I received an email from our local MINI dealer this morning, stating that “According to MINI USA, your E MINI application is very special and at the top of the list!”
The email included a two-page follow up MINI E Application document, along with the request to “Please fill out the answers truthfully, as we approach the final stages of a lengthy application process.”
I gave the local salesperson a call to get the skinny, and he was quite forthcoming.
Apparently, over 13,000 people applied for the one-year MINI E lease. MINI has been winnowing down the applicants and this second application form will be used to enter the final stages for the lucky few. Once the application is submitted, it must pass muster with BMW finance and proof of liability insurance must be provided. At that point, an electrician will come out to check to see if modifications are necessary for the home electrical system to accommodate the MINI E charging box.
We’re in the midst of doing the math to determine the feasibility of the $850 per month yearly lease. If gas was still over $4 per gallon, we’d be in like Flint.
We devote a great deal of effort in testing hybrid car gas mileage here at MPGomatic. We test in real world conditions, not on a closed course in a lab. Week after week, this approach has proven its worth. Our results demonstrate that the gas mileage of hybrid cars is highly dependent upon driver mindset. By driving conscientiously, we’ve always met or exceeded each and every hybrid car’s gas mileage estimates. We roll the tape to show you how we do it … there are no secrets.
While the Toyota Prius nabbed the best hybrid gas mileage crown for 2009 once again, the field is shifting. With the upcoming release of the Fusion and Milan Hybrids, Ford hybrid gas mileage figures are on the rise. We had the opportunity to take a pre-production version of the Fusion Hybrid for a quick cold weather drive back in December and the car delivered impressive numbers. The Fusion and Milan Hybrids are unique in that they can glide under pure electric power at speeds up to 47 miles per hour. This hits a sweet spot, allowing folks to cruise the surface streets and back roads with a minimum dependence on gasoline.
While the official estimates for the Ford hybrid sedans do not match the Prius, they are significantly better than the direct competition: the Toyota Camry Hybrid and the Nissan Altima Hybrid.
Our results with the Nissan Altima Hybrid’s gas mileage testing fell closest to the official numbers, but that can be attributed to two factors. The Nissan Altima Hybrid was the first hybrid we reviewed and our test unit lacked a sophisticated fuel economy display. When it comes down to it, we hadn’t learned the ropes and had little feedback on which to develop a methodology.
It’s all about getting to know the car you’re driving. The Honda Civic Hybrid and upcoming Honda Insight deliver excellent results, even though they lack the ability to glide in the same manner as the Toyota and new Ford hybrids.
Hybrid SUV gas mileage is a bit of a mixed bag. It was easy to exceed the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid’s gas mileage ratings. By driving the Escape Hybrid carefully, 40 MPG in town isn’t out of the question. While we haven’t had the opportunity to review the revamped 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid, we expect to beat the numbers handily.
The Saturn Vue Green Line was the first GM hybrid SUV we tested. While we liked the VUE Green Line overall, it’s “mild hybrid” system did well on the highway, but didn’t deliver remarkable in-town benefits. The new Two-Mode Saturn VUE Hybrid is a different animal, with a more powerful gasoline engine and a hybrid system that’s more optimized for better economy at lower speeds. We’re looking forward to testing the second generation in the coming months, along with the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid.
There’s no question that the cost and availability of high-powered battery systems is holding hybrid gas milage back. The equation is fairly simple: the more battery power stuffed into a vehicle, the higher the potential results. The question comes down to economics. While the gas mileage of hybrid vehicles rises with larger battery packs, the cost of the batteries pushes up costs. Until battery production rises and the price drops, the average gas mileage for a hybrid vehicle is unlikely to significantly exceed current levels.
While aftermarket providers – including A123 System’s Hymotion subsidiary – have come up with a number of bolt-on/plug-in hybrid solutions to raise mileage results, the auto manufacturers have been proceeding slowly. One solution might be to offer more powerful battery packs as optional equipment … instead of a larger more powerful gasoline engine, hybrid vehicles might offer increased MPGs as part of an economy option package. Continue reading →
Seeing that the 2009 Detroit Auto Show was dominated by electric car technology, I lucked out to score the second of my two interviews with Nancy Gioia, Ford’s Global Director of Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Programs. My goal was to look into what the coming years will bring with specific regard to Ford’s electric car efforts. As with other automakers, electrification has a past (the Ford Electric Ranger), a present (the current Ford electric-hybrids), and a future. Our conversation was inspiring. As it turns out, a full-fledged market-ready Ford electric car is neither far-fetched, nor far off …
Much was made of the remarkable popularity of the MINI E electric car around the time of the LA Auto Show. Numerous news outlets repeated the line that “10,000 drivers have already applied to lease the cars, at $850 a month.” (hybridcars.com). Now it appears, with the recession barreling along, that the interested throng has been whittled down a bit.
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG will lease 250 of its new Mini Es in Southern California and 200 in metropolitan New York and New Jersey by March. Applicants, who will pay $850 a month for the zero-emissions car for one year, are outnumbering the models available by 4-to-1, according to the Munich-based carmaker.
2,000, 10,000, or 25,000? Just before the LA Show, Motor Trend remarked:
10,000 people have forwarded their email addresses to BMW, hoping to become customers. BMW expects 25,000 applicants by the time the list closes and BMW chooses its 500 U.S. guinea pigs.
I went through the initial MINI E lease application process back in mid-November … never got a peep back from MINI regarding the status of my application. Not one word … not even a thank you for the application. Did they not like my choice theoretical cross-country co-pilots? Did I fail the test? Perhaps because I participate in too many social media outlets and MINI considered me to be a loose cannon?
I’m more than a little irked, because I was – and still am – willing to put up $850 a month to participate in the experiment. While the company had taken a drubbing in many online forums for the cost of the lease, I had justified the expense and was ready to go forward.
What’s it like to drive the Mitsubishi i MiEV electric micro car?
We had our chance to drive and ride in the little critter at the Electric Drive Transportation Association’s (EDTA) ride and drive event in Washington, DC early last month.
The i MiEV is smooth, quiet, and quite unlike a golf cart that some might imagine it to be … not only that, it’s quick off the line to boot. Out in the crowded streets, the i MiEV’s diminutive dimensions are a huge asset. With plenty of that trademark immediate electric motor torque, the i MiEV proves itself to be a fun scoot through city traffic.
Interior space is maximized, and while it is a bit tight, the i MiEV didn’t feel nearly as small as I expected it to be. I had the chance to both drive and ride in the rear seat and had no problem getting into or out of the seats. (Four doors are a great thing in such a small car!)
Don’t expect to see i MiEVs roaming American streets en masse any time soon. The only i MiEVs here now are strictly for testing. While the i MiEV is slated to go into production this year, no plans have been announced for importation into the States.
Nevertheless, MPGomatic is floating the meme for a Celebrity i MiEV Racing Series …
