Topic: Feature: Driving the electric Mini E

[Autos_Editor]

f you picture electric cars as glorified golf carts, think again, says Assistant Editor, Jil McIntosh. The battery-powered Mini E, which went to customers who drove them as everyday cars, can definitely hold its own in city and highway driving.

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[bikenut]

because of no infrastucture you would think an electric hybrid like the volt would be a good starting point into electric cars .
this really caught my eye in 2006 but appears to have gone no where
http://news.hspn.com/articles/570/1/PML-Builds-640hp-Electric-MINI/Page1.html

"The heavy batteries also pack more weight into the rear end; it feels like driving a pickup truck with a load in the box."

battery tech is changing pretty fast -- but until they become alot lighter, smaller , and alot more effecient , i doubt i'd consider one before 2020
the major appeal electric has been to me is the instant torque they are capable of

[John Meyer]

I drove a Buddy electric car in Norway this summer and it was relatively unrefined, alright downright crude, but it got the job done and it is really all a person needs around town.

The Mitsubishi electric cars are a large step ahead.  I got a ride in one during their cross country tour and it's performance is all you need to join the herd on a 400 series highway.  In terms of comfort and handling it is also more than acceptable.  Range is around 120km and it would take overnight to recharge on 120v.

4 hours I think on 220 and 30 minutes using the special Eaton charger.

The Mini must have a considerably longer recharge time as both it's power and range are greater than those of the Mitsubishi.

In any case, this is the future and it is not painful.  The point to remember is all these cars are basically electric systems dropped into gas paradigms.   Once designers get a bit of experience and start from the ground up, the end products will be vastly more refined and efficient.

We can live with electric cars now as they exist but few would chose to do so.  That will change quickly though.

Maybe electronic jewelry won't be as sexy as petro-ornamentation but it it will get the basic job done very well.

Cheers,
John Meyer

[John Meyer]

Just for clarification, the Mini E has a 150kW motor and the battery pack capacity is 35kW hours.  The Mitsubishi motor is 47kW and the battery pack holds 16kW hours.

The Mini E claim is that it can be charged in less than 3 hours by a 240v source but it has to be a very high current line.  Undoubtedly a special installation in a home.  No big deal but you won't find 240v, 40 amp outlets in many places currently.

Cheers,
John Meyer

[chrischasescars]

Don't electric stoves and clothes dryers run on 40-amp circuits? I know they require 240-volt outlets.

[bikenut]

 you could plug your car into your dryer outlet

[carsncars]

Hey Jill,

A little correction: regenerative braking does not run the motor "backwards" .Like you said, under regenerative braking the motor is still turning the same way, acting as a generator and taking kinetic energy from the wheel and ultimately storing it as potential in the battery pack.

The slowdown comes from the transfer of kinetic energy into potential energy, not from running the motor "backwards". Applying electricity to run the motor backwards to slow the car at a greater rate would be a waste of energy and possibly damage the drivetrain, which is why there are still friction brakes.

[initial_D]

^^ The odometer will run in reverse as well during braking.

[safristi]

..."run in reverse" when approached by an eclectic electric salesperson.............hey it's YOUR MONEY........in more ways than ONE..........Gov research grants...Gov PAYOFFS to BUY........$7K plus in Tax doo daaahs.....Gov Politicians swarming and swanning about factories and  "launches" that don't KNOW DIDDLY about the vehicles.................no HISTORY......danger in battery accidents for responders........infrastructure for re-charging   and On and ON we Go    Call back in 2025 at the earliest..................sheesh............

[dirtyjeffer]

the major appeal electric has been to me is the instant torque they are capable of

if that is all you wanted, get a diesel.

[bikenut]

unfortuneately most diesils are in vw 's and though they make good cars , their reliability isen't to my liking
another reason is , i'm one of those morons that would forget sometime and put gas in out of habit