Sparky and Me: PURE EE

BMW is at work on the production of a 100% electric, zero electric MINI, and they are calling on 500 people in the LA and New York areas to field test the cars. The company says it wants to find out how well the "limited range of such a vehicle" fits with busy daily lives, whether the lithium-ion batteries hold up? Can they be smaller, charge quicker, go farther?

Sandra Kulli, Sparky and her granddaughter, Michelle Geller

One of the lucky 500 who has been selected to help answer these questions is Sandra Kulli, principal of Kulli Marketing and member of KCRW Foundation Board. She describes the experience here:

July 2009
Mini E..a tale of Sparky and me: PURE EE

About 8 months ago, I entered a contest to win the honor of field test- driving an all-electric Mini Cooper.  With only 500 cars for the whole US, I figured my chances were slim. About two months ago, Mini called to say I’d been selected!  Not sure, but mentioning being a KCRW listener in my application probably helped me win this honor.

Before we could get the car, we had to get wired.

It took a few weeks to get the electric service hooked up in our house.  We now have a separate TUM (time of use meter) that measures  how much power the Mini E uses, separate and apart from the rest of our home.  We are super green (clothes line instead of dryer) so we really didn’t want to send our electric rates up with this new addition.  SCE was very enthusiastic about all-electric cars and were eager to put in the TUM.

It’s been just two weeks since I picked up Sparky and drove her home. She zoomed over Malibu Canyon, regenerating power whenever I took my foot off the gas pedal.  She can go up to 120 mph, but the fastest I’ve gone is 71!  That’s her name - Sparky.  And her soon-to-be license plate will be PURE EE.

Sparky

That’s right.  She’s all electric. Which means I’m not contributing to my carbon footprint while driving the cutest car on earth. Which means I don’t go to the gas station anymore. Which means I qualify for stickers for the carpool lane.  But then, with a 100-mile max range, I won’t be using that carpool lane to drive to San Diego any day soon.

If you are out and about, you might see one of these MINI Es: gray with yellow stripes on the roof plus a few strategically placed yellow electric plugs: the fuel tank, front and rear bumpers, and the roof!

I’ll check back in and let you know how it’s going. So far, Sparky's a joy and I’ve become an environmental hero to my 9-year-old granddaughter.