Little Juiced Cooper

Electric Mini Cooper coming to the U.S. 3

What's cute and teeny and charged up? An electric Mini Cooper, which BMW will unveil at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Even more exciting -- especially if you are among "select private and corporate customers" -- a 500-vehicle test fleet will be available for lease in California, New Jersey, and New York early next year. While the creatively named Mini E will be manufactured in the United Kingdom and Germany, BMW is still mum on specific plans for a European release. The two-seater Mini E takes about eight hours to fully charge, then can travel 150 miles before needing to be juiced up again. It has a top speed of 95 miles per hour and looks just like a regular Mini -- except for the none-too-subtle electric plug painted on the roof.

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  1. Solar John Posted 11:20 am
    20 Oct 2008

    Sounds good150 mile range and a top speed of 95mph.  All that's missing is a range-extending gas or bio-fuel engine.  Still, if the price is right, I'll consider it.  I can always buy a Honda generator.

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  2. Solar John Posted 11:21 pm
    20 Oct 2008

    What about the batteries?Someone needs to tell BMW NOT to lease the batteries.  That would be a deal-breaker for me. It would be too easy to kill the car, reminicent of what happened with the EV1.

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  3. stinkycheese Posted 11:25 pm
    20 Oct 2008

    battery leasingI forget where I read this-- autobloggreen maybe-- but I believe that BMW is only leasing these out for 12 months, taking the car back at the end of that period. $850/mo, but at least they pay you back for the cost of the charging energy.

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