The MINI E is a conversion of the BMW Mini Cooper developed for trials with drivers, and deployed in several test sites world-wide, including Germany, UK and new sites in France, Japan and China. The report from the Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle (PH&EV) Research Center at UC Davis investigates the US pioneers’s experience during the field trial.

Through online and telephone surveys of the participating households, and diaries and in-person interviews with a subset of more than 40 households, the UC Davis MINI E research team examined user behavior, infrastructure use, costs, environmental benefits, and other aspects of electric driving. Among the key findings of the study are the following:

• 100% of respondents said BEVs are fun to drive and practical for daily use
• Respondents said the MINI E met 90% of their daily driving needs
• 71% of respondents drove fewer than 40 miles/day; 95% drove fewer than 80
• 99% of respondents said home charging was easy to use
• 71% of respondents said they are now more likely to purchase a BEV than they were a year ago while only 9% said they are less likely
• 88% of respondents said they are interested in buying a BEV or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in the next five years

By the end of the lease period, MINI E drivers overwhelmingly thought that the electricity for charging their BEV should come from renewable resources such as solar, wind and hydropower, and were strongly opposed to using coal to generate electricity for their vehicles.

The UC Davis study is part of a whole set of studies being conducted by the BMW Group on electric vehicles, which includes research in China, Germany and the UK.

UC Davis Plug-in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle Research Center director Tom Turrentine said the study highlights three new and potentially significant ways that drivers value BEVs:

• The MINI E meets drivers’ desire for a vehicle that is both environmentally friendly and fun to drive. Drivers loved the vehicle’s quick acceleration and quiet operation.

• Drivers find value in using electricity as a fuel and in mastering their individual energy use through efficient driving behaviors. Additionally, the drivers learned to appreciate the car’s powerful regenerative braking function, which returns energy to the battery and allowed them to drive using a single pedal for acceleration and braking.

• Drivers like to develop their clean driving territory. “Drivers start talking about the MINI E as a special way to explore their region. They of course can go anywhere in their gas car, but they like to talk about where they can go in their MINI E,” Turrentine says.

While range is often held up as a limitation of BEVs, the MINI E’s range of around 100 miles was acceptable to most drivers most of the time.

By studying the MINI E drivers’ usage patterns and need for range, researchers were able to determine that strategic placement of charging stations could allow drivers to reach most of their desired destinations using a BEV that has a range of 90 to 100 miles. Most charging occurred at home, at night, and 99% of respondents said home charging was easy to use.

The MINI E studies are extremely valuable for us as they show that electric cars are already today offering an attractive mobility solution to a broader spectrum of customers. While reducing the tail pipe emissions to zero, the MINI E provides the fun that users expect when driving our products. The results of the UC Davis study have a direct impact on the development of all BMW Group electric vehicles to come.

BMW Group now is developing the next generation of full electric cars, with the BMW ActiveE test fleet coming into the market in 2011 and the series production BMW i3 following in 2013.

—Ulrich Kranz, head of project i, BMW Group

The all-electric BMW ActiveE will be available in select US markets beginning in late 2011, for a two-year lease at $499/month, with a $2,250 down payment.

Resources

• The UC Davis MINI E Consumer Study