We all know that it’s hip to have a Mini Cooper, especially since they allow you to zip in and out of traffic like the wind.

So wouldn’t it be ultra hip to have an electric Mini Cooper that can travel up to 150 miles on a single charge?

Yes it would, and BMW is actually going to make it happen.

E is for Electric

It’s called the Mini E, and next year 500 lucky drivers in the New York and Los Angeles areas will get to test drive the electric vehicles.

So what is so green about the Mini E? Take a look at the car features:

• Has LED display within the gauge can show moment-by-moment energy usage
• Uses lithium ion batteries
• Has battery-level gauge behind the steering wheel
• Can be charged within 2.5 hours in any standard wall outlet

The best aspect of the car by far is that as soon as the driver releases the gas pedal, the electric motor goes into reverse and acts as a generator. This saves energy for the batteries.

The Price for the Power

However, this car won’t be cheap.

It will cost an average of $850 a month for the Mini E vehicles. Even though this fee includes technical service and maintenance, it’s still quite a price to pay for a green vehicle.

At least BMW will reimburse customers for the cost of charging the cars.

Here’s the entire story from CNNMoney.com.

Sounds like a great plan to me.

Let’s hope these vehicles do well enough to ‘charge’ their way into the future of all car manufacturers.