Dec. 2 (Bloomberg) -- When Bayerische Motoren Werke AG introduced the Mini Cooper E this year in California and the New York area, first-time users of the electric car deluged the company with complaints about its deficiencies.
Customers groused about uninformed dealers, connection problems, cold weather affecting recharging and a range limited to 100 miles. The back seat was taken up by the battery and recharging could take almost a day.
“We are getting a lot of feedback,” Richard Steinberg, manager of electric vehicle operations and strategy for Munich- based BMW, said yesterday at the Bloomberg LP Cars & Fuels conference in Los Angeles. “We’ve had a fair share of lessons learned.”
California’s anti-pollution regulations are among the strictest in the U.S. Some car bloggers and reviewers criticize BMW for selling an inadequate Mini E to meet state rules requiring automakers to sell a quota of electric or other alternative-fuel vehicles.
“A not-entirely-civil war of words has erupted on blogs and Facebook between BMW and those who’d volunteered to pay $850 a month for the privilege of leasing a Mini E,” wrote Dan Neil, the Los Angeles Times’ automobile critic....
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