I want a hybrid mini-cooper.. any chance they exist?

[GreenPartyVoter]

[Ian David]

1. Looks like... YES!

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rls=GGGL,GGGL:2006-17,GGGL:en&q=hybrid+mini-cooper

Meet the World’s First BMW Mini Cooper Plug-In-Hybrid


I have got to start attending the Geneva Auto Salon in Switzerland. Some of the coolest stuff is starting to debut there.

Take for example the Castagna Milano's Mini Cooper hybrid conversion. Originally founded about a 150 years ago in Milan, Italy to build custom coaches for the wealthy nobility, Castagna now specializes in one-of-a-kind automobiles and specialty conversions. This year, they took the wildly popular BMW Mini Cooper and turned it into a plug-in hybrid.

Rather than go to the expense of having to engineer a hybrid drive like you'd find in the Prius or Escape, they simply left the transverse, IC engine in place under the front "bonnet" (hood for us Yankees). Instead, they re-engineered the rear axle and beefed up the car's suspension, installing an electric motor to drive the rear wheels at the flip of a switch by the driver. I am told that the battery is a ZEBRA sodium nickel chloride from MES DEA in Switzerland and that the company has warranted it for five years.

<snip>

The cost for the conversion is about 40,000 euros plus the cost of the Mini. Unfortunately they have to do the stretch to have the space for the batteries and that alone costs 19,500 euros. So the hybrid part costs 20,000, of which they say 11,000 is for the battery pack.

Based on the current conversion rate of Euros to dollars, that's more than $48,000 for the conversion and more than $13,000 for the ZEBRA battery.

Kristian says, Castagna Milano has already done about 100 strech Mini Coopers, one of which is owned by a neighbor down the road.

More:
http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=18552

[justgamma]

4. I met one the other day

in Eastern Iowa. Cute as a Bug. Yep they are real.

[GreenPartyVoter]

7. U met one? *l*

[chill_wind]

11. I'd love one. Such cool cars. AWESOME website.

Here: http://www.miniusa.com/crm/no_flash.jsp?flashversion=na

[Warpy]

2. Not yet

but they're so little and so light that they already have great gas mileage.

If they'd had a little more cargo room, I'd have one.

[tech3149]

8. I wish they were as small as the original Mini

I'd probably sell my soul for a good MkI or Cooper.

[jobycom]

3. You could make your own.

Splice a cucumber gene into the gasline, or summach like that.

[SharonRB]

5. I'm thinking about a Mini for my next car in two years or so

I was hoping they'd come out with a hybrid. However, reading the response, it sounds like a hybrid conversion would be way too expensive. The regular Mini does get pretty good mileage, though, and they are just so cute.

[Warpy]

12. I'd have gotten one but I am a fibre crafter

and that means hauling bags of fleece and yarns and equipment, lots of it. The Mini just didn't have the room I need.

I ended up with a Korean econobox that does and it's in the top 10 of fuel efficient gas burners, so I can't complain.

I don't drive that much, anyway. My other car is an electric moped.

[Grateful for Hope]

6. I have a Mini

not a hybrid, course. But, I can't complain about the gas mileage.

I was recently rear-ended by a SUV. My car had a lot of rear-end damage which was repaired so well that I can't tell it was ever hit. The interesting thing is that the SUV had a LOT of front-end damage. The Mini may be little, but it is mighty!

[Quakerfriend]

9. I wanted the very same...But, too bad, my car broke down

and I HAD to buy something new. I was very lucky to get a Toyota Highlander Hybrid- used. It's been a dream. It still only gets 33 mpg (in the city) but, I feel good having bought a hybrid.

[GreenPartyVoter]

10. wish we could replace the explorer we have with one of those

[porphyrian]

13. If it didn't, you could probably still make one from a kit. - n/t