[IMGL]http://www.motoringalliance.com/forums/members/nathan-albums-site-stuff-picture150-bmw-mini-e-1st-owner.jpg[/IMGL] by Domenick Yoney on May 28th, 2009 at 7:58AM Autoblog Green Despite thousands of people signing up for a chance to lease the MINI E, only 500 are being produced at this stage, with 50 of those are destined for Berlin. Now, after months of winnowing down the list, the very first car has been delivered to one very happy customer. After meeting all the necessary requirements and having a charger installed in his garage, Peter Trepp took delivery of his shiny new ride last Friday. He had actually just test-driven one the day before where he learned of his impending good fortune. Numbered 111, the electric two-seater is Peter's to enjoy for a year and he already expects that the parting will be difficult. His first drive in his car, like ours, occurred in bad L.A. traffic, but he was more than content and enjoyed the entire slow ride home. Trepp advises other future MINI E "pioneers" they'll get used to not having to touch the brake pedal. The regenerative braking is relatively strong and, he says, "not bad at all." Drivers won't have to worry about the people behind them being unaware when the car's momentum decreases as the brake lights will come on when the foot is lifted from the accelerator. You can follow Peters MINI E experience at his blog which he has diligently been updating since March.
He only gets a year to enjoy it? So this is more like a long term rental, or did I miss something? "..good news, you get a chance to lease one but only for a year! And you have to give back the charger."
Yep...they're all leases. Think of it somewhat like a "pilot" program - it keeps MINI in control, and it keeps the potential for a 2nd-hand market to spin wildly out of control. Even Ferrari leased all of their 2nd generation supercars - the F50 - to the original owners for many of the same reasons, primarily control. Without wanting to derail this into a politics thread, there's a documentary called "Who Killed the Electric Car?" that anyone interested in the MINI E should most definitely watch. It's quite eye-opening.... Take it with a grain of salt, but definitely give it a watch.
I think that they cost around $800 a month, but that includes insurance. You have to be in SoCal or NY/NJ area and had to apply to participate. A guy at my office has a friend who is waiting for his to arrive. He had trouble getting a permit for the special charger in the garage (it charges only at night, during off-peak electricity cost hours)... it's all installed and waiting for the car to arrive.
I live close to the city that produces some of the electrics for the MINI E, so I've seen a few driving around, haven't gotten my Cooper next to one yet though.