Remember those 500 electric MINIs that got scattered about the U.S.? Well 17 of them may soon be sporting cherry tops in L.A....
L.A. County is set to deploy 17 electric MINIs (eMINIs?), but don't expect to actually be pulled over by one. Specialized units of the Sheriff's Department, including volunteer programs and the recruitment unit, will be the likely use for the vehicles.
Sheriff Lee Baca made the announcement on Sunday, saying that the MINIs will be leased to the department for $10 per month, per vehicle, in exchange for his deputies' feedback on how they worked. Charging stations for the 100% zero-emissions cars will be installed at sheriff's facilities by MINI USA, which will also handle all vehicle maintenance and repairs.
This is just so California, isn't it?
"The Minis will support the department's commitment to a green environment and will provide valuable insight for environmentally-friendly alternatives for the future," he said.
As we reported in the past, these electric MINIs are currently only available to 500 U.S. drivers as part of a one-year field trial that requires motorists to meet a list of conditions set by BMW, and to pay the market lease rate of $850 per month. They were scattered about the country, mostly on the coasts, and BMW hopes to learn just how practical the e-driving market is before a potential roll-out of the electric cars in the future.
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