Life with a Solar-Charged Mini E

First night of charging

Yesterday, I received a call from my fantastic sales gal at Bob Smith Mini, Calabasas, that my car had arrived.  I made arrangements to be there as quickly as possible, to finally take delivery of #085.  The process was smooth, painless, exciting, and a pure adrenaline rush.  I was told I was the third person to receive the new, all-electric Mini E.  I feel it’s an absolute privilege to be one of only 250 people in Southern California, to be able to drive the future.

I took the long way home, just to experience the thrill – and by the way, it’s amazing.  The acceleration, the incredible torque, and the absolute driving experience of a car powered by electrons is awesome.  When I finally pulled into my driveway, I was surrounded by my neighbors and people walking by, who were attracted to the car and interested to learn more.  

After pulling it into the garage and hooking up the charger into the charging port, I watched as the meter registered the kilowatt input.  Number 085 was being fueled by the sun.  Our 8.5 kilowatt solar electric system on our home will provide the sun fuel for a good portion of our transportation.  

Today, woke up early (6:30 a.m.) – couldn’t wait to drive the fully charged Mini E.  This thing is so fun to drive!  It’s different, it’s new, and it’s got power.  Pretty much the first full day of the Mini E was about test drives, answering questions, opening up the hood, explaining that it’s been charged from solar panels, and the response has been extremely positive.  This car has received so much positive input from people, in one day, that I feel this is a new beginning for transportation.