Mini E Delievery Begins, Los Angeles Sheriff's Department To Get a Fleet of Them

Peter Trepp with his Mini E.

Delivery of the 500 Mini E electric Mini Coopers have begun recently. BMW, Mini's parent company, plans to lease the electric cars in southern California and metro New York as part of a testing program. Peter Trepp of Los Angeles took delivery of the first car last month.

Also, today it was announced that the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will be leasing 17 of the Mini E's. Fortunately for Angeleno's, the LASD won't be paying the $850 lease per car (especially since California can't afford much right now), instead they are only on the hook for $10 a month per car. Don't expect to be pulled over by one of these, LASD says they will be used in specialized units, for recruiting, volunteering, and in administrative offices.


Links: AutoblogGreen, Autoblog

Tesla Motors To Open 7 New Stores

Tesla Motors, the makers of the $101,000 Roadster electric sports car and soon to be $50,000 Model S sedan, have announced a plan to open 7 new stores throughout the United States and Europe. Tesla already has stores in Northern and Southern California, and expect them to soon be in Chicago, New York, Seattle, Miami, Washington DC, London, Monaco and Munich. Some (New York, Seattle, London, and Chicago) could open as soon as later this month. For more information, check out the links below.


Link: Tesla Motors
Source: AutoblogGreen

Recap: Subaru Launches EV Production, GM Says Volt On Track

Subaru Stella EV

Subaru, not to be out done by their Japanese competitor Mitsubishi, has launched production of their Stella EV. Although Subaru is not producing as many EV's as Mitsubishi, it is still a great start. Deliveries of the $47,600 (converted from Japanese Yen, not including tax credit from Japanese government) car will start next month in Japan. It will have a range of about 55 miles and a top speed of 62 miles per hour. As of now, it is unclear if this vehicle will see the light of day on U.S. shores.

In other news, GM has said that even though they are struggling financially, the Volt is still on schedule for a 2010 launch. From GM:

Yes. GM will continue to make a significant investment in future products and new technologies. The New GM will have a number of key vehicle launches in 2009 and 2010, including:

• Chevrolet Camaro, a dramatic, moderately priced sport coupe with highway fuel economy of up to 29 mpg
• An all-new Buick LaCrosse premium midsize sedan
• The luxury midsize Cadillac SRX crossover and CTS Sport Wagon
• The Chevy Equinox and GMC Terrain, midsize crossovers with class-leading highway fuel economy of 32 mpg
• The Chevy Cruze, GM's new global compact car
• The revolutionary Chevy Volt, an extended-range electric vehicle that can travel up to 40 miles on battery power alone

We look forward to seeing both of these vehicles soon.


AutoblogGreen: Stella EV
AutoblogGreen: GM Volt

Miles EV launches Coda Automotive To Build Electric Sedan

Miles Automotive, who we've covered in the past, has already launched a new brand. Coda Automotive will build the highway capable electric sedan that Miles had been developing over the past few years. The vehicle will be built in China, but available to the public here in America. With an expected range of 90 to 120 miles, the vehicle will have a factory direct price of $45,000, before any types of incentives.



More Pictures: AutoblogGreen

Coda Automotive

Mitsubishi Begins Production Of i MiEV, Plus New Pics

On June 4, Mitsubishi launched production of their i MiEV electric car. It has a 100 mile range, and will cost around $31,000 (after conversion from Japanese Yen, including Japanese government tax breaks).

Although the car has been confirmed for a U.S. launch, it is unclear when that will happen. The first customers will be fleets in Japan, followed by a retail launch there later this year.

Mitsubishi has released new pictures showing what the production model of the vehicle will look like, for more see the link below.


AutoblogGreen: i MiEV pictures