On board with the whole “green” movement are ya? Have a love for tiny cars too? Like to read? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might want to add a new site to your daily readings. Peter Trepp is the first of 400 individuals who are receiving test E-Mini’s for a year. These electric powered Mini’s are so far so great that Peter has taken it upon himself to form a blog around his experience, “Plugged In with Peter’s Mini E”. The blog will cover his daily routine with the new gas saving Mini in his life. I for one hope he likes it as the privilege of doing so is costing him $850 per month. A bit pricey for such a small car. But, as with all things featuring bleeding edge tech, it costs money to be on that bleeding edge. So how does Pete feel so far about the experience?
Per Pete:
There were three things I observed in the first 30 seconds of my test drive. First, the acceleration was extremely smooth. All cars, regardless of power source, should operate and feel like this. Second, you do not need to use the brake at all. Yes, that’s right, at all. The foot brake is purely for fast or emergency braking needs, otherwise the regenerative braking system will do all the slowing you need right down to the stop light. Nadine assured me that when you are decelerating in this fashion, the brake light comes on to let other drives know you are slowing down – good thinking. Finally, the car is so quiet.
Once I was on the open road, I was able to really enjoy the full benefit of a high-torque engine and the electricity available to make it run. The acceleration is so incredibly smooth with the noticeable absence of gear changes and the power that comes from this great, albeit slightly de-tuned, engine. It feels a bit like a roller coaster at launch. While highly aggressive drivers might want more power, there is plenty available to scare most passengers at almost any speed. Off the line, the car springs into action if you demand it easily hitting the estimated 0-60 time of 8.5 seconds. However, once you’re at 30 mph or so, jumping on the pedal will boost you to 70 mph probably quicker than many exotics.
Gone is the growl of the combustion engine and the sense of speed you get from an increasingly noisy run through the RPM’s. Instead, all you hear in the cabin is the slightest jet-like whine coming from the engine compartment (virtually inaudible and certainly unnoticeable if I wasn’t seeking out the most subtle of sounds) and the unavoidable noise of the tires running across the pavement. Otherwise, the car slices through the wind as silently as its rounded nose will allow.
This question is for all over the gear heads and car lovers out there. Would you be able to drive a car that is described as vastly different from the way a traditional gas powered car accelerates, shifts, drives, etc.? Gadget freaks – Do you consider electric cars “gadgets”, something that you could add to your collection? Or, at what size or price does a gadget now exit the realm of gadgetry?
Pingback: Gadgetsteria