AZEqualizer
10-20-2008, 02:29 PM
This according to an article on Green Car Advisor (http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2008/10/its-official-bmw-to-lease-500-electric-minis-cars-to-debut-at-la-auto-show.html)
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/assets_c/2008/10/MINIev3-thumb-400x271.jpg
Not only will the BMW electric cars be limited production models, their availability will be limited, at least initially, to just three states -- California, New York and New Jersey. BMW said it is considering a European pilot program as well.
To pack an electric powertrain with its requisite large battery pack into a car as small as the Mini required one big sacrifice - the E models are two-seaters, the back seat area now occupied by the battery.
The electric drive system, including batteries, adds about 700 pounds to the car's weight, turning it into a hefty 3,230-pounder.
It won't win many drag races, but the company said the Mini E's electric drive system would deliver 162 pound-feet of torque, sufficient to propel the car from 0 to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds. Top speed will be electronically limited to 95 mph.
BMW said that the Mini E's advanced lithium ion battery will hold enough juice on a single charge to provide a range of "more than" 150 miles and can be recharged on U.S. household current in just 2.5 hours using a special "wallbox" booster that will be included with each car.
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If you want to be considered for one of the cars you might want to head over [URL="http://www.minispace.com/en_us/projects/electric-mini-e/"]MINIspace.com (http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2008/10/its-official-bmw-to-lease-500-electric-minis-cars-to-debut-at-la-auto-show.html) where there is a sign up page. BMW hasn't given any indication yet about how much the MINI E will cost or any other restrictions.
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/assets_c/2008/10/MINIev3-thumb-400x271.jpg
Not only will the BMW electric cars be limited production models, their availability will be limited, at least initially, to just three states -- California, New York and New Jersey. BMW said it is considering a European pilot program as well.
To pack an electric powertrain with its requisite large battery pack into a car as small as the Mini required one big sacrifice - the E models are two-seaters, the back seat area now occupied by the battery.
The electric drive system, including batteries, adds about 700 pounds to the car's weight, turning it into a hefty 3,230-pounder.
It won't win many drag races, but the company said the Mini E's electric drive system would deliver 162 pound-feet of torque, sufficient to propel the car from 0 to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds. Top speed will be electronically limited to 95 mph.
BMW said that the Mini E's advanced lithium ion battery will hold enough juice on a single charge to provide a range of "more than" 150 miles and can be recharged on U.S. household current in just 2.5 hours using a special "wallbox" booster that will be included with each car.
[/URL]
If you want to be considered for one of the cars you might want to head over [URL="http://www.minispace.com/en_us/projects/electric-mini-e/"]MINIspace.com (http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2008/10/its-official-bmw-to-lease-500-electric-minis-cars-to-debut-at-la-auto-show.html) where there is a sign up page. BMW hasn't given any indication yet about how much the MINI E will cost or any other restrictions.