In Berlin, 100 residents have climbed behind the wheel to test the performance of the electric version of BMW's Mini Cooper, called the Mini-E, in an urban environment.

"I've been driving the Mini-E around Berlin for five weeks and it is an amazing experience," said Frank Mueller, one of the test drivers. "First off, it is a very fast car."

The two-seater can reach a speed of 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph) in seconds, Mueller said, adding that the vehicle's near-silent operation was an extra benefit.

"The engine is on, and it is totally quiet," he said, pulling onto the road. "I start to speed up and again, no sound!"

Cheaper and cleaner

Like the other test drivers, Mueller gives monthly reports on the car's performance as well as on the operation of the car's charging station. The data will be analyzed and used to improve the technology driving the cars. But Mueller said there's also an environmental advantage to driving an electric car.

"Sitting in my car, outside feeling the first glimpse of climate change, and not polluting the environment with CO2, that feels really good," he said. "I really am proud of driving an electric car and being part of this green revolution."

To fuel the project, Swedish energy concern Vattenfall has erected two-meter high charging stations throughout the city to dispense electricity generated from renewable sources. Although electric vehicles operate similarly to regular cars, the costs involved are only about 25 percent of their conventional counterparts.

BMW has said it takes about 2.4 hours to charge the battery at a Vattenfall station or about 10 hours using a regular electricity outlet at home.

Limited range - for now

A fully tanked battery has a maximum range of 250 kilometers and averages about 170 kilometers under normal driving conditions - both of which are higher than the 95 kilometers required by the average urban driver each day.

Mueller said he is confident the car's range will increase as battery technology improves.

"There will soon be lithium-ion batteries available that are lighter, smaller and can keep more power," he said.

But Vattenfall and BMW aren't the only companies that want to have electric cars zipping around Berlin. Energy producer RWE and automaker Daimler chose to kick off their nationwide E-mobility road show at Potsdamer Platz.

They came up with a fast, sexy, low-slung, convertible e-car. But at a conference this month it was only speeding around a virtual road, where the public could test electric racing cars in a simulated driving experience. Unaccustomed to the power, most ended up crashing or running off the road - more than once.

'Unbelievable power'

But other visitors opted for the real life experience and took a test drive in an e-vehicle designed for normal use - and to wean the public from its perception of e-cars being puny, anemic vehicles.

"There was an almost unbelievable amount of power - you can't describe it," said Marek Schmidt, who took one of the cars for a spin. "It's like a rocket launch. You just have to try it."

For the project, RWE is building charging stations to supply 100 electric Smart cars from Daimler.

All the companies vying for a part of the e-mobility market in Berlin have agreed to standardize their vehicles and charging stations to keep competition open and fair. Dick McKay, who works in the US auto business and attended the Daimler-RWE event, said he is sure e-mobility is the future.

"There is no way of stopping it," McKay said. "This is the way it has to go. I think this is a good example of cooperation between a major power company and the others - it's very impressive."

Mueller, who is taking part in the Vattenfall-BMW test phase, said being an e-guinea pig also entails spreading the message of e-mobility every time you step out of the car.

"The moment you stop your car and start to charge, people are almost lining up in front of you and want to know everything," he said. "I think there is a high interest there, especially young people are coming up, looking at the car, seeing the cable, and asking really intelligent questions."

Author: Leah McDonnell (sms)

Editor: Sam Edmonds