tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27877295215658616562011-11-27T18:16:26.921-05:00This will be my blog to track my participation in the MINI-E program. I am based in NJmichael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.comBlogger551100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-84150957442833047502010-06-09T14:46:00.002-04:002010-06-09T14:48:59.065-04:00

it was car exchange day today.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-50468203149002041642010-06-08T06:56:00.004-04:002010-06-08T07:08:59.229-04:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist the Sammy Hagar reference. It doesn't come up that much.So on the eve of returning #269 to it's maker it has come up with a parting issue. Honestly, I either just don't remember folks discussing this issue in the blogs or I have a new issue. I am guessing the former, but here it is.If I stay under 60 mph, there is nothing wrong with my car. But the second I hit 62,

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-56066359926467859622010-06-04T14:34:00.003-04:002010-06-04T14:40:50.968-04:00

I found this today and snapped it up. I was actually searching for an R56 Mini Die Cast in our dark Grey Metallic color so I could fashion my own stickers and make a Mini E facsimile as a memento. I guess I can save the pattern and exacto work.Maybe I am the only guy who hasn't figured out that these existed, but I am glad I found this. I can think of a way that they could have sold 500 of

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-29709905812878813962010-05-31T12:47:00.002-04:002010-05-31T13:01:12.950-04:00

CONCLUSION: Loved it!!!!So here we are a year later. I can say that I am very happy that I participated in the program. I would certainly do it again. And to whoever is the next driver of #269, enjoy. I tried to take good care of her. I have not heard anything about how they plan to spruce them up and turn them around. But with just over 8k miles on it, #269 still has a lot to give.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-73985362117694648412010-03-10T17:52:00.003-05:002010-03-10T17:54:55.261-05:00

I sent in my email reply today that #269 will not be renewing. I had said that I would not renew if it was over $500/month, so I am going to stick to my guns and say no. I am very sad, as I LOVE driving the car every day into Manhattan. But that is a big number and I can not justify it. I hope it ends up at a good home. Hope they like the ELECTRIC decals (though I imagine they would remove

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-1739872121469918052010-03-05T06:59:00.002-05:002010-03-05T07:04:02.874-05:00

This was me going to get my car from the garage to come home the other night. I see this car quite often (driver included?) in my garage. This is the first time I have seen them parked together though. I think if I bumped him on the way out, he would not even notice?? It's a BIG car....

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-77112449040411006692010-02-28T18:23:00.002-05:002010-02-28T18:27:38.960-05:00

So it was very slippery the other morning and I decided that my sister-in-law should take the Mini-E rather than her Florida equipped Honda. She drove about 35 miles each way to her job and back and I asked her to write me a guest post about her experience. Rather than edit her post at all, I will make one correction. She says 4 wheel traction but I was trying to tell her that the Mini has

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-60974640459910910942010-02-17T21:41:00.002-05:002010-02-17T21:44:52.170-05:00

So I am the proud owner of an ACME buck-boost transformer. (sounds like something between back to the future and wily coyotee). What a wonderful difference a few volts make. The charging anxiety is now gone. It has been 4 months since I have been able to pull in the garage and charge right away. It is a real breath of fresh air to have this convenience restored.Thanks to the BMW team that

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-70965264680525548132010-02-11T06:27:00.001-05:002010-02-11T06:28:30.692-05:00

#269 got a snow day yesterday and I drove into NYC in my SUV. It was pretty bad out there yesterday. But today she is making a comeback. The kids have to go to school today, so I am back in #269. Let's see if they sprung for the good snow tires. I am optimistic.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-24804382907548958512010-01-08T20:50:00.002-05:002010-01-08T20:53:47.795-05:00

I don't count the ones I have seen in the parking lot of Morristown Mini waiting for service. As I was driving into Manhattan this week, I saw this NYC Mini taking a left turn. I dashed out of my way to drive by and say hello. This is us driving up the West Side Highway. Probably the only Mini-E-'s with "slow moving vehicle" stickers on them.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-37309259520809344472010-01-05T17:45:00.002-05:002010-01-05T17:49:07.941-05:00

I was just confirmed for 01/11/2010 11:00 for my service appt at my home to investigate the power charging issues. I am looking forward to a day where this is no longer a problem but I suspect that day will not be with this car. Oh well, I will plow through. At these prices I expected problems that get addressed, not problems that persist, but I am still driving one out of the only civilian

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-4812966000124917862009-12-14T20:07:00.004-05:002009-12-14T20:16:19.417-05:00

I got a call from Mini today assuring me that I will get another call in a few days to schedule the home visit. I am anxious to see the results of this as I still think the problem is almost entirely in the PEU. I am not as ambitious as many in terms of home diagnostics, but I do think I have a pattern that is very repeatable and defeats most theories, including some of my past ones.ISSUEdrive

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-58216152231215454222009-12-05T08:34:00.003-05:002009-12-05T08:39:33.901-05:00

So I have been driving the rental Hyundai for 8 days now and last night while driving home from work I was listening to a story on NPR about the new Volt and the LA auto show and thought about how little I like the idea of the "backup gas engine". But it also made me think that I haven't put gas in the in the rental all week. Sure enough I look down and the gauge is below empty and the little

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-21457080906693207702009-11-28T18:46:00.002-05:002009-11-28T18:52:32.807-05:00

I dropped off #269 at Morristown on Wed AM to have them look into the charging issue. When I dropped it off they said they would put on the snow tires as well. Apparently they got a shipment from Tire Rack of 30-40 sets of snow tires for the E's and they are eager to have the space back, so if you are waiting, now is the time.Unfortunately I had originally scheduled to drop off my E on Monday

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-56735659275064670072009-11-05T23:08:00.004-05:002009-11-05T23:23:06.536-05:00

Came home about 8:20pm. Tried the 32A, red light on the CC box this time. 3x unplugged, try again... All red lights. Tonight I set the car to 12A and let it OU charge. I just went to the garage (11pm) and disconnected the 12A (it was charging like a champ), reset the car to 32A, plugged in the CC box. 20 green blinks and I went inside.I guess it needed some 12A primer before upgrading to

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-55357866284330854792009-11-05T09:29:00.004-05:002009-11-05T09:35:29.487-05:00

So last night I come home and immediately plugged in. I can hear the Clipper Creek box click on, 4 blinks on the dash, and I hear the PEU in the MINI-E click off. No change in lights on the CC box.Push the stop button on the CC , unplug, 5 secs, plug in.....sameRinse, repeat.... After 3 try's, with no error lights anywhere, I decide to test the low voltage theory. If that is it, in theory it

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-13553512244734895562009-11-04T01:56:00.002-05:002009-11-04T02:00:25.421-05:00

So I am going to find all the blog entries I can and try to get more opinions. I am having charging problems again.....New charger, new cable....Arrive home 10pm, immediately plug in wall charger... 3 blinks on the dash, 4th blink, I can hear the PEU click off from the engine bayDisconnect, wait 5 secs, reconnect......1 blink, red light on the charging unitDisconnect, take out the trash, come

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-39471086056551693992009-10-26T00:47:00.001-04:002009-10-26T00:49:26.011-04:00

So after changing out the cable first and having the box light up, they changed out the wall box itself and we have been fine charging for 3 days now. I will let it run for a week or two before I claim it fixed, but so far so good.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-71927839524591038822009-10-15T19:42:00.002-04:002009-10-15T19:51:50.280-04:00

So when I returned home today and plugged the MINI-E into the 30A wall charger, nothing happened. I will be as specific as possible.1) plugged car into 30A charger and the wall box "thumped" on as normal, but no charge indicator came on on the dash.2) unplugged-repeat - same thing3) rinse, repeat - same thing4) turned on the car to verify that 30A is the current setting, it was and still is.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-34627962177062919722009-10-15T11:02:00.002-04:002009-10-15T11:19:34.262-04:00

So I am now forced to do 2 posts in one day. I just got assignment 3 for our Field Trial site. This one was a bit of a joke, but it did touch on something. I have actually been hearing about this lately in the news as well. I thought it was ridiculous, but now that I was forced to take part in something related, I feel like I have to speak up. I had 1 post in my online Field Trial journal ...

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-60100982827345170472009-10-15T09:49:00.002-04:002009-10-15T11:02:19.628-04:00

So I received the service report for #269's first regular visit. As I expected, with the one day turn-around there were no issues to report.There were 4 entries in the journal....#1 3 month 3k service#2 all loaners in the field, authorize enterprise rental#3 replace front wipers, worn and coming apart#4 PUMA case (??)

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-63189212361692752842009-10-13T13:26:00.004-04:002009-10-13T13:34:10.501-04:00

So this morning I came out for the second time in a week to find that the MINI-E connected to the 30A charging station had not charged at all overnight.I have my ritual in the morning where I enter all of the current stats into my journal before I leave for work. I recharge every night. About a week ago, I came out and found that the car had not charged overnight. It was a Saturday, so I had

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-46170891541673888892009-10-12T10:13:00.002-04:002009-10-12T10:19:56.498-04:00

So Renault is firing the first shot (in my opinion) to the other automakers. Rather than try to calculate how much of a premium people would be willing to pay for EV versions of production cars, they have found a way to price the EV version cheaper than the non-EV version (with subsidies, but whatever works). I'm not saying that I think the battery swapping idea is the answer, but I like the

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-19842841187390272902009-10-10T19:20:00.002-04:002009-10-10T19:22:18.698-04:00

I thought this one was worth more than just a link in the fellow bloggers section. Not to be missed.Well done

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-60837810581346138032009-10-10T14:44:00.002-04:002009-10-10T14:48:31.080-04:00

I got the call as I was leaving work Friday that I could pick up my Mini-E. I could not make it last night so I went out this morning and dropped off the loaner and had a great drive home. Just as I was about to plug in to top of the 18 miles I used to get home from the dealership, I remembered to check the voltage setting. I''m glad I remembered because it was still set for the 50A charger

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-72449948827959235742009-10-09T11:39:00.006-04:002009-10-09T11:55:19.944-04:00

So I dropped #269 off for it's 3 month service this morning. It is just under 3k miles and running great. I am expecting a quick service visit. When I called for my appointment last week I asked if I would be able to get a loaner as I drive into Manhattan each day now from NJ. They said no loaner but they would arrange for a rental. The very nice woman from Enterprise came and "picked me up"

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-51109533955184447902009-10-07T10:13:00.007-04:002009-10-07T10:35:24.017-04:00

So last night I was showing off the MINI-E to some tech savvy friends who had never heard of the program and were very interested that I was driving a fully electric car. The shouts of "How do I get one?" were strong before they even looked at the car. So after taking them outside to see #269, I had the hood open and was talking about something when I hear "SNAP"...... I almost dove onto the

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-73637780556218308162009-10-05T22:28:00.008-04:002009-10-07T10:33:41.065-04:00

So apparently I drove a little easier and electricity was a little cheaper. And in the end I netted about $5 less for exactly the same number of miles as the month before. Here is my dataHow is this comparing with everyone else? I am heading in for my service this Friday. No loaner car, but apparently a rental.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-91847998312032288822009-09-24T00:56:00.003-04:002009-09-24T01:17:48.564-04:00

I found a post on the Plugs and Cars Blog about a presentation given on Tuesday by Richard Steinberg, Mini-E program manager. There was a reference about the presentation including mention about Mini considering lease extensions. Sure enough right there at the end of the presentation he mentions that it is being investigated to address a bridge to a next vehicle. Rich, please think about

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-4000634614924269532009-09-14T19:27:00.003-04:002009-09-14T19:30:12.808-04:00

One of the things that I quickly noticed about the Mini-E was that the 12v power ports shut down when the car is off. My other car leaves them on which is great for charging phones / navigation, etc. Normally I would understand why you would not want this in the Mini-E. But when it is charging there should be no downside. Does anyone know if this can be enabled?

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-41144134690063405882009-09-04T08:00:00.003-04:002009-09-04T08:04:49.373-04:00

I am sure the twin-turbo, blah-blah-blah motor would be nice in this thing. But imagine how nice a fully-tuned, not power taken away electric coupe Mini would would be. Now this is a car I would pay a premium for.Hopefully not just in powder-blue though....

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-75842401701543824312009-09-02T06:04:00.007-04:002009-09-02T06:19:02.893-04:00

OK,So if you know anyone in the UK who is really jealous that we are zipping around in our electric Mini-E's, apparently they have assigned 20 (according to this article) cars which will be available for 2 different 6 month cycles starting in Dec of 09. The UK is also subsidizing the lease payments so they will be £330 a month rather than the £550 that BMW are asking (actually a bit steeper than

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-36883006494594597472009-09-01T05:02:00.004-04:002009-09-05T18:29:16.864-04:00

So I finally remembered to grab the PSE&G bill on he way in the door to ID the usage and billing compared to the numbers I have been logging. Here is the view of my data. I hear that we have expensive electricity in NJ so I am curious how this compares to Ca. Also there are like 5 different rate tiers in my 1 bill that spread the costs across each tier. These represent the average'd

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-68363344285308982942009-08-19T08:34:00.002-04:002009-08-19T08:39:00.804-04:00

This is a cross post from Tom's blog about a Mini-E meet up this Saturday. I have read of a few on the left coast so I had been hoping that someone would organize such a thing. I am going to try very hard to have #269 on site. Here is a link to Tom's blog post and the details. He said there may already be as many as 10 Mini-E's already coming as well as a representative from Mini who had

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-43672381026295123812009-08-05T22:18:00.003-04:002009-08-05T22:30:41.344-04:00

So my few seconds of Mini-E fame are being extended a bot more. I guess over the course of the year, all of our local papers, etc will find us all. But I was pleased to have about a 20 min conversation while driving home in the Mini-E (Motorola T505 adapter) with David Welch of BuisinessWeek.com. We spoke about a number of my experiences with #269 including a discussion of wether or not we

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-84550538294244061842009-08-01T11:02:00.003-04:002009-08-01T11:20:46.658-04:00

So I finally got sick of hearing the rattling coming from under the Mini-E all the way to and from work every day and decided to bring the car over to Morristown Mini for a checkup. They said I would have to leave the car because any problem with any of the Mini-E cars requires a registration of he issue with Mini and the dispatch of one of their techs to review any issues. I told them I was

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-63145773953799275852009-07-14T06:18:00.003-04:002009-07-14T06:22:32.806-04:00

It may just be that I am noticing more noises with the quiet car, but the front suspension has seemed very noisy over the last few days. At any little bump I hear some good groans from under the front of the car. Not to mention a little rattling sound. It does not sound like anything is going to fall off, but it just seems noisier than I would expect.Nothing to make me stop driving every day.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-11284804138031836332009-07-11T16:04:00.003-04:002009-07-11T16:13:51.405-04:00

So after almost a month of getting used to the new MINI-E I have decided that it is time to start paying attention to the numbers. While I was 110v charging I did not pay any attention to the usage patterns other than to make sure I could get where I was going and home again.Now that I have the 32A charger and will be leaving with a full tank every day I am going to start my log of stats. I

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-64565082187080085872009-07-07T11:58:00.003-04:002009-07-07T16:17:20.411-04:00

So both PSE&G and O'Sullivan electric came by the house today to activate the wall charger. I am happy to say that #269 is now drinking in NJ's finest at 32A. I am looking forward to the 1 hour "top off" charge, rather an the 10 hour "as much as I can get" charge.Everyone was great today and now I guess I need to get to cleaning out the garage to be able to fit both cars in there. Good thing

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-538874238581917772009-07-05T14:27:00.004-04:002009-07-07T12:04:24.885-04:00

This post will only be interesting to the half dozen or so folks who live in Essex County...So I had been putting off going to a car wash with all the rain and the stern warning about undercarriage spray when I picked the car up. As I was driving around in Maplewood today I came across a new hand wash car wash. Pull in the garage and a team of people and a hose wash the car. This is new for

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-10724590710264092662009-07-03T18:30:00.003-04:002009-07-03T18:43:02.121-04:00

I was contacted by the company installing the new wall charger cable that mine could be installed this coming Tuesday. So I will be working from home Tueday to be her for this. When my wall charger was installed my power company PSE&G also installed a blank for an additional meter for them to track the usage of electrity. I was told it was so they could gauge the imapct on demand if this

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-35612076717622425082009-07-01T23:15:00.002-04:002009-07-01T23:23:53.930-04:00

So it is not nearly as bad as the title. I actually started ot very proud of myself. I commute every day through the Holland Tunnel, which has a useful HOV lane. As a ZEV (NJ term for Zero Emission Vehicle) ,I am allowed to use the HOV lane, really the only perk during commuting time. Last week I was sitting in traffic and in my mirror I could see the Port Authority officer approaching my

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-34661343443897805962009-06-23T07:43:00.004-04:002009-07-03T16:24:20.221-04:00

So as I was entering the Holland Tunnel last night on my way home I heard a beeping coming from the car next to me and there was a rolled down window in a large (Suburban sized) SUV. He asked if it was an electric car. So in the middle of traffic trying to stop and go enter the tunnel I had my first recognition of the car. The driver of the SUV seemed genuinly surprised that this was an all

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-37637033670635215142009-06-22T13:29:00.002-04:002009-06-22T13:40:22.420-04:00

So in this week's Mini-E Plugged-In update the good folks at Mini let me (and I am guessing a few others) know that the auto-neutral hill issue was not an issue at all. And after trying it this morning it appears to be correct. Aparrantly the answer was avilable all the time hiding out on page 72-75 of the Owners Manual.My bad. Thanks for the pointer.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-13144391249282973302009-06-18T08:59:00.002-04:002009-06-18T11:41:51.077-04:00

Blinking NSo it has been raining on and off for what feels like 2 weeks here in metro NYC. As I mentioned in a previous post, that means puddles. Lots of puddles. So when I heard flash flood warnings this morning I thought knew what I was in for, I thought it would mean slow traffic. Well traffic wasn't bad, except for when I was holding it up twice.So no matter how hard I try on a day like

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-58156721429582129672009-06-15T08:06:00.018-04:002009-06-15T09:28:43.156-04:00

So I decided to participate in the MINI-E trial so that I could evaluate a few things as I mentioned in an earlier post. 1) driving to NYC 2) feasability of electric cars.Well after 2 days of driving I am convinced that the answer to #2 is complete. I would buy this car today if it were available. Whoever makes the batteries small enough and the range a bit larger is going to sell out as

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-30690261712987227512009-06-12T09:56:00.008-04:002009-06-14T19:57:18.385-04:00

So I aded a little stat counter on my blog (stole idea form someone else)And I just looked at some of the stats that it keeps. I am sure that my blog is getting only "average" attention as there has been no exposure other than my family and fellow bloggers. Though I did just realize from the stats that a google search of "mini-e nj" does return my site."the new phonebook is here....I'm

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-26409161040465748022009-06-12T05:39:00.009-04:002009-06-12T06:13:51.321-04:00

At long last it has arrived. So far I have only had the initial ride home from the dealership back to the house. First thing that I can certainly mention as different is "auto-neutral". WOWGetting used to driving with 1 foot was actually pretty easy. Only real thing that is going to take more time is starting from a stop. First thing is that you quickly learn that even going near the brake

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-65861278584765921752009-06-10T11:57:00.003-04:002009-06-10T12:47:22.274-04:00

Just got the call from Mags at Morristown MINI. They just got a batch of cars and one of them is for me. It will be ready to be picked up by tomorrow, but I will likely not be able to get there until Friday. So I should be electric motoring by this weekend. Now the anticipation is fevorish.

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-80174577175540156762009-06-10T08:38:00.005-04:002009-06-10T08:43:31.556-04:00

Well I guess my bigger complaint is still no car. Though Mags at Morristown Mini has been great keeping me up to date with info. Apparently there was a truck Monday and they were hoping for another 8 last night. Fingers crossedBut as a daily commuter car, no bluetooth is going to be sad. Something I've grown used to in my environmental balancer to the MINI-E (our Audi Q7). Any

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-51241068973733267912009-06-08T09:00:00.004-04:002009-06-08T16:56:01.318-04:00

So when I was at the Meet the MINI-E event in NYC a few weeks ago, I met someone (not smart nough to have taken his info) who mentioned that the city was installing chargers in a few garages because of the cars that they are getting. I will be using my MINI-E to commute everyday from NJ to NYC. I expect to really learn the potential of the regenerative braking system in stop-go traffic in and

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-11196771222362967342009-06-06T10:32:00.003-04:002009-06-06T10:35:51.831-04:00

Just got the call from Morristown MINI that a few other people have mentioned. The first 2 trucks are en route and should be ready for delivery by mid-week hopefully. Very exciting news. I have a VIN number so it now feels much more real. Now a call to the insurance company is next to remind them of that "experimental, liability-only, one-off" quote that they gave me in January so they can

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-65401051294856107452009-06-05T13:37:00.002-04:002009-06-05T14:53:38.604-04:00

After getting my charger unit instaled exactly a week ago, I was kind of hoping to hear something about some next steps. I even politely pinged my Mini dealer rep to let her know that this step had been completed. I haven't heard about any East Coast MINI-E deliveries, so I don tthink I am missing out. But after a week it would have been good to hear something.It has been great seeing all the

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-74486929244147640422009-06-02T23:21:00.002-04:002009-06-02T23:31:22.327-04:00

I guess I left out a few things from that very long first post. Namely anything about me and what the program is all about.First things first: About meI live in South Orange, NJ and am married with 2 daughters. I work in Manhattan in IT for a financial services company (non-US).I got notified about this program some time late last year on an RSS feed from somewhere. I followed the link and

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2787729521565861656.post-73281160699215236812009-06-02T23:08:00.002-04:002009-06-02T23:20:50.666-04:00

So as a part of being in the Mini-e program we said that we would keep a blog about our experiences. So here it is. I will be adding things as there is information to report. So far it is very early days. Though it has seemed that way for a while. The good news is that I have had my charger unit installed this past Friday. I took the day off of work to be here while it was being installed (

michael grahamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00891866835622066147noreply@blogger.com2