Electric News Humming
I have an open lust for a MINI and so this post on Engadget caught my eye. The Mini E (electric) will be on display next month at the LA Auto Show with 500 units available in the U.S. on lease to 500 “commercial and private customers in California, New York and New Jersey sometime early in 2009.”
Vitals on the MINI E include:
- 150 mile range
- 35 kWh lithium-ion battery pack
- 62 mph in 8.5 seconds
- full charge in 2.5 hours
- regenerative braking
- 204 hp electric motor
Do I even need to say, “Sweet?”
Add to this news of the “semi official” leak of photos of the next-generation Prius, with an official debut at the North American International Auto Show in January in Detroit, and the electric front is, pardon the pun, humming. There’s also hope that at that same event Toyota will give with some real info on the tests of its plug-in fleet.
Let the uber-wealthy keep their Teslas — assuming they ever get built. The rest of us are going to have more choices in a shorter amount of time than anyone would have thought possible.