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  Me & my MINI-E in 2009, my ActiveE in 2012 and my i3 in 2014. Five and a half years and over 157,000 electric miles (252,000 km), mostly powered by solar-generated electricity. It's been a little over five years since my electric journey began. I couldn't have possibly imagined where this was going back in 2009 when I was accepted in to the MINI-E trial lease program. I knew I was interested in alternative fuel vehicles, and I knew I wanted to reduce my personal consumption of oil, but I really had no idea if I'd like driving electric or if the industry would actually be making and selling electric cars anytime soon. Sure there were rumors that GM was going to make a plug in car that they were calling the Volt, there was a small start-up car company in California called Tesla selling an electric Lotus conversion for $105,000 and there were also a few new companies like Aptera and Phoenix Motorcars trying to bring electric cars to market, but nothing really seemed cer...

My name is Harold and I was born electric on August 19 th , 2014.   There are two parts to my story here.   The first is about my path to selecting and buying the i3,   and the second is about my experiences owning and driving the i3. PART 1:    “IF YOU’RE NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION,   THEN YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM.” When it comes to global warming,   I’m embarrassed to say that for far too long my wife and I were part of the problem.   We’re a two car family,   and over the years we’ve driven a series of big, luxury, premium fuel guzzlers.   As recently as 2007 we each had one of the full-size Range Rovers. Yikes, and yuck! I gradually realized this was not tenable,   but I found it very, very hard to give up the comfort (I’m 6’3 and don’t fit in most cars) and sportiness of a big luxury SUV. The very thought of shoehorning myself into the ugly and painfully boring Prius hybrid was enough to make me puke. So my first tentativ...

Today's date is July 4th 2014, and here in the US the 4th of July is a national day of celebration. The 4th of July is "Independence Day" and is a federal holiday which commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring our independence from the  Kingdom of Great  Britain. This was of course a great moment in America's history, and one worthy of celebration. However for me, this date has had a dual meaning over the past five years. I too celebrate the birth of our great nation 238 years ago, but I also have a little extra to celebrate since 2009, because that's when I began driving electric. My beloved MINI-E and me in 2009. You always remember your first...EV! Merriam Webster defines independent as follows:  " Not subject to control by others;  Not requiring or relying on something else, " so it's clear why this calendar day has been designated Independence Day in the US.  I define my p ersonal transportation ...