World Debut: MINI E (The All Electric MINI)

Sections: Efficiency | MINI E Oct 17th, 2008 32 Comments

BMW’s first purely electric car has debuted. The MINI E is destined for the US (and possibly the UK) next year. It will be leased to 490 select customers in NYC and LA (two cities with the proper infrastructure to support the car we’re told) as a sort of rolling test bed for the German auto manufacturer.

The MINI E will sport some impressive performance numbers along with the (expected) incredible efficiency. Here’s the run-down:

204bhp / 150kw of power
162ft lbs (220nm) of torque
155 miles (250km) range
95mph (152km/h) top speed
2.5 hours to charge
0-62mph in 8.5sec.
Energy consumption around 4.4 miles/kWh.
Just under 1.5 tonne (3230lbs) in weight
2 seats, back seats taken up by lithium-ion batteries

As we’ve previously reported the MINI E uses lithium-ion batteries to power the front wheels. However what we’ve learned from several sites that have no broken the press embargo is that the MINI E will feature a single-stage helical gearbox that is located where the stock MINI’s rear seats are found. As with most hybrids, kinetic energy created while braking is stored within the lithium-ion batteries.

The MINI E will come standard with Interchange Yellow mirrors interior trim along with a number of special bits and pieces meant to distinguish this rarest of all production MINIs. The car will be manufactured in Oxford and then shipped to Germany where the propulsion system will then be fitted.

â€œThis step will allow the BMW Group to gain an initial knowledge of how mobility can be achieved efficiently using purely electrically powered vehicles. Our task here is to combine the ultimate driving experience with an efficient electrified drive with practically no emissionsâ€, underlined Dr. Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG.

This test is meant to help the BMW Group with various alternative energy solutions currently being considered.

The MINI E will debut at the LA Motor Show in November and be released to 490 hand-picked customers in LA, NYC and possibly London later in 2009.

Written By: Gabe

Hai

I love it but Too bad it’s a 2-seater. Is it me or do the headlights look more like those on the R52/R53? The range could be better though.
gmini

lucky urbanites.
http://twothirtyam.com Jason

behold, my next MINI!!!!!!!
that.cool.guy

not loving the plug logo… and they could have splurged on a rear fascia without the exhaust notch…
lavardera

What is that on the main gage? Its not a tach..?
Hai

^^ I assume it’s kWh just like on my current Altima hybrid.
http://chrisbevan.com chris

Nice, I like the yellow on dark grey gauges.
m8o

Oh Great, -this- gets “a number of special bits and pieces” and we ’09 JCW owners only get a stupid little square sticker on the secret compartment door for our significant up-charge… no badge’d steering wheel, no labeling in the tach or speedo, nothing in the engine compartment, no stamp on the exhaust. :^/ …that urks me.
GregW

Great addition if you only want two seats and no luggage room. No I wonder who the celebrities are going to be? Al Gore and the list?
http://www.nwiminiacs.com Dean Cory

Since it is such a “GREEN” car the roof and mirror caps should have been Lime green…

And what about us “tree huggers” in places other than LA and NYC??? Sorry Mr Gore, you may have invented the internet but you can’t have a MINI E :P
http://www.dickdavid.com dickdavid
I didn’t think I would, but I really LIKE the yellow accents and graphics.

Nice job MINI.

I wonder what the maintenance will be.
- battery life
- replacement battery cost
burley

yes yes, but how much and when will it be available to the masses?! Until an EV is at a price point that it makes sense for average consumers to make the switch, its just a production concept.
SL

You can sign up to get news on the test drive application process here:

http://www.minispace.com/en_us/projects/electric-mini-e/

There is also a fact sheet PDF for download on the site.
Aurel

Great stuff!!! Would love to have one being that I use my current Clubman cruising the 5 boroughs of NYC daily for my work. Would be very curious how the electric motor handles the grind of NYC stop’n go traffic.
Zack

Regarding battery life, another thing to consider is onboard electronics.

For example, if you have your stereo on while driving, I’m sure that would deplete the overall range of the car. Question is: how much? Unless they run on separate batteries… even still, this technology is so new, I have no idea how this would work.

Also, what if customers opt in for the navigation-speedo replacement; that adds a lot of extra weight, and I’m certain it would consume a hefty amount of power.

Finally, what do you guys figure the battery life to be? Lithium-Ion batteries in cell phones lose almost half of their capacity after a regular use of recharges after about a 1.5-2 years of use. If we’re talking about replacing Lithium-Ion batteries that are used to power cars, this is going to be expensive!
Volker

Hell, I love it ! 2 seater ? Perfect ! I just removed the backseat of mine. I’m pretty sure it has some mounting point for a childseat to be put on the passenger seat, like the GP. Figures aren’t to bad (except the rumored pricetag). Stop the negativity and run with it folks ! Only Germans are allowed to be negative all the time :)
Aurel

just noticed … its basically an MCS without an exhaust and a MC hood.
Glenn

That 155 mile range is fairly impressive. Isn’t the Volt only supposed to get a range of something like 40 miles?

I like it, but there’s too many of those “plug” logos. I like the badge and roof, but the one on the hood is overkill.

No back seat probably isn’t a big deal to most MINI drivers. How many times do you put a person back there. In nearly 3 years I think I have had a backseat passenger 2 or 3 times.
JonPD

Love it. Would honestly consider it if they offered it in other cities.
greg

Symbolism over substance.
lavardera

That looks like the hood from the Mini D.
rkw

Also, what if customers opt in for the navigation-speedo replacement; that adds a lot of extra weight, and Iâ€™m certain it would consume a hefty amount of power.

That’s ridiculous. The Nav screen/speedo replacement is about the same weight, and the additional map DVD drive is about a pound. Power consumption is negligible. To put it in perspective, look at the weight and power consumption of portable GPS units.

In any case, I think most buyers would go for the cool exclusive speedo.
Timothy

The Chevy Volt (if GM ever produces it) should get about 40 miles on the battery, but then it can run hundreds of miles on the gasoline engine. It’s a plug-in hybrid that operates electric-only at first. This MINI E is electric-only, so if you want to drive away from the charging station more than 150 miles or so you’ll have to make a multi-hour stop enroute to juice up the batteries — and bring your electric cable.
http://www.ChrisWoolman.com Chris W.

This should be one of the most desirable electric vehicles ever!

I love the exterior and interior colors!
Brian

So this is what the interchage yellow looks like!! I want one of these.
Billy

just noticed â€¦ its basically an MCS without an exhaust and a MC hood.

No…it is a MCS style hood because of the large bulge..just doesn’t have the scoop (which we all know has no use on a MCS anyway) The easiest way to see this is that the washer jets are on the outside of the bonnet bulge crease on the MCS and MCD, but are inside the crease on the MC
Ontheroadagain

Very exciting! Can’t wait until they become available to the masses!
Dr Obnxs

Excellent news for sure! And I guess I’ll just have to learn to expect these nuanced comments from Greg! Shows the depth of thought of a small puddle after a light rain….

Matt
http://minijoy.cc Alex

Really good. I have one more idea (not new, but not used for Mini). What about putting small diesel electricity generator to the boot and have unlimited mileage? :)
Dr Obnxs

Really, that’s the best type of hybrid. Lots of the inefficiencies of IC engine powered vehicle drivetrains are eliminated with that set up. The funky english 640 HP electric mini (4 wheel hub motors) got something like a 600 mile range that way with a pretty small gas tank.

Matt
lavardera

wow – its got another 6-700 lbs over a regular mini.
Dr Obnxs

That’s the battery pack… But you get max torque at 0 RPM for that. The Tesla has a 950 lb (there about) battery pack, and that’s most of the weight difference between it and the Elise.

Matt

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