California resident Peter Trepp made a ripple in the hybrid world today when he became the first person on U.S. soil to take delivery of the new plug-in hybrid MINI E. Although singularly noted for his possession of the flagship MINI E, Trepp’s sinister quest to sacrifice as much performance as possible in the name of fuel efficiency will not be undertaken alone. Hand selected by BMW, a total of 450 participants (including Trepp) will receive their exclusive U.S.-spec MINI E’s this week, kicking off a year-long field study designed to gauge the MINI E’s viability in a real-world setting.

“Congratulations to Peter Trepp on being the first person in the United States to take delivery of the MINI E, I hope he enjoys this year-long adventure on which he is about to embark,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President of MINI USA. “I want to thank him and the hundreds of other pioneering spirits participating in this program, as the knowledge gained from their involvement will play a vital role in helping to shape the development of new ideas, technologies and future forms of transportation.”

Source: BMW