Petition: "BMW, Build More Mini EVs"

Minicooper

BMW had barely announced plans to lease just under 500 electric Minis in California before an outraged Autopia reader launched a petition demanding more of them. After bemoaning the $100,000 price of Tesla's all-electric Roadster, the petition says, "BMW makes a sexy, small, stylish and practical car — the Mini Cooper. Why not rip out the engine, throw in an electric motor and a stack of laptop batteries?"

Ah, if only it were that easy. The petition demands a Mini BMW for under $35K, but a look at Tesla's experience bringing the Roadster to the market suggests that wishing for cheap all-electric cars won't actually get them built. There’s a company called Hybrid Technologies that advertises its electric-conversion Mini Cooper for $57,500, but we’ve never heard of anyone owning one. For its part, BMW admits that this is part of a plan to meet California's zero-emissions vehicle mandate for 2014 that requires automakers to build 7,500 non-polluting cars.

BMW told Automotive News that introducing a small number of the Mini EVs will give it a chance to see how they perform in real-world conditions and tweak the technology. Perhaps a little online goading will push them to move faster.

Want an Electric Mini? Sign This Guy's Petition. (Autopia)

By Stephen Markley | July 15, 2008 | Comments (3)

Comments 

Paul

If you want to be environmentally friendly then you should not buy a hybrid or an electric car. Check this out.

http://clubs.ccsu.edu/Recorder/editorial/editorial_item.asp?NewsID=188

Look at the whole production of a vehicle not just the MPG's.

Check out my crazy Mini at
www.safersmallcars.com

RUBIN KADRIU

hello mini staf.

its a great idea for mini.if mini prodiuse with te real prace of mini meny people bay one.


bay

Post a Comment 

Please remember a few rules before posting comments:

  • If you don't want people to see your email address, simply type in the URL of your favorite website or leave the field empty.
  • Do not mention specific car dealers by name. Feel free to mention your city, state and brand.
  • Try to be civil to your fellow blog readers. This blog is not a fan or enthusiast forum, it is meant to help people during the car-buying process and during the time between purchases, so shoppers can keep a pulse on the market.
  • Stay on topic. We want to hear your opinions and thoughts, but please only comment about the specified topic in the blog post.
view posting rules

If you have a TypeKey or TypePad account, please Sign In

Search Results

KickingTires Search Results for

Cars.com Search Results for