Oh...It's a Novelty!

OK I was talking to a FORD GT40 owner a while back

and on introducing him to my ELECTRIC MINI E he looks at it and states

"Oh....It's a novelty!"

Now I ask you,

Which is more of a novelty?

• A 2 Passenger, $200,000, 800 HP, 300 MPH car that can only be driven on a closed track.

OR

• A 2 Passenger, 200 HP, 95MPH car that has the SAME breathtaking performance characteristics and can be driven SILENTLYon any road, as far as one normally drives in average daily use

AND

My car does this on ELECTRICITY, without pollution, smoke, odors, burning fuel, and does it while costing only PENNIES.

Hey, I love the GT40, it was historic and beautiful and sounds wonderful!

But the world is indeed changing and it's time to see the light and MOVE ON,

besides what's more important, all that sound?

Or the feeling you get from being G-forced back into your seat as you experience phenomenal acceleration when you press the accelerator to the floor?

Spanish Adventure

Had to go to Spain for two weeks.

Saw the new MINI D

on the showroom floor.

Diesel is still king in Europe, at $5.00 a gallon its cheaper than Gas, better mileage, engine life, cheaper tuneups, etc, and the new Diesel engines are quieter and cleaner.

These days the air in Spain is fabulous!

Historically, Spain has been harnessing the Power of the Wind for a thousand years.

Everywhere, on the PLAIN,  there are NEW High Technology Wind Powered generators.

The ELECTRIC car is perfect for In City errands,

small, nimble, Clean, daily range of 160 kilometers (100 miles),

saving many Diesel Powered kilometers for the long hauls.

I saw a Prius in Madrid with the word "ELECTRICO"

across the back window.

Slowly, the World catches on, Clean Power Now!

Run to Zero

Arrived home with 8 miles left on the Range Estimate readout, so  decided to take it down and try to find zero.

After hitting the 'dashed line' meaning no range left, I flipped to % and found I had 2% left in the battery.
I continued to drive, at 30 and 40 miles an hour till I finally found 0% on the Battery and --------- on the range readouts.

I was still doing 30 miles an hour.

Not wanting to have to push it I headed for the barn and arrived with 0% and --------- after about 8 miles of driving.

Parked it, let it sit about half an hour, checked again and I found 2% in the Battery with still -------range.

Turned him back on, turned on the headlights, as it was now after dark and went for another drive.

After about 3 miles and 0% and -------- readouts I decided to head home again for the same reason as above.

This photo shows 0%, ------ range and I am doing 30 mph with the headlights on!

Finally, I never found absolute zero, I went fully ten miles beyond 0% and ------- range and still had enough to do 30 miles an hour. Performance definitely slacked off the nearer I got to 0% but I was still able to travel at legal speeds and stay out of the way.

I parked COOPER E, plugged him in and today I'm off again with a full tank!

This is COOPER E's new front badge, a custom EEU front plate!

Love this car!

Bye for now!

Charger Sharing, Thanks Sandra and Dan!

Had to go to Malibu, 74 miles from home, today. 

Jamie had put 98 miles on the car last night arriving home about 4:am. COOPER E was still charging when I got up at 7:30. 

I began to plan my day and how I would make the trip (which is right on the edge of my range capability) and return in one day instead of doing an overnight with the 110v 'occasional use' charger.

Knowing I would need to charge somewhere along the way, I consulted the 'Charger Sharing' website, looked up Sandra Kulli #246, who had previously offered hers.

I called, talked to her husband Dan and found she would be home around noon. I arrived at their beautiful home in Malibu at 12:15 having used about 60% of my charge with about 10 or 12 miles to go to my destination in Latigo Shores. 

Sandra, I had met at the initial MiniUSA party, Dan I just met for the first time.

Greeted by the ever smiling, cheerful, Sandra, I immediately felt welcome as she abolished any thought I had of intruding on her day.

After an hour and a half of great conversation and Coffee made by Dan  I was ready to go with an 88% charge.

It really is fun meeting the other Mini E Pioneers!

Thats me and my new friend Sandra, Dan took the picture.

I made it to Latigo, had a nice two hours there with friends, jumped back in the car and headed off to do the 74 miles home with a 76% charge.

A lot of traffic, even though it was Saturday, used regenerative braking a lot. Thought about stopping at Long Beach Mini for a touch up charge but decided, as I passed Signal Hill in Long Beach, to go for it as the 'regen' seemed to really be helping.
Several times I watched as, while in heavy traffic, the % digital readout actually reversed and climbed, I was putting power back into the battery. There were times also that sitting at a stop light, it would adjust upward a percent or two.

I ended a great day of guiltless driving, getting off the 405 freeway in Seal Beach and cruising down PCH (Pacific Coast Hiway) along the ocean, returning home to Newport.

148.8 miles on the ODO with 9 miles left.

The warning 'sound' and triangle appeared at 25 miles then again at 10 miles.

COOPER E now sits charging and getting ready for what tomorrow brings.

Better Batteries for everyone.

http://green.autoblog.com/2009/07/17/bosch-samsung-battery-venture-buys-cobasys

HOV Stickers arrive and get placed.

These are the HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lane stickers that give us the right to use the HOV or Diamond lane on the Freeways. These stickers are silver as they are CLEAN AIR or ZEV (Zero Emission Vehicle) Tags and allow me to drive alone in the HOV lane, NICE!.

The small sticker applies to the right side of the rear bumper.
The Large stickers are supposed to be placed behind the rear wheels but as you can see there is no place to put them.
Solution, place them in front of the wheels, on the side of the car behind the door.

(if you use a little windex or soapy water first, you can slide the sticker around till you get it right, then squeegee the liquid out from under and the sticker will be perfectly applied)

Just the Facts, Man.

Facts About Plug-in Vehicles

Today's batteries can take EVs up to 300 miles on a single charge.

Battery Electric Vehicles (EVs) are by far the most efficient motorized vehicles in the world and use 3-4 times LESS energy than hydrogen fuel cell cars.

Enough excess generating capacity exists at night in the U.S. to charge 180 million EVs without adding any new capacity (no new coal or nuclear power plants). Source US. Department of Energy.

We will never fight a war over electricity.

EVs powered by the US electrical grid are cleaner than gas, E85, biodiesel & fuel cells.

Half of EV owners surveyed use solar energy to power their houses and cars.

EVs by the millions could be built today.

Plug-in cars capable of 50 miles per day would meet the needs of 80% of the American driving public. Source: U.S. Department of Transportation.