"You are going to see people who get more than 100 miles and people who get less than 100 miles."
Mike Ramsey -
WSJ - June 3, 2010
Hypermiling isn't limited to just petroleum powered transportation... --Ed.
Limited numbers of battery-powered cars are expected to hit American roads over the next 12 months, but a test of one electric vehicle is raising questions about how far drivers will be able to go before needing a recharge.
For the past year, BMW AG has leased about 300 electric Mini Cooper compacts to regular consumers in the New York metro area, New Jersey and Southern California. In a survey by BMW and in interviews, participants said they have been getting about 100 miles, or 161 kilometers, per charge—about a third fewer than BMW had expected.
"The Mini E was supposed to have a 156-mile range," said Tom Moloughney, a Montclair, N.J., restaurateur who leased a Mini E. "But that only translated into a real-world range of 100 to 110 miles."
The Mini E's range estimate was based on a driving test used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for generating fuel-economy ratings. The test didn't reflect real-world conditions, said Dave Buchko, a BMW spokesman, who said that drivers found the range they got from the Mini to be enough for almost all of their...
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