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MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 Dakar Limited Edition

It’s another MINI limited edition model – the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 Dakar – this time to celebrate MINI’s Dakar successes. We all know MINI loves a special edition, and it’s got to the point where there seem to be more ‘special edition’ and ‘limited edition’ MINI’s rolling out of showrooms than the bog standard car. But this limited edition – the MINI John Cooper Works Countryman ALL4 Dakar – really is a limited edition, produced to celebrate MINI’s Dakar triumphs in the last couple of years, as there will be just 11 made.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.

Why carmakers say no to battery swapping

There's a strange disconnect surrounding Better Place, the company best known for its plan to extend the range of electric vehicles by relying on speedy battery swaps. Automotive executives are nearly unanimous in dismissing the idea. With the conspicuous exception of Nissan-Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn, rarely does an executive express interest.