Check it out... the TRIAL FOR THE ELECTRIC MINI BETA.

Thee "MINI-E" is a 100% electric, non-emissions version of the MINI. Just plug 'er in and motor on.

Must live in NYC or SoCal though (booooo)...

 

I heard they had to limit the number of locations due to servicability. Due to the complex nature of the vehicle not just anybody can work on it so Mini decided to send the prototypes to the most densly populated areas. This thing has been seen around Germany for about 3 years now. Rummor had it that part of the new design was based on fitting the electrical system.

 

Only 150 miles of range. Not very far before you stop on the side of the road. As far as zero emissions go, well they would like you to think that. Unless the power is generated by wind or solar there certainly are emissions. Not out of the MINI tail pipe, just at the power plant, but they are emissions just the same.

 

True, but I'd much rather have the energy production centralized at a power plant and distributed via the electrical grid than have millions of separate internal combustion engines powering cars.

The published "fuel economy" for the electric MINI is 4.4 miles per kilowatt-hour. That means it takes about 8 kW-hr of electricity to travel 35 miles. I'm willing to bet that there are fewer emissions from even a coal-fired power plant producing 8 kW-hr of energy than there are from an internal combustion engine burning one gallon of gasoline to go the same 35 miles. (Not to mention the energy used in refining and transporting the gasoline before it even gets into the car).

 

Scott, relax....Chuck was just making a tongue-in-cheek reply as we generally do on this club forum. That's why it's a club forum and not general discussion among everyone. We are OT most of the time and tongue in cheek all of the time. Keep visiting us, we love to have more people to harrass

 

I could only imagine what kind of results they would get if they measured the emissions after a silverback trip to G&R

 

Now, THAT would be a great way to conserve energy, although I'm sure the emissions people would be all over us and probably end up shutting down G&R, as a result! Just think of it as old fossils and emitting REAL "fossil fuel"!

 

Back on topic just for a second. I just wish the US would get the lower emissions vehicles that are already sold in Europe. If I could retrofit start stop to my Mini I would do it in a second.

 

Start stop... Is that the thing that switches off the engine at red lights and such?

 

Sorry - didn't mean to come off like a zealot or sound like I was attacking anyone.

I normally keep current on NAM by just clicking "new posts" and working down the list, so it's not always obvious to me whether a particular thread is in one of the general NAM forums or whether it's in one of the club-specific forums. As a result, I often end up poking my nose into club discussions where I'm not familiar with the club dynamic/personalities. Again, sorry about that.

 

No issue here. We love havin' you around....you need to jump in on some of our OT discussions. Thanks for being positive

 

No, that's what us Old Farts do because we can't remember what we started.

 

Old Farts are known for start stop.... They start something and the rest of us want them to stop it

Start stop is in fact the option in Europe where if the car is stoped and out of gear the engine turns of but all the electricals stay going.

Also back to the e-Mini people talk about the range of these vehicles, but the original gas powered cars did not have very long ranges or ample fill stations so it is very similar where people will buy one of these vehicles and use it to commute at first then as technology advances we will all switch over. I have seen prototype "parking meters" that use solar energy to provide electricity to cars that park on the street.

 

Brian, that would be the methane conversion. Free gas, but stinky emissions.

Bring you car over Allen. I can do the first half of that conversion for ya. As someone who was a weed-hopper in the good old days the idea of a car that just shuts itself off at traffic lights & such doesn't appeal to me. I've had many old crock cars that often would shut themselves off. Most didn't restart when you wanted them too.

Matt, your car is a classic British Mini. If it's not stopping now it will soon.