Electric Mini Field Trial Applications Open: 500 People Will Participate
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY 
on 11.20.08
If you live in Los Angeles or in the New York/New Jersey metro area and want an electric Mini Cooper pay attention.
Starting today you can apply to be one of the 500 lucky people taking part in a year-long field trial (no, you can’t keep it afterwards) of the Mini E. That’s the good news. The less good news is that you’re going to have to pony up $850 per month (plus some up front fees and sales tax; not to mention liability insurance) for the privilege of giving Mini feedback on the performance of the car.
Here are some more details on the requirements for participation and on the Mini E’s specs:
The Fine Print: Field Trial Requirements
First off, the application period ends December 10th—so get on it. Secondly, these are just some of the requirements:
You need access to a garage with an electric system that a Mini-supplied electrician deems suitable. This is so Mini can install the charging station in your house. You are responsible for any wiring upgrades necessary to bring your electric system up to Mini’s specification.
You have to have had a drivers license for 5 years and have a clean driving record.
You have to be willing to bring the Mini E for service at the appointed interval and give Mini “reasonable feedback”, which includes taking online surveys, keeping a log book, etc.
The Fun Part: The Mini E Specs
Obviously these may be tweaked in the full production version: The Mini E is listing as having 150 kW of power, 220 Nm of torque and a weight of 3,230 pounds (that’s about 500 pounds heavier than your ordinary Mini). Acceleration is listed as 8.5 seconds 0-60 mph, with an electronically limited top speed of 95 mph. The range is listed as 104 miles under a mix of driving conditions, with a maximum range under ideal conditions of 156 miles. Charging the Mini E will take approximately 3.5 hours.
Still want in? Be warned that filling out the application form will take at least an hour. Oh, the Mini E is strictly a two seater (those are the batteries behind the front seats in the image below).
More at: Mini E Field Trial
all images: Mini USA
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This is the EV-1 all over again people. What are the odds of at least 500 people who would want to keep this vehicle after, even if they signed a waiver of warranty and liability with the manufacturer? They have to be pretty good. What's the worst nightmare for a car company? That these stay on the road and run for 20+ years.
@Anonymous: I wish I could lease my laptop batteries. My 2.5 year old laptop battery doesn't last as long as it used to anymore... and a $120 battery and/or a $2,500 MacBook Pro is easier to replace than a $30,000 battery array in a $20,000 Mini Cooper.
Remember, these aren't the batteries the EV-1 and Rav4 EV and EV Plus had. These are the laptop batteries your portable computer and cell phone have, and they're just not ready for the long haul yet.
They had the press drives of these Minis on Tuesday. I saw pictures of the unveiling of them at www.autobloggreen.com and recognized the Beverly Wilshire hotel. So I walked across the street to check them out. There were at least six Mini Es in circulation.
I registered today for the Mini E lease. I think $850 a month is steep compared to the $600 a month lease Honda is doing on the FCX Clarity fuel cell car, but I definitely want the opportunity to have one of these for a year if they'll give me a chance.
An electric car may be better but yet, it's still a car. It occupies space and this one only takes 2 people. Of cours, we won't be able to give cars completely but please no more of those "urban cars". There is no such thing as a urban car and we really have to think beyond the car system.
@ Francois
I agree man... We are still hooked to automobile industry car system.... we could change the whole thing to a multi-tiered monorail system... like monorails going one atop the other, like sky lanes or something.. remove the need for road driven cars.. the monorail system is completely electric therefore green, and please dont jump on it being manufactured in a non-green way... I'm sick of people going on and on about that... Green has to start somewhere... if the end product is green. live with it, and let the green process catch on till everything is green...Can't expect everything to go green at once can we???
"@Anonymous: I wish I could lease my laptop batteries. My 2.5 year old laptop battery doesn't last as long as it used to anymore... and a $120 battery and/or a $2,500 MacBook Pro is easier to replace than a $30,000 battery array in a $20,000 Mini Cooper."
I suspect the battery in a car might l last longer than in the excessively hot environment of the laptop unless you're in the deep south or far north. CA is the ideal climate for this, and despite autos being a harsh temperature swing, can't be as hot as the average laptop.
Good news- my local Mini dealer called me today and asked me to fill out a credit application, I guess that is the next step in the process!