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FROM LA TO LAS VEGAS WITH MINI ELECTRIC.
450 km of stunning landscapes lie between Santa Monica's white beach west of Los Angeles and the neon-lit Las Vegas strip. It’s the perfect route to experience the legendary go-kart feeling in the MINI Electric – not least thanks to a convenient road network with fast chargers.
HEADING OUT OF LOS ANGELES.
The morning at Santa Monica beach belongs to the surfers. Looking out over the glittering Pacific waves, the noisy Los Angeles on California's southwestern coast seems very distant indeed. Just before San Bernardino, we head north on Interstate Highway 15 to Las Vegas. And now Route 66, made legendary by "Easy Rider" with Paul Newman and Dennis Hopper, invites free-spirited explorers to enjoy new adventures on almost 4,000 km of highway.En route through the green mountain landscape around Mount Baldy MINI Electric is in its element, hugging the road as it takes every corner smoothly. Even down in the valley when city traffic almost comes to a standstill the MINI Electric remains a joy to drive.
SPEEDING TOWARDS THE MOJAVE DESERT.
After almost two hours, the green mountains give way to the fascinating red and brown tones of the desert. And it's time for a break with Mexican tacos in Victorville. In the shade of the palm trees, we charge MINI Electric to 80% in just 35 minutes at one of the fast-charging stations to get ready for the next leg on the way to Mojave Desert.Mojave Desert temperatures average 45 °C in July and August. A very welcome refreshing option on the MINI Electric is its pre-conditioning feature. This can even be activated from the restaurant using the MINI Connected remote app and allows you to pre-cool the car’s interior. The next 150 km lead deeper and deeper into the vast, barren landscape to Baker. The small town is right in the middle of the Mojave Desert and at the southern end of the route to Death Valley National Park, one of the hottest areas in the USA.Baker is home to the world's highest thermometer. The marker at 134 feet refers to the highest temperature ever measured on site – 134 ° Fahrenheit which corresponds to 57 °C. You can’t miss it. And it also reliably points the way to another fast-charging station. Here they get their sustainable energy from solar panels – which also serve as a welcome sunshade when you plug in the charging cable.
STAYING COOL IN THE HOTTEST PLACE IN THE USA.
As we drive on, the highway soon presents us a view of the majestic mountain ranges of the Mescal Range. MINI Electric was not necessarily designed for such extreme temperatures as here, but it stands up to the heat test with great aplomb. The high-voltage battery remains cool, as does the interior, and the battery power drops only very gradually. The reason for this is the highly effective overall cooling system that is very efficient thanks to integrated heat pump technology.
Beyond the mountains, Interstate 15 leads us straight to Paradise on the last 80 km. It’s the town immediately south of Las Vegas. We stop at the imposing Allegiant Stadium, home of the 3-time Super Bowl winners the Las Vegas Raiders. Here we charge MINI Electric with the flexible fast charging cable to get ready for the final cruise to Las Vegas.
When night falls, no navigation system is needed to find your way to the legendary "strip". Sparkling facades, a sea of neon lights and the legendary "Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign reliably show us where the nightlife is happening. The 6.8 km long boulevard has hosted numerous mega stars – from Elvis Presley to Britney Spears, Elton John and Lady Gaga. Between the perfect replicas of the Eiffel Tower, the Egyptian pyramids and Venetian canals, MINI Electric finds its way with quiet confidence to the hotel check-in at the end of the tour.
(Combined fuel consumption: 0.0 l/100 km; combined power consumption: 16.9 – 14.9 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: 0 g/km)
