BMW is equipping 500 Minis with electric drivetrains for use in California. Company officials say they’re using the hip hatchback to test a few different electric powertrains. No word on exactly when the electric Minis will be available to the public, but I guarantee they’ll be a smash hit.

And still, the question hangs in the air like dirigible ready to burst into flames: Where are the Big Three’s electric vehicles? And don’t talk to me about the Chevy Volt, because there’s no way it should take one of the world’s largest car companies this long to develop a feasible electric car.

Link to CNET article.

Creative Commons. Some Rights Reserved. Photo by naitokz

Another bulletin from the whirring, buzzing, blinking techno-future that is Japan: Japan Post announced last week that it plans to replace its entire fleet of 21,000 mail delivery trucks with electric vehicles during the next eight years. They also plan to install more than 1,000 charging stations at post offices across the island nation. And if that doesn’t get your green bean buzzing, this will: They just might make those charging stations available to the public. The move could spark an electric motoring revolution in Japan and shock other countries into using more EVs.   

No word yet on which Japanese automaker will be honored with the ginormous government contract. 

Link to treehugger article.