Mini EV Gets Rave Reviews
Six months ago, several owners of the new Mini Cooper EV were asked to be monitored for their reactions to the new tiny electric vehicle. After real world testing reviews are in, and drivers are happy with the Mini E…Mostly. One of the biggest complaints about Mini E is “range anxiety” – as reported by World Car Fans: “Although a fully-charged MINI E can keep the car moving for 160 kilometers, a full recharge with the included high voltage cables takes between four and eight hours. If a MINI E owner is forced to plug the car into a standard 110-volt household outlet, recharge time takes up to 23 hours.”
MINI E driver Tom Moloughney told the Canadian newspaper, “Until there are plentiful public charging stations, there is an ‘electric leash’ that you must respect.” Because of this, Moloughney installed an extra charging station at work. “Being able to charge midday virtually doubles the range for me. I’ve driven as much as 280 km in a single day, which is more than just about anyone would need to do for a work day.”
“When people first drive the MINI E, they usually don’t like the regenerative braking,” said Dr. Thomas Turrentine. Dr. Turrentine is running the MINI E study for University of California Davis. Still, the report shows that “after a few hours they get used to [regenerative brakes], and after they have driven it for a week, they are very positive about it.”
Mini E hopefuls can look ahead to 2011, and maybe owning one of the few EV’s that will be available at first from the auto maker.
Via WorldCarFans
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