There are several differences between now and what happened in the 1970's, when everyone went back to gas guzzlers after oil prices dropped.

1. We've been there before and are aware of the cycle.

2. We see the national security aspect of the use of Mid East oil. So, there is incentive to become more self-sufficient to reduce our vulnerability to nations that don't like us.

3. We are in a major economic downturn, and there seems to be a general consensus that investment in infrastructure is needed to help the economy. Investing in "green" energy technology and infrastructure has the benefit of pumping money into the economy, as well as creating new jobs, and decreasing our dependence on oil.

Possibly, but it might cause quite a few problems with international politics. Our biggest oil supplier is Canada. Putting a tariff or their oil may violate NAFTA.

 

Their FAQ says they'll install the charger at their cost. It does say you need up to date wiring, and once they've inspected your garage and if you don't have adequate wiring you can upgrade or withdraw from the trial.

They don't say what adequate wiring is, but I'd guess it'd be a 200A 2 phase service, which is what our place got upgaded to last year when we did a remodel. That seems to be the current code. I doubt they need the 240A outlet, they'll tie directly into both phases (which gives you 240V). I'm not sure the average 240V outlet can source 48A which is what they're quoting for a fast charge.

Edit: Our 240V outlet is on a 30A circuit, the range is on a 40A circuit.

 

Agreed - but many homes won't have the two phases going to the garage to make that 240V..... we certainly don't (but we do have an upgraded panel). It's probably going to need a tied breaker from the box to a socket in the garage - like an AC install would need. That's the bit that I think would be at your own cost....

John.

 

I haven't read through everyone's posts yet, but I just wanted to point out a quick fact. At $850 a month, it's going to cost $10,200 for an individual to lease the MINI E for a year. For 500 people, that's $5.1 million MINI stands to make. However, according to Motortrend, the lithium ion batteries cost $30,000 for each car! That's $15 million, plus the costs of advertising, shipping the cars, research on potential leasee's, etc. $850 is not a bad deal, considering the actual cost of the car.

 

Possibly the most intelligent thing said in this thread. I originally balked at the price as well but the above makes complete sense.......................yeah I still think it's expensive tho...

 

Tesla Motors makes a very nice pry bar, in my opinion.

 

As soon as I move to a region with a 120 mph speed limit, I'll start to worry about that.

 

can be had for $25k from AC Propulsions now. That's $12.5M, with a 40% volume discount, that's still $7.5M... Then there's the integration costs. Mini won't make money on this, but they're reaping tons of PR! Overall, I'm sure that they're pretty happy with the program, even though it's costing them some money to put the cars into peoples hands. What BMW/Mini does with the information and experience the program provides is the more interesting question... Time will tell.....

Matt