VH_Supra26
07-09-2008, 09:37 AM
http://www.motorauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/Mini/mini_front02.jpg
BMW is expected to release a limited run of 500 all-electric Minis designed to meet new Californian regulations that will require carmakers selling cars in the state to offer zero emission vehicles. The Mini factory located in Oxford, England, will supply cars without powertrains to a team located in Munich, Germany, which will add the electric powertrain.
An inside source confirmed that all 500 cars would end up in California, with 490 to be leased to selected customers and the remaining ten used as show cars. All will be painted silver but will feature yellow roofs, reports Automotive News.
A spokesman for Mini refused to confirm the news but told reporters that an announcement from BMW for the production of electric cars will be made later this year.
If you find the idea of an all-electric Mini appealing but don’t live in California, a company in Nevada can build you one complete with a 105hp (78kW) brushless AC motor and lithium-ion batteries. Nevada’s Hybrid Technologies has in fact been producing the electric Minis for the past year and claims that charging up the car’s batteries takes about 8-10 hours from a regular household power outlet. Top speed is only around 80mph but driving at a slower speed preserves battery-life and means owners will be able to travel up to 120 miles on a single charge.
http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/mini/bmw-prepping-500-electric-minis-for-california/
BMW is expected to release a limited run of 500 all-electric Minis designed to meet new Californian regulations that will require carmakers selling cars in the state to offer zero emission vehicles. The Mini factory located in Oxford, England, will supply cars without powertrains to a team located in Munich, Germany, which will add the electric powertrain.
An inside source confirmed that all 500 cars would end up in California, with 490 to be leased to selected customers and the remaining ten used as show cars. All will be painted silver but will feature yellow roofs, reports Automotive News.
A spokesman for Mini refused to confirm the news but told reporters that an announcement from BMW for the production of electric cars will be made later this year.
If you find the idea of an all-electric Mini appealing but don’t live in California, a company in Nevada can build you one complete with a 105hp (78kW) brushless AC motor and lithium-ion batteries. Nevada’s Hybrid Technologies has in fact been producing the electric Minis for the past year and claims that charging up the car’s batteries takes about 8-10 hours from a regular household power outlet. Top speed is only around 80mph but driving at a slower speed preserves battery-life and means owners will be able to travel up to 120 miles on a single charge.
http://www.motorauthority.com/cars/mini/bmw-prepping-500-electric-minis-for-california/