also told me that I was installation #4. Additionally, Mini tells me that because I was so early on the list coupled with the fact that they don't want to store these cars, I may get my car sooner rather than later.

Why do I need a special box to charge the Mini E?
The answer is time. It simply takes less time to charge the Mini E with a big box. Imagine filling a swimming pool with a fire hose compared to a garden hose - you get the picture. This box is 240 volts and 50 amps of power. Some large home appliances run on that kind of power, but your standard wall outlet is just 110 volts and usually 15 amps or so. With this box, it is estimated that the Mini E will charge in under 3 hours from a completely drained battery. Compare that to a normal outlet that will take approximately 23 hours for a similarly drained battery. These are estimated numbers only. Stay tuned for actual results once I receive the car.

What happens if I run out of battery power when I am not at home?
That is a good question. First of all, running out of battery power should come as no surprise to Mini E drivers. The range of the Mini E is estimated to be at least 100 miles under very realistic driving conditions and possibly 130+ under good conditions. There is a very visible gauge which indicates the status of the battery pack. However, if I do run out, I have some options. If I'm not in a hurry, I can always just plug the Mini E into a normal outlet and charge away. This is not ideal and certainly time consuming, but it does work. I'm told, however, that Mini will come rescue me if I'm really stuck with a tow truck or some similar option. These are valuable cars and nobody wants them left stranded.

When do you get the car?
Another great question and one I do not have an answer for as of yet. Once again, the Mini team is working to get these cables tested and delivered to users. Once I get my cable, and receive the final inspection on the charging box from the City of Los Angeles, I should see my car shortly thereafter. As of the date of this post, I estimate that to be by the end of May. But who knows?

Stay tuned for more updates.

Peter

They're Here

The Mini's have arrived. Is that one mine? 3rd from the right on the top? Who knows?!?!?!?

This spy photo was taken on March 20, 2009 somewhere in "Central California" (probably in Oxnard where BMW has a storage and service facility).

Each car is individually numbered 1 through 500. So if you ever come across a Mini E take a look at the front side quarter-panel. Of course I will let you know what my number is when I get it.

Now, if I only knew when I'll be getting my EEEEEEEEEEEE.

Peter

Jay's Garage - Mini E

In case you are part of the 0.0001% of the population that does not own a TV, then you might not know that Jay Leno collects cars (lots of them). In fact, he is so passionate about his collection that he has started an online video log of cars he both owns and cars he admires. He is highly knowledgeable, and yet void of any arrogance about the basic operation of rare and unusual cars. His segments are a joy to watch. Here is the main link to his website:

www.jaylenosgarage.com

Recently, Jay spent an entire week reviewing electric vehicles. Lucky for us, he took a close look at the Mini E including a test drive with a tire-locking slide at the end. While Jay seems to thoroughly enjoy the car and get the stage of development we're currently in, he can't help but think about how to "hop" up the car to make it faster. Here is the segment on the Mini E:

http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=1052621

Earlier today I learned that Jay checked himself into the hospital. Jay, feel better soon!

Keep plugged in for more on the Mini E.

Peter

Charging Station

I am one step closer to taking delivery of my new Mini E. The company that installs the electrical charging stations came out today to begin the installation process. The company is called Clean Fuel Connections. Here is their website:

http://www.cleanfuelconnection.com/

Unfortunately for me, my main electrical panel (400 amp service) is about as far away from my garage as you can get. There is plenty of electricity available for my purposes, but the electricians have to run a long lead into my garage. They should be done tomorrow. After that, the city of Los Angeles will need to approve the final installation of the unit and then we should be good to go.

When it is installed, I will post pictures here for all to see.

Keep plugged in for future updates.

Peter