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2010-06-04 08:29:12
By Jorn Madslien Business reporter, BBC News, Oxford
Ever more mainstream carmakers are planning to make electric cars for sale to
ordinary drivers, though none of them have done so yet. But there are trial
cars out there, and Oxford-based businessman David Beesley has been driving one
for six months.
And Mr Beesley is not a happy man. Another week or so and that is it. He has to
hand the car back.
"I am livid," the 60-something head of business supplies company B-line says.
Continue reading the main story
"It is a totally different experience to anything I've driven before and
probably anything I'll be driving in the future
David Beesley Electric car driver Mini points to electric car future
For Mr Beesley, the journey begun about a year ago, when he first learnt that
Mini was building an electric car in its Cowley factory on the edge of Oxford.
At the time, he was in a very different mood.
"I heard about it through my son whose best friend works in the plant," he
says, and being the sort of guy who enjoys messing abount in battery-powered
boats or racing electric buggies around the garden, Mr Beesley knew he had to
get involved.
"If you want something, you'll go for it, don't you?" he grins.
Different experience
Mr Beesley took delivery of his Mini-E in December 2009 as one of the so-called
"pioneers" who pay just over 300 per month to take part in BMW Group's
electric motoring trial.
Continue reading the main story
I'm told it's about 3 for a full charge, but it never is a full charge because
the battery is never actually empty
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mainstream
And it has not been an entirely smooth experience.
During sub-zero temperatures, the battery capacity dropped to a range of just
40 miles, compared to almost 100 miles during summer, he recalls.
And, well, that's it. Beyond such teething problems, which BMW insists will be
overcome before it starts selling electric cars to consumers, he has not had
any problems whatsoever.
In short, Mr Beesley says, the experience has given him an insatiable thirst
for more. These days, he rarely drives anything other than the Mini E.
"It is a totally different experience to anything I've driven before and
probably anything I'll be driving in the future," says Mr Beesley, a petrolhead
whose other cars include three large Lexus saloons, a Chrysler Voyager, a Smart
car and an enormous Winnebago mobile home.
"Yes, I like big cars," he says. "But I have begun to question whether big cars
is the way forward."
Never empty
So Mr Beesley is far from livid about the electric Mini's shortcomings.
Rather, he is furious because he will have to hand it back when the first part
of the Mini-E trial comes to an end next week, on 11 June.
As yet, the BMW Group has not got a production model for sale, so Mr Beesley
has been driving a prototype.
Continue reading the main story David Beesley with the Mini E
Clearly, if you do 90 miles per day then this is probably not the car for you,
but how often do you drive more than 90 miles in one stretch?
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"I cannot fault the thing, even in its present form," he says.
"People say it does only this many miles or that many miles or that it takes
so-and-so long to charge it.
"Meanwhile, I go past the petrol stations and laugh at the silly sods wasting
time and money filling up fuel."
The Mini-E is clearly very cheap to use, though Mr Beesley has no idea exactly
how much it costs him.
"I'm told it's about 3 for a full charge, but it never is a full charge
because the battery is never actually empty," he says.
No problems
The realities of living with an electric car are very different from what most
people would expect, Mr Beesley explains.
"I never used to consider how far my journey would be," he says. "I now reckon
my average journey is five to 10 miles. I guess people think they drive more
miles than they actually do.
"Clearly, if you do 90 miles per day, then this is probably not the car for
you, but how often do you drive more than 90 miles in one stretch? And how
often do you have sub-zero temperatures in Britain?"
Continue reading the main story David Beesley with the electric charging cable
I come home, I get out of the car and I plug it straight in
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Mr Beesley is even taking issue with the supposed need to roll out public
charging points to molify people's range anxiety.
On most journeys, there is no need to top up the batteries to get home, Mr
Beesley insists.
"And if I go to see a client in High Wycombe or my auntie in Southampton, it is
not a problem if I want to plug into their socket while I'm there. It's just a
bit of fun."
BMW says it takes about three hours to charge the battery with a 30-amp
fast-charger, which uses the same type of electric cable that electric cookers
use, or eight hours when using an ordinary 13-amp socket.
But again, Mr Beesley insists that once you get used to electric motoring, even
this seems irrelevant.
"I come home, I get out of the car and I plug it straight in. It takes about
two or three seconds and it charges on low tariffs overnight," he says.
"All this stuff about range and charge time amounts to scepticism and
objection.
"Why do you want to keep objecting about something that is fantastic?"