Hi, I have been driving my mini electric since January 1. I needed a new car after 15 years of driving the same one, I wanted to go electric, and when I looked at electric car prices, I was very disappointed that everything seems to be geared towards people who can drop 50K or more on a vehicle. There are not enough cheaper electric vehicles available yet, and I believe the first company that makes a decent $20,000 electric will be the winner. With time maybe.
So I did an Internet search of the cheapest electric vehicles available right now. Mini Cooper came up along with the other regulars. Hands-down, you will not find a more fun car in this price range that is electric. I commute 20 minutes back and forth from work. I drive around the city. I know my driving habits well, I do not believe range will ever be an issue for me (we have a gas family SUV for long trips). If the range can work for you, and you will not be regularly in anxiety mode. This is a no-brainer. If you will constantly be checking and calculating, I would go with something else. The psychological distress will not be worth being in a cool car. I would choose practicality over anxiety in that case.
I stopped paying attention to different range tests etc. And I also do not really ever pay attention to the battery range indicator on the console, it bases things on estimates etc., taking into account your driving behavior also. I monitor my car like I use my phone battery. I like to know what exact percent the battery is at. You can toggle information so it shows you the little battery symbol and exactly how much battery is left. So just like on your phone, if you use a bunch of apps, or apps that are high energy consumers, your battery depletes quicker. Same thing in the mini electric, the more stuff you have running, the quicker your battery depletes, and that impacts range.
After driving it for a month or two you will quickly understand how the range will work for you. I usually drive in mid Setting. My advice to most people is to use the first green setting, if you're just doing normal everyday driving. When I compare my mid setting driving, to my green setting driving, there is a significant difference in depletion. The mid setting has quite a bit of punch that is unnecessary, And the sport mode is overkill for me on the regular. I never really use green plus, but I bet the car could run forever on that (city driving ). Last thing, when I go to work, I have the option of jumping on a short highway, or doing city driving all the way to work. Highway driving because of no regen opportunities and high speeds, depletes battery quicker. My drive takes about six minutes more, but I actually use less battery by doing city driving to work.
