I Road Trip the Shortest Range New EV on the Market!

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In this video, I hit the road in the 2022 MINI Cooper SE!
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#MINI #electric #ev

[@newscoulomb3705]

9:55 It's important to submit a ticket in the EA app letting them know that a charger is frozen or down. On a recent trip, I submitted a ticket for a downed charger at the site, and it was rebooted remotely before I left. Not reporting it when you're there just passes that frustration on to the next EV driver, which isn't great if it's potentially such a quick fix.

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

It's stunning to me that their network is such garbage that they themselves don't know when their units aren't working. As a programmer, I can't understand why they don't have a system in place to check the health of each charger. Maybe they can't always fix the charger remotely. But even if they paid two guys for each city to do nothing but drive around and fix chargers, that would be a huge step in the right direction. Clearly, Tesla has this figured out, so it's possible.

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403 Tesla clearly hasn't figured it out either, otherwise they wouldn't have to use bogus charger uptime metrics (if half the Supercharger stalls are active at a site, the site is considered 100% up). Also, what EA is doing is far more challenging because they have to support every EV, even when some automakers don't follow the rules. If Tesla ever actually opened their Superchargers to non-Tesla EVs, their reliability would suffer. That being said, I don't know why EA's charger tracking isn't better. I've talked to other charging providers, and they've said that they do have an active, real-time statuses for every charger. For EA, it looks like their statuses are tied to the payment reader, not the charger itself, so some chargers that are up are listed as down while others that are down are listed as up.

[@xsleep1]

@@newscoulomb3705 "if half the Supercharger stalls are active at a site, the site is considered 100% up". I don't know where you are getting this from. I also don't know why you think it matters. When I look at potential Supercharger sites my Tesla tells me how many are down and how many are not in use. I can see the best place to go charge and, since they have lots of them, I have a choice of locations. This seems to be unlike every non-Supercharger where how many stalls are available can only be found out when you arrive.

[@wojciechmuras553]

@@newscoulomb3705 I've yet to find a single broken Supercharger.

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@wojciechmuras553 I don't even use Superchargers, and I've visited a number of Supercharger sites with chargers that were down. Usually, it's nowhere near half, but having a couple chargers down out of 10 or 20 stalls is still fairly common.

[@Wicked_Runs]

Legend has it that the Chevy Volt driver is still waiting to charge till this very day 😆

[@paulmadkow9143]

I think you meant Chevy Bolt.

[@leezep9794]

@@paulmadkow9143 thx to capt obvious

[@baronvg]

I’m proud of that guy 😆

[@roodick85]

Dude that was dirty as hell lol 😂

[@racingfortheson]

“I’m just driving with the state of traffic.” As every car passes him 😂

[@silvy7394]

If every car on his left is passing him then that means he's actually driving in the right late. No, not right as in direction. People will always be going 10+ over the limit and the speed of everyone else in the left lanes.

[@heyitsstrange]

I just picked up my '23 mini SE as my first EV and I love it so much! Def requires more planning but its so manageable and on my daily commute I don't have to worry about the public charging. I could have gotten a Bolt but this is my 3rd mini and cabin comfort, ride, and the joy of this car driving experience is unmatched! Great video. I do wonder if electrify America is going to add more than 4 charging stalls in the future because this is def my experience of waits and broken chargers here on the east coast.

[@dontbanmebrodontbanme5403]

Forget about adding more chargers (although that would obviously be nice). Why on earth can't these 3rd party charging networks get their act together and at least make sure the ones they have up and "running" actually work?

[@brandenflasch]

I did a 700 mile trip from Florida to North Carolina immediately after we purchased our Cooper SE (and made a video on it) and it was a lot less painful than I expected actually.

[@twystedhumour]

which means what? a lot less painful could be the difference between getting your foot cut off or getting your ear cut off.

[@brandenflasch]

@@twystedhumour it was actually fairly easy.

[@josephpokorski9002]

@@brandenflasch yeah, only 12 stops to charge vs one fillup (or less).

[@newscoulomb3705]

17:26 This is a huge problem with free charging and only billing by kWh. Many stations have idle fees or per minute "parking" fees that start after a set period of time. If that Mach-E owner drove away with $100+ charging bill, they might think twice about hogging the station.

[@silvy7394]

Well no, charging by KWH is fair. This isnt a gas pump, charge rate varies by car. You should pay for what you use. I hate it because my little leaf doesnt charge fast, so when they charge by minute I get ripped off. Meanwhile all the rich folks who have the really nice cars get to charge at a ridiculous rate and pay several times less per KWH than even charging at home. Do what one of my charge point stations does. Charge by KWH. Once you hit 96% give them a notification and after 15 mins charge them parking fee.

[@newscoulomb3705]

@@silvy7394 Umm, that's pretty much exactly what I said. The issue is with free charging OR only charging by kWh. There needs to be a time element added to it somewhere, and it should be based on the use case for the business. If a business doesn't benefit from someone dwelling there for more than 15 minutes, a per minute parking fee should start after 15 minutes. If the business doesn't benefit from someone dwelling there for more than 30 minutes, start the per minute parking fee after 30 minutes. It doesn't have to be punitive, but it should discourage squatting. Even 15 cents a minute starts to add up if someone is squatting at a charger for 30 minutes to an hour.

[@livstrming3805]

Your comment of the cross climate 2's affect on your Mini's range caught my attention. After listing to rave reviews for the European version of the CC2 with its low rolling resistance I purchased a set for my 2020 Rav4 hybrid. My mileage went from about 40mpg to about 34MPG and my distance to empty went from 510miles to 450miles. I was able to recoup some MPG by adding 7psi over the rated 33psi. (Handling is still excellent.) I was told by the reviewer the formulation for the North American CC2 version is different from the European version? In Europe the the rolling resistance is shown by class - from A (most efficient) to E (least efficient) and is on each tire label to help in the buying decision. We could use this type of rating system in the USA - especially for EV and Hybrid owners...

[@silvy7394]

Yeah the CC2 for USA and Europe is different, with the Europe ones being more efficient.

[@Trades46]

Yup. Definitely noticed range drop when I switched over to the Cross Climate 2 on my Audi e-tron in Canada. The tires grip well over all conditions but the rolling resistance is definitely stronger than the stock Continentals they ship with.

[@mikembf7777]

Tommy, I can't agree with you more. I have a tesla here in Miami and you would not believe how many people will leave their cars at the super chargers even after they are at 100%

[@tonys9413]

I have a ‘23 Polestar 2 with 260 miles range, but I keep an ICE CUV for all roundtrips beyond 200 miles from home. I’ve NO interest in planning / hunting for working chargers; I realize this exercise is almost orgasmic for some people (not you, I know), but life is too short for that.

[@kylecordes]

KZbinrs love the complexity of planning and optimizing, because it is the source of endless content. Gassing up a car, or for that matter charging a Tesla at Superchargers, is boring and trivial.

[@UnnDunn]

Your Polestar 2 has a trip planner built-in that will take all the guesswork and planning effort away. Just set your destination in the Google Maps app in your infotainment screen and go.

[@tonys9413]

@@UnnDunn Not in the US! Half of the DC chargers are out of service for months at a time.

[@jpmiller99]

Good for around town. Not patient enough to road trip a car like this. I'll need 400 miles and range (320 at 80%) and a 15 min charge time from 20%-80%. (And a 35K price tag). And then there is the "etiquette" issue, and that will never be resolved. People are rude.

[@young1e80]

That's the problem, no one should have to plan anything around their vehicle, their vehicle is there to be part of the plan regardless, it shouldn't have to be that inconvenient to plan a road trip by adding more stress of planning "around" your vehicle.

[@BioniqBob]

Losing my ICE for the day to get an oil change is a deal waste of time. 3 times a year. 90% of EVs do night charging. Here it is 8 cents a kwh. A road trip is not a race, relax.

[@naturesrevolt]

Took my mini from KC to CHI. What an exhausting journey that was. Always make sure the charger works before getting there.

[@TougeTourGuide]

All that work just to go 220 mi. The only way I'd have in EV right now is one that has a 300 mi reliable range or more. The cost of fuel versus charging is definitely a thing but in every single car I own right now including my M3, that trip would have maybe used half a tank with no extra work or range anxiety. Great video though.

[@JDONUMBER7]

Tommy, this was a fantastic video and I absolutely LOVE your Cooper SE (especially in that color with the roof! 💙) That being said, we ALL know the real star of this video was Luna the corgi! 13:22 🥰

[@CoolTies]

I drove short range EVs for 4 years and couldn't do it. One trip from Toronto to London, Ontario required 4 charges. Adding nearly 2 hours to a 3.5 hour round trip. It was the middle of the winter. Mississauga to Toronto for work (90km) and I couldn't even finish a round trip on one charge when it was below -20°C. That was the 2016 Kia Soul EV (30KWh battery) and trying to find a charger and then having to plug in and move it at lunch time (extra charges or towing if you stay past your time limit). Then to lose 20% battery capacity to degradation after 60K km. Just so unnecessarily stressful. No, I just won't go back. It's not worth the aggravation. Even if the range is longer, the wait is even longer.

[@BioniqBob]

BS

[@AkioWasRight]

I absolutely hate how all these charging stations either work with an app or a card.

[@davidmilhouscarter8198]

18:06 The Mach E driver is probably the type of person who blocks fuel pumps.

[@adamchoi8136]

I loved my mini. It was a great way to get into the ev scene. I recently swapped out to a sr+ model 3 and the mini has trained me well to deal with any range anxiety. You did quite well on range efficiency considering it’s colder out. Nice work.

[@roodick85]

I did the same with my eGolf its a great training vehicle to get into driving electric

[@Chrisb8s]

I am with you. The mini cooper SE is our 4th ev. We now have a model Y and the mini and on weekends I take that mini everywhere. She drives it back and forth to work at an electricity cost of about 35 cents a day. We have the very base $29k model with no sunroof. It feels so premium. Love it. I joke with my wife. The Tesla lies about range. Bug so does the mini. In reverse. The mini will day 98 miles. 15 miles later it will say 98 miles left. So cool. So efficient

[@UGABrother]

Thanks for the helpful vids. I bought a used 2022 Mini SE this month, and I'm loving it so far! Although I've only charged at home to this point. However, watching this vid has me excited to attempt my own road trip. Maybe I'm crazy, but normal road trips can be deathly dull, at least road-tripping in the Mini gives you something to think about! It could be stressful, true, but there would also be the sense of triumph when you see your 'charge plan' working to perfection.

[@organickevinlondon]

I recently did, London (obviously in England) to Lands End, in Cornwall, and back, (an about 600 mile round trip) in my Mini Cooper Electric, "NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER" I did the outward journey, with 3 pre planned stops, one at Amesbury, (where Stonehenge is) at about 100 miles, for a 25 minute charge up, (Gridserve, plenty of chargers, and NO queue) at a 50 kW charger, next stop Honiton, Devon, for a 20 min charge, after another 70 mile drive, B.P. filling station, 2 chargers B.P. Pulse, and both available to use and once again NO QUEUE, and another 20 minute charge up, 60 miles later, at Launceston, Cornwall, Pod Point, 6 chargers, ALL available to use, with NO queue, that got me to Lands End, which is a bit of a remote place in the U.K., BUT, there is a Gridserve EV charging point there, and there was NO queue for that too, the return journey, went as well as this too.

[@timaustin2000]

Fun fact: the Cooper Electric is MINI's best selling single model. Seriously: it outsells everything else in the range, worldwide. Not sure BMW were expecting that but it goes a long way to explaining why all new MINI launches will be electric from 2025.

[@foellerd]

People like coopers but hate the English reliability. Electric power trains give people in that mindset piece of mind.

[@katiecannon8186]

Can’t wait for the 4 door.

[@josephpokorski9002]

not surprising to me, their ICE engines are CRAP.

[@mowcowbell]

The public charging issues are one of the reasons I chose to buy a Wrangler 4xe. Short trips on electric, gasoline for road trips. No charging worries, 240v outlet in the garage.

[@Spaski1234]

Outstanding review! I thoroughly enjoyed this. You’ve accurately captured the Mini SE owner experience and the challenges with charger reliability/availability. Well done!👏👏

[@colewo92]

Absolute headache, can’t imagine dealing with this for 100 miles each way

[@notbatman1001]

Try the Continental Pure Contacts. They're designed for EVs and compliment the SEs handling. In Green Mode, in winter the GOM predicts 96 miles at the coldest temps. In summer 112-120. I find the GOM is conservative in its estimates.

[@midlife_vanlife7594]

Love my Mini SE! It’s so nice on a cold winter morning to just unplug my warm car in the garage and not have to stand out in the cold wind and buy gas. It’s the perfect city car! Next time, try initiating an EA charge using the app on the CarPlay screen in the car.

[@americanrambler4972]

With this trip, you have confirmed my desire for a minimum of 175 to 200 mile range, even if most of my driving will be in the 20 to 120 mile range. More than that, I can use my ice compact Promaster city or Toyota Prius.

[@nickdegroot2445]

Nice video! I also have a Cooper SE. I agree with you on build quality and the way it drives. Its simply amazing and so much fun. Just the range is a thing sometimes, especially if you are unable to charge at your location and have to go back and start with an almost empty battery. Btw, Michelin CrossClimates are all-seasons not winter tires🤓

[@TFLclassics]

All weather tires actually. A true 3 peak snow rating!

[@nickdegroot2445]

@@TFLclassics yeah here in Europe they call that all-season. They are the best though CC2!

[@colegreene2153]

The charging just seems so frustrating. I hate the idea of needing a phone to charge. It always seems like some of the chargers are down

[@Coach_BigMac]

Ok boomer! 🤣🤣🤣

[@shitloveaduck]

@@Coach_BigMac - comments like your are so f’ing annoying. They are ageism at its base. The guy stating he has not used a public charger is smart! If you can’t be prejudiced, can’t be constructive, maybe just don’t post. You definitely need to grow up! Not in age, in maturity.

[@runningawayvagabond5876]

Hates the idea of using a phone to charge but is 100% A-OK with using cash or credit/debit card for gas. And as in the video you'd rather pay $32.- in gas for this trip than the four bucks and change that electricity costs. Got it.

[@linusa2996]

@@runningawayvagabond5876 I don't see why I need to have an account with the specific provider to charge a car. I don't have an account for Shell, another for ARCO, Cheveron, Mobil and Sinclair.

[@muttsbutts]

@@runningawayvagabond5876 I don't fast charge often, but I have used EA and I do prefer using an IRFD card, like I use at EVGo and ChargePoint, just sayin'.👍👊✌🖖

[@erikortiz9472]

Love the Mini SE content!

[@HSstudio.Ytchnnl]

wdym, the DJI drone?

[@jadonharper1493]

That’s a beautiful mini, love that the roof matches the body.

[@cagarden8808]

I’ll wait buying a Mini SE until the range is 300+.

[@schmoab]

REI on the north side of Colorado Springs is your best bet. The bonus is you can wander around the very nice REI while it charges, and there's food options in the area. It is disappointing that CS and Fort Collins have such weak charging infrastructure. Arvada and Westminster have quite a few now. I'm glad we now have an option in Georgetown, although it's very expensive. I want to drive my Mini SE to New Mexico, but Taos *still* does not have a fast charger.

[@michaelleavitt4663]

Thank you for sharing your real world anxiety while trying to make it safely through your trip. Being across the mountains in Utah, we have similar charging challenges and the need to navigate long distances. You video makes my high dollar fill-ups with gas a bit more tolerable. You are a true pioneer, just a bit ahead of your time. But we need people like you to help pave the way for the mainstream to be able to join you in the journey. Michael Leavitt - Orem, Utah

[@b5thomas7]

I just got a mini cooper S and I love it. I'm supportive of the EV switch, but the S was the right choice for me. 100% that the fit and finish and quality feel special in the mini.

[@davidgiles9751]

So many points that are made in this video, but IMO, the most important would be to NOT take a short range EV like the Mini on road trips. Rather, just use it as a daily around the town runabout and charge it up at home overnight. However, I do appreciate Tommy's documenting of this experience. PS: My EV6 would have easily made the round trip with charge to spare. However, even though I could, I won't take my EV6 on a true (multi State) cross country trip until the charging infrastructure improves. Those trips are still best left to ICE cars, or better yet, hybrids.

[@dommm111]

"the most important would be to NOT take a short range EV like the Mini on road trips" That's absurd. What if you can't afford a long range EV. What if it's your only vehicle. What if your main car/truck is broken and you NEED to make a road trip. And we're talking about brand new EVs with brand new batteries 🔌💩

[@Sylvan_dB]

@@dommm111 Don't buy an EV? But seriously, people deal with similar problems every day. What if you need to haul 4x8 sheet goods? What if you need to take 5 people? ... If you insist on a single vehicle that cannot do everything you need, you come up with other solutions to those less frequent needs such as short-term rental, a trailer, a friend, etc.

[@dommm111]

@@Sylvan_dB Yes, my cars have different problems and I have no need for more, and right now EVs are more problems

[@theredmonkey]

It not only has short range but charges slowly as well.

[@Sylvan_dB]

@@dommm111 Same here!

[@JustinKelly]

Although this is very disappointing to see, as someone who would charge primarily at home (or work) this isn't a deal breaker. It shows that maybe an EV is not for everyone based on where they live but as infrastructure builds, it should become better. If they can't keep reliability up though, it might be troublesome to grow rapidly if 50% of what you install always is down or unusable.

[@unclej3910]

I’m lucky to have a Rivian Waypoint charger at a 4 minute walk from my front door. Free 11.6 kW level 2 for my Chevrolet Bolt EUV. And I can charge at 120v at work. My commute is only 6ish miles one way.

[@motorv8N]

Nice video - lol like watching myself with our SE. Bought as a commuter and with a Level 2 unit installed at the house we had not a care in the world Mon-Fri. Then when gas prices got really mental last summer we thought, hmm, road trip this vs the ICE crossover? Done right we’d likely save $130 or so on gas. Off we went… I’ll say rolling in to a two-space station in the middle of nowhere on whatever passes for electron fumes was a bit disconcerting but charging went well and we finished the 300km trip just fine. The piddly Level 1 charge at the cabin we were at took 24 hours to bring the battery to full again but we didn’t need to get anywhere. Since that first adventure in conquering range anxiety we have done the same trip 5-6 times now it’s such a fun car to drive. We’ve wised up though and make the first stop early, do a quick 15 min juice up then another at the grocery store closer to our destination. We need to stop for food there anyway. In this way we bypass the other place that would truly be a problem if it didn’t work and spend no more total time charging. Would 200 plus miles of range be nice? Sure, but I’m surprised how easily this car has fit into our lives. As for charger etiquette, well, human beings will never fail to disappoint. Some POS actually bullied my wife into disconnecting a few months ago and giving up her unit early in her session because he was “in a hurry”. Lol right, wonder how often he tries that on men…

[@Nathans_Margarita_Salt]

Man that constant beeping would drive me absolutely insane after about 2 days with that car. Otherwise solid video showing the struggles of low range EVs

[@bear8046]

I had the same thoughts. I'd be 86ing that little speaker ASAP.

[@mdshovel]

Those bong sounds would drive me mad ... madder than the range !! 😁

[@davva360]

I really don't get how they can mess up the charging systems so much. I watch a lot of EV videos because I am genuinely curious about the practicality of one, especially if you need to go on a longer trip. EA chargers are just not reliable, they sometimes work, sometimes dont, sometimes complete a charge without issue, sometimes they stop for no apparent reason. Until they get this situation fixed I would never buy an EV. I dont mind waiting for a charge if I can walk away, use the bathroom and eat but if you then have to go back and restart the session its too big of a pain in the ass.

[@danieltilleru3528]

As more people get theses cars the charging is going to a problem I can see people fighting at charging stations

[@joanyoon4672]

Thank you for a great video. I will be using the car to drive to work. However., it is nice to know I can use the car for a long distance as well!

[@the_average_backpacker]

Just going to say it: the gas station business model just makes sense now for EVs with the advent of fast charging. All these unattended charging stations being broken or ICE'd are a huge roadblock to folks adopting EVs. Imagine a Buc-ee's with a Pavillion of fast chargers/super chargers!

[@the_average_backpacker]

The unattended charging stations in a retail parking lot still have their place, for sure, and this model worked well when it took an hour or two to charge to any relevant degree 7 years ago. This doesn't seem like a sustainable model going forward that will support medium or long distance driving, which we love doing.

[@evtrekker1317]

That red Mach E demonstrates the problem with free charging. It's great until someone decides to camp on it. Had that scenario at our local mall where someone who worked there used the free level 2 Charge Point as their parking spot even when fully charged. That ended when the mall began charging money. I'm actually okay with free charging but there needs to be some way of managing the sessions.

[@AnalogueKid2112]

Ran into problems on my Thanksgiving trip with Electrify America as well. Tried two different stations, tried both plugs but kept getting an error message. Worse, EA billed me $10 for both attempts. Went across town to one of the new Ultium Ready EVgo stations and things worked perfectly. EA really needs to improve the network

[@TechSavvyOppa]

Do they charge you by the minute in your area or something?

[@AnalogueKid2112]

@@TechSavvyOppa no it's per kWh. There was some kind of bug in the system or app and they're issuing a refund after I called

[@JasonYergin]

Damn... that Mach-E driver was sitting there for way too long and for absolutely no reason.

[@cheesetomatoes]

This makes me very thankful for my MYLR. That said, I'd consider this Mini if our family ever needs a second car.

[@cabinboybp1]

Check out Volta; free level 2 charging Currently 17 units in Denver; 3 units at the AMC at Castle Rock, 2 Units at the Cinemark in Colorado Springs

[@davidmilhouscarter8198]

7:38 From Castlerock to my house, also in Colorado Springs, is about 50 miles.

[@ericvisser113]

Nice water bottle Tommy. I think I have the same one on my desk ;)

[@tarfeef101]

Can't wait for that infra to improve. Tired of averaging over 11L/100km in my crossover. Shit is expensive

[@USUG0]

let's face it the video was just about Tommy bragging he has a girlfriend! ;-P

[@Geckogold]

Thanks for sharing this video Tommy! The issues you ran into with charging is specifically why I bought a Tesla Model Y. Their supercharger network makes DC fast charging relatively painless, and they often have multiple stalls at each station, usually 6-12 at least. I'd imagine this video would've been much different had you of ran into any other significant problems which delayed your trip even more than it already did, such as say if that Bolt owner got there before you did. Sure, superchargers may have this problem too once Tesla opens it up to other non-Tesla EV's. But I'm perfectly fine with that, especially if it means they can get more funding to build out even more stations so that you can find one say, every 10-50 miles instead of every 100 miles. No doubt Electrify America and others will also expand their charging infrastructure which should make it more convenient for people who can't charge at home such as apartment dwellers or people who only have side street parking available.

[@unconventionalideas5683]

Yeah. Tesla is opening up their superchargers to other EVs, though, so get ready for the giant lines that will follow...

[@petegalindez9961]

Great review! Love the Mini SE…I have a Countryman and plan on the SE for my next car…I’ve owned a number of EVs…two Teslas, a Kiro Niro EV, and two PHEVs (RAV4 and Niro)…bottom line, I wouldn’t road trip in anything but a Tesla…you pointed out the charging infrastructure being subpar, but you should have clarified that it’s on for the non Tesla EV infrastructure….the Tesla charging is light years ahead and much more reliable…and as you pointed out, not sure why you didn’t plug in on level 1 at your guest’s house…rookie mistake…I have 14k miles on my Kia Niro EV and it’s never charged on anything but level 1, and we’ve had no issues and no range anxiety…perfect car for the DC area to commute and run errands…

[@roguedogx]

like the mini, looking forward to the convertible.

[@chitown111111]

20:20 tommy next time you drive through Denver stop at the new Cane’s in Northfield. (I-70/225)They are putting in chargers there, though I’m not sure if they are level 2 or 3.

[@TNRVG]

My "EV" only had a 30 mile range and helped build my KZbin channel. I rarely went into the gas generator of my Volt. It's funny to me when people think 300 miles is not enough for an EV.

[@silvy7394]

Its funny because most ICE cars dont even go above 350 miles of range on a tank, but they're worried about an EV with 320 miles. 320 miles, where 99% of your trips are likely under that.

[@garrettpeck1746]

If the EA station is not going over 35 it’s likely a cooling issue with the charging cable. When I top out at 35, I change to another unit if it’s available.

[@owggarage723]

Next video idea. "We road trip a vehicle with a 1 gallon gas tank." Conclusion, the range sucks!

[@gregmoore3420]

My wife and I have a Ford Fusion Energi which is a plug-in Hybrid. We get about 20 miles on pure electric before it goes to gasoline and hybrid mode. We have owned the car since 2017 and combined average about 80 miles per gallon. Over the years many people don't understand first what a hybrid is or what a plug-in hybrid is. The Ford Fusion is a perfect older model to show the comparisons as Ford made all 3 models in the same year. They made an all Gasoline version, a hybrid version, and a plug-in version. If you could do a video showing all 3 cars comparing mileage and the differences I think it would really help people understand the basic concepts in the first place.

[@mo.musicology]

This video really made me anxious!

[@jrmaxwell4504]

This video is another testimonial for PHEVs. I do not understand why EV purists throw so much shade at them. My kids have a RAV4 Prime and a Pacifica hybrid respectively. In their normal day to day driving, they are pure electric and every bit as green as any EV. They both routinely drive 1000 to 2000 miles on a tank of gas because all the local driving is electric. But when they need to do a road trip, they just go. No wrestling with the horrors of a barely functional charger infrastructure. Both vehicles get good hybrid mileage and can easily go 500+ highway miles on a tank of gas. I have no doubt the charger infrastructure will evolve and do the job one day. But before that happens, lines of EVs waiting for a functional charger to be available will be way more common than it is today.

[@zefram47]

Because PHEVs have none of the benefit of less maintenance and complexity. You're carrying around two complete drivetrains when you only need one. And many if not most PHEVs have very low powered electric motors and shit electric range. It's a far worse driving experience. Full EVs are far better.

[@jrmaxwell4504]

@@zefram47 I agree with your points ... to a point. A PHEV that doesn't have enough EV range to handle your normal daily driving doesn't make a lot of sense. The two I referenced can go 30 miles and 42 miles EV. For my kids, they are pure electric most of the time. My normal daily driving is less than 40 miles, but I also need to make semi-regular trips of a few hundred miles in a day. If I know I can access a working, high speed charger on the way, maybe an EV works. If I'm 5th in line for the one working charger in the middle of nowhere, I am properly screwed. With a PHEV, it's a problem that never happens. Different situations, different solutions.

[@andrewdoble7973]

What in your fleet did you sell to get the mini?

[@laloajuria4678]

"V is brought to you by....." great job checking the edit.

[@kingschill23]

The mini EV seems like a really cool fun car, but they need to fix that price tag. Just make it super basic no bells and whistles or something. For such a small car with such little range that is only good for a daily commuter they need to get it to like 15-20k to compete. Minis are cool little charming cars, but for that kind of money there are way better options out there. My as well get the ioniq 5 at that point.

[@rogermartinez78]

The other car you mentioned is no fun, the Mini on the other hand is a bunch of fun!

[@mmahtnart8986]

A friend of mine bought a used 2016 Tesla Model S and gets free charging when he travels/road trips.

[@Nickwillfixit]

Interesting, I have the Mazda MX30, and battery stats and use is similar, but here in the Westcountry of the UK the charging points are far away from each other, and typically you get one or two together and no such thing as fast charging. Normally I charge at home, but I go regularly to my local gun range, local is 45miles here so I try to do it in one go and wait until home to top up, but now it is getting cold so I will probably have to top off at the gas station a block away from my shooting range before the homeward journey as it is quite a hilly journey about even each way. Now the UK at least in my area being rural it seems a lot of people in the Westcountry charge as I do at home, parking is expensive, so I have caught a few charger user's just topping off to get very cheap parking clogging chargers just to pay pennies for parking really bad on market days. So the answer is fun using it so far but have had some butt clenching 1% left in my battery as I roll into my drive now I have two long journeys coming up 200plus miles each way hmm.

[@Jeddin]

Why did you buy the Mazda? It’s possibly the worst EV ever made with horrible range, efficiency and charging. It’s so bad you even have to wonder if Mazda sabotaged it’s design on purpose to make it a compliance car they have to build bu they don’t actually want anyone to buy it..

[@DudeStone]

Think the charging stations could show which "pumps" are unavailable due to being used or down and for how long until done charge (with knowledge that the owner can be back at any time) on the app or online in general. Can someone also just stop their charge for themselves?

[@gregyohngy]

Is it me, but haven't you ever heard of an extension cord? I carry one in my Fiat 500e with the 110v charger. You're only using 1300 watts. Never needed it, but assisted a stranded Nissan Leaf by charging at a grocery store where it plugs in its electric shopping chairs using ny extension cord. He sat for 5 hours at a nonworking charger, until I arrived!!!

[@runningawayvagabond5876]

A small-ish range EV would be ideal for a lot of people. Manufacturer's - are you listening? We all don't need 500km (300 mile) plus EV's. It's always said the biggest cost in an EV is the battery pack so stop putting in the biggest one you can and bring the price down! Same with this Mini - most of us don't care about having the best interior in it's class, just give us Civic/Corolla levels of interior quality and most of us will be happy, and it won't be a $37k vehicle then either. My work round trip is 19 kms (call it 12 miles). Add another 8km round trip (5 miles) when I go to the gym. I'm sure a lot of you are similar. A 160km (100 mile) EV would be fine for over a week of driving. For us that actually have winter (I'm in Canada) say we have to charge every 4-5 days then, big whoop. And where I live, it's code now to have EV chargers in new buildings so my place has a couple of chargers. I wouldn't even have to leave my parking lot to charge up, bonus! Most people don't need mega range. And yeah yeah, I'm not talking about you Bubba, just because you need a 3/4 ton pickup and pull a 13,000lb trailer 300 miles up hill each way to get to work and back every single day and then haul your side by side to the mud bogs 500 miles each way on the weekends. Talking about regular folk. Manufacturers - just give us an appliance of a car (Civic/Corolla again) that we can rely on that doesn't break the bank that we can just use as a car. The Bolt keeps coming to mind but good luck trying to get one. Had to pretty well force the local GM dealer to take my name and number to call me when one comes in so I can sit in it. Still waiting for my callback.

[@carperdiem8754]

I ordered a base no option 2023 red mini se just before the base option became unavailable. Great little car especially for the price of 23k after tax rebate.

[@derekl9702]

Glad you are having fun with the Mini, but not a good advertisement for road trips. Not intended for this use.

[@wilmarbarrick3194]

Here's a thought. Instead of demonstrating that the infrastructure is inadequate, why don't you do an interview with Flo Charger or EA (et. al) and ask them about their processes for deciding where & when they put new chargers in. What are the associated costs and regulatory hurdles with doing so? And when do they foresee better saturation? Etc etc. Put it on TFL talk podcast.

[@caryrae73]

I don’t understand why some places will only put in one DCFC plug. In Minnesota from twin cities going up north which is popular for locals a lot of places for some reason only have one DCFC plug especially when it gets very cold.

[@kencotton4645]

I think I would like an electric car for my everyday driving as I could charge my vehicle overnight at home. But until the infrastructure improves, long distance trips will continue to be a problem for consumers.

[@mbshaw1]

Important to make sure when you buy your EV that you understand the limits of the range and perhaps adjust your expectations accordingly. There are plenty of EV's out there that would do that journey and return on a single charge.

[@chrishansel9324]

Tommy not all cars talk the same way to EA stations, because there is no standard, and all CCS chargers are third party. My 2020 Ioniq 38 KW works the best if you plug it in and then start the charger on the app. So you need to find the best way to charge your car. Yes new EV owners need to learn edicate, but I don't think that they care seeing that people in ice cars block pumps all the time. That will get better with more charging stations. The other point about road trips in an EV is planning ahead and rethinking the way you drive.

[@newscoulomb3705]

Do people consider it "trip planning" when they plan to stop at a specific gas station or travel plaza?

[@loriallen67]

Yes. When my kid was small and we took multi state car trips to family, we absolutely planned out stops based on area of town (safety?) and nearby amenities (rural area?) which included fuel availability with easy access. Sometimes we had it planned to certain exits, knowing what was there from previous journeys.

[@roodick85]

I’d like to see this vs a used eGolf they have the same range too but massive difference in price

[@dougpendergast8994]

Cane's toast is the best!

[@bartwaggoner2000]

An EV with less than 200 miles range does not compute if over 30k!!!

[@lfsracer79]

1:43 The CC2 is an all-weather tire, not a winter tire.

[@silvy7394]

I mean technically its winter rated, just like a winter tire. Its more of a hybrid of every kind of tire than a certain class. They just call it all season because, like I said, it can preform well in ALL conditions.

[@pernell4351]

Nice car good around Town we love Colorado Spring when go Colorado we That first before going to Steamboat Springs

[@katiecannon8186]

What trim level is this?

[@UnnDunn]

Why not check the status of the EA chargers ahead of time using the CarPlay app?

[@lucaskowcz8437]

I had the chance to drive an EV Mini it was certainly a blast. I just cant say that I have enough trust in the charge times and infrastructure and reliability yet. Until I can charge an electric car in 3 -5 min and get 400 plus miles out of a charge its a no go for me. Still rocking my 3 cylinder manual mini that gets 500 miles out of a tank!

[@rogermartinez78]

I smoke your type of Mini all day long here in SoCal and I kept my modded MK5 GTI for long trips! I am having tons of fun driving my Mini SE!

[@donbrloks3959]

Glad I went with a hybrid. Could have made that round trip 2.5 times with 3 adult size friends on 14 gallons of regular gas. And with plenty of heat.

[@rogermartinez78]

Driving a Hybrid is like driving an appliance, so boring, the Mini Cooper SE is a ton of fun!

[@davidmilhouscarter8198]

11:37 Does the eight minutes include time spent on the broken charger?

[@DLAmy]

Does the Mini have a 110 volt adapter?

[@wzDH106]

Are you referring to a 110v Level 1 EVSE? If so, then yes. They should come delivered with a Level 1 EVSE for 110V outlets.

[@the_jarmel]

👏👏👏 Tommy.......

[@Olddahg]

Please review the Venza

[@zefram47]

It really is a shame the chargers in the Springs are so unreliable and there’s nothing between there and Castle Rock. I’ve taken my SE down to PPIR a couple times now and it got a little dicey when it was super windy. If you take 105 up to Sedalia there’s a free DCFC at a power company there that I’ve used.

[@paulo3564]

I Just Love it too. A fantastic ev City car.

[@BecauseTesla]

We're big fans of Mini, but the range you get for the price is a hard pill to swallow. We may still get one for local grocery runs, and use our Tesla for longer road trips. We'll see.

[@davidmilhouscarter8198]

16:48 The Bolt has been waiting for 30 minutes? Plus he has to spend 30 minutes charging? It must be nice to have that much free time.

[@tyrrellroach5872]

I would like to see some try and charge one of these ev’s that had set outside over night at say 10 degrees then try and charge said car at those temps. If it’s like my power tools it won’t take a charge until it is warmed up

[@Aestheticslily]

What do you think about the MINI Urbanaut? Do you think it will come to fruition?

[@earl60446]

You are displaying all the frustrations I do not need added to my life with EV's, inconsiderate people are number 1 on the list.

[@hardcoreep]

Yeah, had the same issue