Todd Crook, a 42-year-old television advertising producer from California is convinced. So is Tom Mologhney, a 43-year-old New Jersey restauranteur. They're sold on the Mini E, BMW's first electric car to be put in the hands of consumers in the U.S.
For 15 months, they've been part of a select group of drivers in New York, New Jersey and California who have driven the fully-electric Mini E as their main commuting vehicle. And, as Laura Bruno from the Daily Record in Morris County, N.J., reports, these drivers could be in the forefront of showing their fellow motorists that electric vehicles are worth a try. She writes:
Tom Moloughney has been test driving a Mini Cooper E, an all electric car, his home has solar panels on the roof, which powers his home and car. CAPTIONBy the Daily RecordNow, with other electric cars poised to enter the market — the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf in November and December, respectively — the Mini E drivers are vocal advocates for battery-powered vehicles.
"I'm hooked," says Crook.
When BMW set out to test the Mini E, a lithium-ion battery powered two-seater, the goal was to see if an electric car could withstand the real-life commuting needs of urban settings, says Mini E spokesman Dave Buchko.
Mini E feedback would inform BMW's work on the four-seat Active E, which is planned for a summer 2011 release, and the Megacity planned to premier in 2013.
BMW found the Mini E 100-mile battery range was suited to daily commutes, Buchko says. "We've gained valuable insight, insight that we are putting into play with our other vehicles," Buchko says.
The drivers say they found a car they don't want to give up.
"It's the car of choice, the one everyone in the family fights over," says film art director Jim Dow, 67, of Newport Beach, Calif. Dow has a BMW X3 and a Ford F250 in addition to the Mini E, but he says he, his wife and a son all vie to drive the electric car.
"The first six months I didn't touch the other cars," Dow says. "The truck sat for six months before I went to use it and then the battery was dead."
Peder Norby, 48, who lives near San Diego in a home powered by solar panels, bought a Gem e4 in 2007, an so-called neighborhood electric car that cruises at less than 30 miles per hour and has a 20 mile range. He wanted to test if electric cars could really stand up to a daily commute.
A San Diego County planning commissioner, Norby has driven his Mini E across the county from the Mexican border to the desert. "I can tell you today that for the rest of my life I'll be driving electric," says Norby. "I'm sold 100 percent."
The Mini E has about a 100 mile range when fully charged , says the drivers and Buchko. The Volt is advertised as being able to run an an electric charge for up to 40 miles, but after that it uses gas to power it. According to Nissan, the Leaf will have a similar 100-mile range.
The Mini E test drivers say they simply plug in to a 220 volt (three-pronged) outlet when the arrive home at night and it's ready to drive each morning.
Dow says he once drove his Mini E for a weekend trip that would have exceeded the range. He was contemplating running an extension cord from his hotel room, but found an outlet in the landscaping next to the parking lot and had no problems charging.
Crook's employer moved his parking spot next to an outlet so he can charge at work, if necessary. "It's fun to drive ... I've zipped up right next to a Porsche," says Crook.
Moloughney, who has put more than 41,000 miles on his Mini E in 15 months, keeps a Porsche Boxster in his Chester Township, N.J. garage as his other car. But he prefers to commute in the the Mini E seven days a week, at least 65 miles roundtrip, to his Montclair, N.J. restaurant.
Moloughney put solar panels on his home after getting the Mini E because he plans to have an electric car in his garage into the foreseeable future.
"This is not a golf cart," Moloughney says of misconceptions about electric cars. "This car is really powerful."
These drivers rave about the torque. They barely have to use the brake pedal. As soon as their foot comes off the accelerator the car slows down, they say.
"It's so much fun to drive and the fact that it is all electric is wonderful," says Dow.
Despite a lease cost of $800 a month the first year, now down to $600 in the second year, the drivers say they believe they either broke even or saved money with the program. BMW paid for their insurance and any maintenance required, mostly just new tires, they say.
Dow says it cost him about $35 a month to drive the Mini E daily. With Norby's solar powered home and car, fueling the car costs him nothing out of pocket. The cost of installing the solar panels will be recouped after four years of not buying gasoline, he says. After that, he's only saving money.
"The sun has never raised its price," Norby says.
Bruno reports for the Daily Record in Morris County, N.J.
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