BMW has taken an interesting approach to testing their new all-electric MINI (know as the MINI E) opting to make the cars available to a limited number of consumer testers for a one-year lease instead of simply testing the cars themselves until they were ready for release. It’s certainly paid off so far in terms of hype and, most likely, finances (to lease one of these little wonders for a field trial position will set you back $850 a month) but it will be interesting to see what kind of effect the “regular driver” reviews will have on the new eco-friendly car.

Most field testers have now received their Minis and many have opted to start blogs detailing their experiences with the completely electric autos (whether this was a step BMW encouraged or not isn’t clear). Some initial entries are about the excitement that they’ve experienced from neighbors, friends, and people on the street, who have plenty of wide-eyed looks and curious questions about the new ride, others are about figuring out the logistics of charging the cars (typically made most difficult by finding accessible outlets that work right) and planning your charging times and driving distances. All seem to agree that the lack of noise and exhaust from the MINI E is an excellent change.

The MINI E blogs provide a great opportunity to open your mind about driving an electric car—not the golf cart experience that many would envision it to be—and a chance to live vicariously through those who have the opportunity to do so now. It’ll also prep you for some of the difficulties that come with electric car ownerships, which, hopefully, BMW is paying attention to and will address before release (especially since they haven’t even confirmed they’ll produce the MINI E en masse, but rather say they are just testing the waters).

Here are a few of the MINI E blogs you can check out:

Plugged in With Peter’s Mini E — The first and most famous of the MINI E blogs.

Robert’s MINI E Field Trial — A more technical analysis of the MINI E experience.

My Mini E — Stu Greenberg’s relatable blog about MINI E ownership.

Edju’s MINI E Journey — Features a MINI E forum for owners to post in (and readers to learn from).

The only question we have is why there aren’t any female field trial participants blogging yet; it’s time for a woman’s perspective ladies.

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