Shoulda taken the Horse and Buggy!

At the turn of the last Century you had to make the choice between the tried and true, reliable Horse and buggy or try the New unreliable Gasoline automobile.

Gasoline was hard to find, grass was everywhere.

Many people were nervous about the ability of the Gas powered car to go very far beyond town limits,

they had 

Range Anxiety!

Think about it

Well, lots of talk about what to do now that we have our new Lease offers from BMW, I'm thinking it over for a while before I decide to continue.

It's the general thought, among those of us driving the all Electric MINI E, that there will soon be purchase options and it doesn't make much sense to continue 'renting' (leasing) at such an expensive rate when that money can be applied to, or saved for, the purchase of a New Electric Vehicle. I might stick around for a chance at the ACIVE E but I have always preferred to OWN my cars, drive them many years and am looking forward to doing that in a BEV.

Having driven more  than 11,000 miles since May 2009, I KNOW that the Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) is COMPLETELY VIABLE in my daily life (even at a 100 mile range limit) and I feel it is time to incorporate one into the Rest of my life!

90 percent of ALL my driving has been accomplished within this much talked about 100 mile range, other trips, longer out of town, towing, hauling are accomplished with my 2003 F-250 Diesel Truck which gets great mileage for a vehicle of it's size and weight on the road (26 mpg).

This next week, I will be working a Movie set 51 miles from home. The F-250 will be driven to set by my son as he does errands on the way in to town.
I will drive the MINI E.
We'll park the truck in a secure lot for the week and commute together in the MINI E round trip 102 miles each day, Friday Ian will do returns of rental props etc, with the F-250 Truck, I will drive home in the MINI E and meet him there.

This Weeks total mileage:
158 miles on Diesel fuel @16 mpg city, (not so clean!)
Diesel cost = $29 for one day.

510 miles (plus) on Electricity @ .03 cents per mile, Clean!
(saving the equivalent of $96. worth of Diesel fuel)


Electricity cost = $15.30 for 5 days!

Saving money and the added joy of driving CLEAN!

Now THAT feels good!

Lease Extension News!

News is forthcoming (hopefully in a week or two) about whether or not our time with the All Electric MINI E will be extended.

Received the email today that says look for news soon, the Good News will be a year long extension, the Bad would be having to give the car up in May 2010. I am eagerly awaiting the news as I have proven that the car works absolutely perfectly for my daily driving situation! Having driven 11,000 miles in 8 months, to every little part of Los Angeles and Orange Counties here in Southern California.

Yesterday, for example, I drove from Newport Beach to the Venice boardwalk to visit an artist friend at his studio. Venice is about as far as you can drive in one direction from Newport, 51.7 miles, 103.4 round trip. My friend and I talked for about an hour then went to lunch then back to the Studio and, after 3 hours, I left for home. By the way 3 hours is more than enough time to charge to full capacity from a dead battery if i had a charger available but my meter said I still had more than 50% left so no charge was necessary to get back home.

Returning home, I merely watched my speed, kept well within legal speed limits and arrived home with 15% battery left after 103.4 miles, more than adequate surplus power to even take a few short trips to market, the beach etc., before putting myself and the car to bed for the night and plugging in at my garge charge point.

I've been reading, on the internet, comments people make about Electric Cars, range, anxiety, battery electric not for them, etc., and can't help but think what they will be missing out on by not even considering trying such a wonderful way of getting around.

11,000 miles translates to Tons of pollutants that would have been added to the atmosphere we breathe had I driven my Diesel truck for the last 8 months,
that does make a difference!

I really DO HOPE to continue with the BMW/MINI E program, if not, I will certainly find another way to supplement my traveling around with an Electrically driven vehicle because they are SO LOGICAL!