Video: 2008 Mini E

It's based on the Mini Cooper and it's going to be available for lease to customers in California, New York, and New Jersey. They're only making 500 of them available, though, And you have to sign up for lease@miniusa.com, if you're interested. I want to show you some of the features that make this model different from your regular Mini Cooper. The Mini E features 150 kilowatt electric motor that's powered by a lithium ion battery pack. Now the regular Cooper has a backseat, but it was pretty small to begin with. And that backseat is ditched in favor of the battery pack in the E. Now Mini says the Mini E can accelerate from zero to 62 in about 8.5 seconds on the way to a top speed of about 95 miles per hour. And with this battery pack, the car has 150 mile range, so you could theoretically commute from a pretty far distance back and forth to work without having to recharge in between. The lease rate for the Mini E is $850 a month for the one-year lease. Now that sounds kind of expensive, but it does include things like collision coverage for the vehicle, service for the vehicle, and any wear and tear parts that may need to get replaced. It also includes a wall box charging station that you can have installed in your garage to charge the Mini E, which instead of a gas cap right here, has a plug to charge the vehicle. Now with that wall box, Mini says it only takes about two and a half hours to fully charge it, but you can also charge the vehicle from a standard outlet, but that may take longer for the charging with that type of plug. So we're in the Mini E right now and it offers pretty strong acceleration. Very quiet, but when you take your foot off the gas, it decelerates very quickly. You can feel the engine start to work as a generator to charge the battery pack. Not only is the driving experience relatively similar to a regular Mini Cooper, the interior is also quite similar. There are some specific Mini EQs, like this yellow door trim and yellow dash trim, and there's been revisions to the instruments to accommodate the electric powertrain. But otherwise the car feels much like a regular Mini Cooper. There are a number of manufacturers doing pilot programs of alternative fuel vehicles, but Mini's is one of the larger ones with its 500 members that's going to eventually recruit for the Mini E. So, if you're interested in being part of this, you need to head over to miniusa.com to see if you qualify. For additional information on this car or any other, go to Cars.com and our blog, Kicking Tires.