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Hope to hear from Clean Fuel Connection this week :)
Greetings,
I too will be taking part in the field trial. I'm in Long Beach, CA. I first heard back in January and things seem to be progressing. Next up is the phone call from Clean Fuel Connection which I was told by the local dealer should be any day. Like a few others, I've started a blog to describe my experience and will be updating it regularly:
Just out of curiosity, since MINI is deploying these 500 cars as a test fleet to gather research data, and the cars are basically road-legal prototypes, is there any chance that the lease agreement is going to include a "gag rule" to keep the drivers from blogging/reporting/reviewing the cars privately?
Hi Scott....I have yet to sign anything but you bring up a good point. On the other hand, it's great PR for Mini and one would think other than sharing some sort of top secret info on a blog that they'd be thrilled with the publicity. I'll be sure to post here with any additional info that I get regarding your post.
If things go well, they'll want you to blog about it. But if problems pop up, they might not want that publicized. But this is still America - and if you're paying $850/mo you should be able to say what you want about your investment...
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~Paul
03 EB/W MCS Prem/Cold/Fog/Nav - Motoring since Oct 2002, now over 170K miles!
71 Volvo 1800E (weekend classic fun!)
73 Volvo 1800ES (weekend wagon fun!)
NJ Area MINIS: Join us at NEMINI.ORG!
Just heard from Clean Fuel Connection via e-mail :)
I sent them some times I'm available for the inspection. Note also mentions that "there has been a delay in the production of the charging cable for the Mini E wall box". But they've been authorized to proceed with the installation of my wall box. Will post more info when I have it.
I think it pretty much depends on how close to the final product these 500 test cars are.
If MINI has already extensively tested the "E" privately, and they know that there aren't going to be any big surprises during the public testing, then this is pretty much a publicity exercise and they likely won't have a problem with people blogging about their experiences.
But if the design of the car isn't finished, and MINI is using this field trial as the basis for additional significant changes, they may not want problems publicized. Anything that the public perceives as a significant problem with these test cars could stop the "E" program in its tracks, even if it turns out that the problem has a simple engineering solution and would never have been a problem with the mass-released cars.
I recall in the application process that they explicitly stated that they want you to blog about your experience. Quite the opposite of a gag rule.
Cool - then it sounds like MINI has the design & engineering pretty much nailed down, and that this 500-car field trial is more for publicity than actual research.
I believe they are looking for some real world, hands on feedback from folks living with this car. Driving a vehicle with a 100/120 mile range with precious little opportunity to "fill it up" will be quite an adjustment. I remember when I got my first diesel and felt a bit nervous when I started running low on fuel. Now it's second nature where all the diesel stations are. There will be a learning experience and everyone won't like it.
New to this forum. I'm also approved (so far) for the test program, working with Irvine Mini. Was first contacted March 18 (seems a little later than other West Coasters, so maybe I was "2nd tier"?) and just going through the financial app now.
I have some good news and bad news about Mini E side-benefits - tax breaks and carpool lane usage. These are from the West Coast rep, via the dealer I'm working with at Irvine Mini.
Answers from our W Coast Rep
Tax Credit:
Only the lessor/owner of the MINI E (which is BMW/MINI USA) is eligible for the tax credit. Even if we as a company do not want to take advantage of the tax credit (given the limited nature of the program, it is doubtful that anyone, even BMW, would be eligible for the credits) we are not able to “transfer” the tax credit to the lessee of the MINI E.
Carpool:
The MINI E will be eligible for the white stickers / Car Pool Lane. I will provide further info shortly.
I received that same info from Crevier MINI about the tax credit and car pool lanes. Not often do we get the same answers from two different sources -- so it's probably correct.
The Clean Fuel inspector is coming tomorrow morning to check the electrical hookup. Hopefully there won't be any issues. On Saturday I had a 220V 50-amp line installed in the garage. Though our place was built in 1985, luckily the existing panel was 200-amp. Total cost for the electrical work was $670.
Jethro has a good vanity plate: KNOW GAS. I'm just not that clever. Any ideas?
Hey, Waterway4. Well, I'm not sure it's a different source - mine came from the "West Coast rep" which I'm sure is the same person for Crevier as it is for Irvine Mini - but at least it's good that the story hasn't changed from day-to-day.
Hope your electrical inspection works out. Mine was yesterday. So far so good, though my hookup will need a pretty long conduit run since my box is on the opposite side of my house from the garage.
Regarding vanity plates . . .I've decided to take Mini's advice and not get too attached . . . ie. think of it as an exchange student and not one of my own kids. I wouldn't give a new nickname to ann exchange student so I'm not getting custom plates. Plus, it would look awfully weird on whatever gas-burner I'll be driving a year from now. But if you want a really good list check out the other thread here:
I think we haven't been good with these threads- we probably need an 'electrical inspection' one, a 'license plate' one, a 'tax credit' one, etc. Oh well. I guess Mini E Pioneers are simply brave, not organized!
Some other plate ideas, I checked these against the CA database about a week ago:
NOGAS RQ
TREA HGR
NO SOUND
EV TEST
GUINE PG
TST DMMY
Ah, Kikimouse, you have discovered the difficult challenge of finding a CA plate. Every one of those suggestions (good though they are) is already taken. You can check at dmv.ca.gov (go to online services, personalized plates.) You can have seven letters and the half space does not count. Now go forth and find plates!
Figures. Demented minds think alike. I don't have an electric vehicle just my Sidewalk (and love her I do). I know what you mean about the plates. It took me forever to get the ones for my MINI. You can spend hours on the DMV website. You have to get very creative with spelling. I was able to obtain a strange spelling of Disneyland for my Dad and believe you me, it took me days! Now that he has it, I made him promise that they are left to me in his will, ha!
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Kiki's MINImowse
2007 MINI Cooper S Cabrio - Pepper White - Limited Edition Sidewalk Package
Has anyone looked at the actual lease document yet? Or even asked to review a copy of it?
Before spending money upgrading the electric system in your garage, it's probably wise to have looked over the actual lease to make sure there isn't language in there that is a deal breaker for you. The devil is in the details.
BGBG, that is a great point. The result of the inspection is supposed to be that CFCI comes back at a later date with a proposal for the work. It would be my expectation that we would get to review the lease and hopefully get a test drive prior to or in conjunction with approving the CFCI proposal. Whether MINI will meet that expectation, I don't know.
Seems reasonable from both parties' points-of-view - Mini wouldn't want to spring for the charger installation, only to have the deal fall apart at the lease-signing stage. So I'm thinking we'll be asked to review and sign-off on everything at once - the lease and the install.
You sign the lease documents after the home inspection but before any work is done on installing the charger in your house, so you know if you have to pay any charges as part of the Charger installation ahead of time.
on rereading the Flow chart, I realized this is not a full lease you are signing after the inspeaction but just a contract with CFCI to install the charger, the lease signing must come later.
Received a message earlier today that Crevier will have a few extra MINI-Es. Does that mean Mini USA’s well of Southern California applicants ran dry? And all along I thought it was my clever responses to those silly (albeit fun) questions on the MINI-E application that got me in.
Yes. I hope we don't get re-asked those questions at some point, be
cause I don't remember half my answers!
Interesting that they may not have enough applicants. The world and certainly SoCal is a far different place economically than it was when Mini took apps last fall. I've had a few second thoughts myself, but I'd been planning to get a Mini later this year anyway, so the timing is okay for me.
Good news, the MINI E has a home! Thanks guys.
Will post more info when I have it. 
I know in California I think we can have eight letters. I just cannot remember if a half space counts too.
