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My earliest thoughts years back when I saw the Mini Cooper for the first time were “That car would be destroyed instantly in an accident”. Since that time, things have changed economically and culturally here in the US. For one, having the worlds largest SUV with the biggest engine possible is no longer appealing but not economically feasible with gas prices high and a sagging economy. As a result we have seen a huge increase in demand for fuel efficient hybrids and even better, PHEV’s and EV’s. Boy have things sure changed…

As for specs, the Mini E is packed to the brim with electronic goodness. It has a 150 kW electric motor, which equates to 207 horse power. Like all EV’s, it is powered by a high capacity Lithium-Ion battery pack that can be charged from home. With a full charge and regenerative braking, the car can travel about 156 miles. BMW really wanted to get the Mini E out on the market as soon as possible and and ran into some issues. They have been running a pilot program since June, and have been able to iron out most of the bugs. For one, the 220 volt recharge cable included with the car was not UL certified and therefore couldn’t be used. That meant that testers of the vehicle would have to wait a full 23 hours for the battery to be completely charged (if completely depleted). As of now though it is looking like a successful soft launch of BMW’s first EV. Read more impressions and details on BMWBLOG.