Another Manic Monday

So, the weekend's over... And one of the most important things I forgot to mention was that, Pat, the electrician, came over last Friday and installed the 220-Volt wall charger for my Mini-E #339!!! Woooo hoooo!!!!

Right?

Not really! :-(

Pat did a great job installing everything inside the house, in the basement, with the electrical panel, running that "long length" of cable out to the part of the house where I wanted the box -- which I neglected to take pictures of... again..

While he put everything in place and drew me thaaaaaaaaaaat much closer to being actually able to feed 339 through a fire-hose of electricity, it seems I'm still the "victim" of BMW/Mini's woes.

The cable that's needed to connect the wall-mounted charging box to the Mini-E wasn't in sight. Pat said they were still slow in coming. His office might have gotten a shipment of cables, while he was out installing my box AND tending to 3 other "jobs" [customers] today [Friday]. But he said that if the cables were in the office, he'd come back on Saturday or Sunday to do that "one last thing."

Needless to say, he never came back! :-(

Still, I gave him a ride in the 339 -- and it was his first time in a Mini-E! (I guess despite all the installations he's done for other "pioneers," he never got offered a ride! Huh!) And, he was absolutely THRILLED with the ride and wished he could actually buy one. (Hmmm an electrician wanting an electric Mini... Whodathunkit? ;-))

Anyway, the lack of a 220-volt charger left me pretty much in the same predicament as the previous week.

Drive, ride, operate, use 339 past the 50% charge capacity and you might as well right it off from using it the next day.

So, after charging (and driving) my Mini #339 off and on over the three-day weekend, I started Monday with about 88% charge and roughly a 73-mile range. More than enough for my usual roundtrip commute. And it was pretty much the "usual."

About the only thing different today:

1. I gave another co-worker a "joy ride" -- up a nearby (and very "aggressively up-sloped") hill. She, too, was impressed by 339's speed and agility -- and a wee-bit apprehensive of my...uh... "zealousness" to operate 339 to its full potential.
2. On the way back in to the company lot after this short little coffee run (which produced no coffee, BTW. Stupid Dunkin' Donuts' "Coolata" machine was busted.), two more co-workers stopped and asked, "Is that the electric Cooper?" One of the co-workers also owns a conventional Mini. He sat in it and said it was exactly like his.
3. I made a run, after-work, to BJ's Wholesale Club. Didn't buy anything outrageous. But it was nice to know I could fit a few "bulk" items in "the boot" if I had to. (That is, if you count 4-lbs of sugar, a box of Twix (36-bar count), and a "brick" of coffee (4 one-pound, vacuu-packed "bags" wrapped together).

Anyway, not much to report -- other than all this drained 339's battery down to like 7% and 9-miles range... Which means I'll be back to driving my CR-V for Tuesday. :-(