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This week the city put into service two Mini E vehicles, all electric versions of the Mini Cooper, which the auto manufacturer is testing in just a few places around the world.

Plans call for making Pomona's two Mini E vehicles part of the city's pool of vehicles for use by staff members when they need to drive on city business, said Meg McWade, Pomona's utility services manager.

The cars are drawing attention from staff members.

"People do want to use them," McWade said.

A total of 450 Mini E vehicles are being tested in the greater Los Angeles area and in the New York-New Jersey area, said Nathalie Bauters, communications manager for Mini USA.

About 100 more of the cars are being tested in Europe, she said.

Interest in the vehicles has been high since the auto-makers announced last November, it would take applications from people interested in taking part in the field trial.

By the end of December, the company received close 2,000 applications, Bauters said.

Part of the trial involves gathering feedback from customers on how the vehicle works "in real life situations," she said.

"This is learning. We want to study the viability of the vehicle" and its performance, Bauters said.

The Mini E vehicles have been distributed to average motorists which the company calls Mini E pioneers, to universities, non-profit

companies such as utility companies and cities, she said.

Those leasing the vehicles will provide comments on the cars through and exclusive Web site, in addition to keeping log books and providing information on a longer survey.

After the one-year trial period, the auto company will collect the vehicles so that a team in Munich, Germany can analyze the data and the cars as the company prepares to mass produce an all-electric vehicle early in the next decade, Bauters said.

The car runs on a set of lithium ion batteries that takes up a large chunk of space in the rear of the car making the Mini E a two-seater. Depending on a motorists driving habits and other factors a Mini E can the travel between 100 and 160 miles on a charge.

Pomona was able to get its Mini E cars after participating in a lottery entered by a total of 15 cities, said Michael Cacciotte, South Coast Air Quality Management District board member and South Pasadena councilman.

Cacciotte said he began talking with representatives of the BMW Group after learning about their field test while attending a meeting on automotive technology for law enforcement use.

He was first able to secure two cars for South Pasadena but continued to push in hopes of making additional electric cars available to cities in his district which includes a large part of eastern Los Angeles County.

Through the lottery Glendora, Pomona and West Covina each received two cars, Cacciotte said. Another three pairs of cars later become available and went to the next cities in line - Azusa, Diamond Bar and San Fernando.

Glendora administrators said the cars will help control costs.

"We thought it would be a win-win situation for everyone," said Glendora City Manager Chris Jeffers, who said it would save the city approximately $500 to $800 on gasoline this year. "For us, it shows our green side as we're trying to be as green as possible. It also allows us to delay purchases for some new vehicles."

For Pomona the cars will help save on fuel, lower maintenance costs and reducing the city's carbon imprint, McWade said.

Through this program the city also has a chance to contribute toward the development of new technology, she said.

"I think it's exciting that we're helping them as they develop the next generation of battery powered" vehicles, McWade said.

In addition, "for this to be a world wide project and we get two (vehicles) that's pretty phenomenal," she said.

For cities, cost of using the vehicle will be considerable less than it is for the average motorist.

Mayor Elliott Rothman tried out one of the cars Tuesday.

"I drove it around town...and took it up and down the freeway," he said.

"It's a fantastic machine," Rothman said. "It's definitely the wave of the future."