$850 lease means a $60K car, about $40K more than a gasser. Battery is still expensive

I told them "sell the car and I'm interested." If they want them back, they can set the used Mini EV price high enough that they can buy them all back. But we know what "leasing" means:


I don't care what their sale price is, there will be buyers or they can adjust the sale price down. Just offer to buy back the car for the sale price and they will get them all back eventually.

Leasing is nuts.

Bob Wilson

What happens when all of them are leased out within a day? Might make some realize that this electric car market might be for real. If you read the article, read the "Randy" comment under the article.

It is a shame that this is a version of a vehicle known for its good power-to-weight ratio and cart-like handling. That has pushed BMW to have to put 200 hp worth of motor in place of the mini engine, because everyone expects this car to haul a$$. Everyone has missed the point of electric cars.
A smaller motor with the ability to pulse and glide, rather than pulse and regen might allow a rear seat. If I drive my Prius in pulse and regen mode, the fuel consumption is terrible. Alternatively, this arrangement might allow 240 km of travel and keep the back seat because the battery could be smaller.
I think that with only 500 custom made cars, and a charger, $850 per month might be a fun year of driving and worth the experience.

I completely disagree. This car will do nothing but help the EV cause. The general public views EV's as slow and sluggish vehicle. This will show that an EV can be every bit as fun as a gas car. The only limitation is range which is more than adequate at 90 to 150 miles.

The problem with this is current habits. I suspect that one can glide with the Mini EV but not in the normal way. If you take your foot completely of the pedal it regens and brakes the car. My guess is that somewhere around 10-20% of pedal travel the car with glide.

This is no different than a hydrostatic transmission. The general public has access to these in lawn tractors. A lawn tractor with a hydrostatic transaxle still has a brake pedal but it is not necessary. When you take your foot off the "gas" pedal the vehicle stops. If you do this slowly the vehicle stops slowly. If you do it quickly the wheels with lock. The vehicle has a brake but it is not necessary. It takes a new user a little bit of time to get used to

Kubota's RTV utility vehicles also use a hydrostatic transaxle. Again the brake pedal is redundant and not used except for emergency braking. Some people love this, some hate it and refuse to adapt to using one pedal to control speed.

If you think about it, the Mini EV could be a one pedal car. A one pedal car would have quicker stopping times because you would eliminate the time needed to release the gas, move the foot to the brake, and then apply the brake.

The Vectrix EV scooter uses this type of technology. When you twist the throttle back it accelerates, return to neutral it coasts, twist the throttle forward it brakes.

my Zenn gets mistaken for a smart car on a regular basis and it has 6 lead acid batts, 4 under the rear cargo area and 2 under the front hood. unfortunately with lead-acid technology and a whomping 5 HP motor... 38 MPH is all she'll do.