BMW Will Have All-Electric Mini Coopers for Lease by March

January 6, 2009

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

BMW beat out Nissan Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. in the race to deliver a fully alternative-fuel vehicle to drivers.

The German automakers will lease new all-electric Mini Coopers in Southern California and New York and New Jersey by March 2009, Bloomberg reports.

Drivers will be paying triple the cost of the gasoline-powered model, however – shelling out $850 a month on an annual contract.

BMW’s all-electric Mini E has a range of only 120 miles before recharging. The car is almost four feet shorter than a Toyota Camry, sacrificing the back seat to a 570-pound battery.

The car boasts a braking system that allows for traditional stopping power as well as “regenerative braking,” which slows the car by transferring energy to the battery.

BMW wants to learn more about how drivers react to a limited-range vehicle as well as the performance of its lithium-ion battery, but won’t say if it’s ready to mass-produce an electric car.

The automaker tested the Mini E in Berlin last month.

Email this story Print this post Add your comments

Advertisers

Pew Center Conference: Corporate Energy Efficiency

Reduce energy consumption, lower emissions and save money. >>

Join the Discussion

Reader Comments

Come on guys. The average American drives less than 20 miles per day. Stop with “range of only 120 miles” !!
This car would be an inconvenience on a long trip but
for regular commuting, 120 miles on a charge will meet
the needs of 90% of drivers. This car has “an incredible 120 mile range” on a single charge. Wow!

Bob Clarke | January 12th, 2009

Here we go again,
Shades of the EV1. “lease new all-electric Mini Coopers”

Rick Smereka | January 27th, 2009

New Environmental Leader Reports

Green Marketing: What Works; What Doesn't - A Market Study of Practitioners

Recent Daily News [ see all ]

02/09/2010
02/08/2010
02/05/2010

Charts [ see all ]

Caterpillar Puts Weight Behind $1.5B FutureGen CCS Project

Federal Government Proposes Climate Change Office

34% of Execs Cite Economy As Impediment to Adopting Sustainability

CEO Report Envisions $6 Trillion in Sustainable New Business Opportunities

Jobs

View All Jobs >> Post a Job >>

Comments and Discussions

John Bergdoll on Accidental to Purposeful Sustainability: Using What You Already Have to Grow Sustainability
"I was following the logic your article..."

Liz Amason on Clorox Comes Clean With Chemical Content on Web Site
"But look at their ingredients listings. For example, their regular liquid bleach..."

Rigidflexibility on Companies Going Green Should Ignore Green Consumer
"I was about to market a metal working fluid that is 98>% Soybean oil and..."

Stuart on Canadian Environment Minister Denounces Quebec Vehicle Emissions Regs
"Canadians have been waiting for the feds to act on climate change for..."

Steve Wolford on Sports Teams Embrace Sustainability
"Hello Environmental Leader, We just returned from the National Sport Forum in Baltimore. Team and..."

Mauibrad on Bipartisan Senatorial Effort Seeks Cap and Trade for non-CO2 Emissions
"Finally some enlightened ideas out of Congress!"

Cameron Green on Data Centers Can Apply for Energy Star Rating in June
"I did a blog post about this. Essentially PUE doesn’t give you very much..."

Environmental Leader