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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PACE LAW SCHOOL ENERGY AND CLIMATE CENTER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AMONG FIRST CUSTOMERS IN NEW YORK METROPOLITAN AREA TO TAKE DELIVERY OF FULLY ELECTRIC, ZERO EMISSIONS MINI E VEHICLE

Vehicle Use to be Incorporated into Research Project Studying the Implications of Widespread Deployment of Electric Plug-in Vehicles in New York State

WHITE PLAINS, NY – JUNE 16, 2009 — As executive director of Pace Law School’s Energy and Climate Center, White Plains’ James Van Nostrand is used to leading the way when it comes to the environment, but today he became a pioneer of a different sort as he is one of the first customers in the New York metropolitan area to take delivery of the fully electric, zero emissions MINI E—as part of a year-long field study.

Van Nostrand is one of several hundred eager participants chosen by MINI to begin the field study, which will see 450 MINI Es deployed in the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area, and Los Angeles with additional vehicles being tested in Berlin and Munich, Germany, and London, England.

Always the dedicated scholar, Van Nostrand will conduct his own study and plans to utilize his time with the MINI E to research the planning and regulatory implications of widespread deployment of plug-in electric vehicles in New York. “I am pleased to have been chosen by MINI to participate in this pioneering field study and everyone at Pace is excited as well,” said Van Nostrand. “On the automaker side MINI is doing its part to make sure that sustainable, environment-friendly vehicles become a reality. It is now up to legislators and regulators to do what is necessary to make sure that proper utility pricing is in place to accommodate the demands that will be placed on the electric system by these types of vehicles when they are ready for mass production.”

For his MINI E, Van Nostrand and his team have created magnetic signs for the doors with the Climate Center’s new logo and will treat it as their “staff car.” “Our MINI E research project is designed to help shape future New York State energy policy and bring us one step closer to a future of zero emissions vehicles,” said Van Nostrand. “Widespread use of electric vehicles makes sense only if they are recharged in the middle of the night, when power is cheap and plentiful. But electric customers need to have the right price signals – such as through time-of-use rates – to know the time of day when electricity use makes the most sense. New York State law currently prohibits utilities from requiring time-of-use rates for their residential customers, and customers therefore do not have the information to make wise choices about when to use electricity.” According to Van Nostrand, “electric bills will go up for everyone if electric car owners recharge their vehicles during the ‘peak’ times of the day – in the late afternoon – rather than waiting until the ‘off-peak’ periods.”

The 450 U.S. vehicles will be leased to customers like Van Nostrand, who applied online at MINIUSA.com to be part of the one-year field study, and a portion will also be used as fleet vehicles. The fleet vehicles will be dedicated to full-time extensive and intense daily use in certain fleets, such as the NYC Street Condition Observation Unit (SCOUT) and those that are being provided to the city of Los Angeles. As part of their participation in the field study, Van Nostrand and the others chosen will provide ongoing real world use feedback to MINI on their experiences with the zero-emission electric cars. More than twice the number of people applied as there are cars available in the U.S.

The MINI E can travel around 100 miles on a single charge depending on driving style and conditions, while providing the agility and handling of a MINI Cooper. It is powered by a 150 kilowatt electric motor with the equivalent of 201 hp. The energy supply comes from a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery. The vehicle, which debuted at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November 2008, can accelerate from 0 to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 95 mph. MINI will install a special wall box into each MINI E customer’s garage that can fully recharge a completely drained battery in just two-and-a-half hours.

Founded in 1987 by Dean Emeritus Richard L. Ottinger, a former member of Congress, the Pace Energy and Climate Center (formerly the Pace Energy Project) plays a leading role in a national coalition of environmental and consumer advocates who are working to create win-win energy policy solutions for America’s economy and environment: to reduce the environmental impact associated with the production and use of energy by promoting clean, efficient and renewable energy alternatives and addressing the barriers to implementation of clean energy technologies.

Founded in 1976, Pace University School of Law has nearly 6,700 alumni throughout the country and the world. It offers full- and part-time day and evening JD programs on its White Plains, NY, campus. With its Environmental Law program consistently ranked among the top three in the nation (US News & World Report), the School also offers the Master of Laws in Environmental Law, Real Estate Law and in Comparative Legal Studies and an SJD in Environmental Law. Pace was the first law school in the country to offer a course of study focused on climate change law, which is included as a specialty “track” as part of its Master of Laws in Environmental Law. The School of Law is part of a comprehensive, independent and diversified University with campuses in New York City and Westchester County www.law.pace.edu

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