Plugs and Cars

JANUARY 29, 2009

Consumers would be buying now if there were products,” says Gregor Matthies, a Munich-based partner at Bain who specializes in the auto industry. A friend called me while behind the wheel of the MINI E last night and it is, not surprisingly, a hoot to drive. Yet it took BMW less than one year to make an electric car.

Electric Cars

Revenge of the Electric Car

APRIL 12, 2010

BMW will partner with composites expert SGL Group to construct a new plant in Moses Lake, Washington, that will manufacture lightweight carbon-fiber materials for auto industry applications. The first was the two-seat Mini E, of which 600 examples are on test in the U.S., Why put the plant in North America, you might ask?

Carbon Fiber

Plugs and Cars

APRIL 24, 2009

And these days a billion dollars is barely a rounding error in the money going to prop up the American auto industry. But other cars, including the MINI E, will be out and about soon, and stimulus money abounds, so the question of public EV infrastructure is much discussed. That would be a game changer.

GM

Revenge of the Electric Car

MAY 17, 2010

BMW’s Mini is rolling out its electric car in three phases. In 2008 the company released a test fleet of 450 Mini-E vehicles and is getting ready to announce its second phase. The third phase will be released around 2015.

China