What Will MINI Name its All Electric Hatch? The MINI Cooper E.
According to sources MINI is planning on naming it’s upcoming all electric 2020 hatch the MINI Cooper E. The branding is meant to underscore both the car’s performance and efficiency.
The MINI Cooper E – All We Know
Using the i3’s drivetrain, BMW has fast-tracked development of the electric MINI to save on costs and get it to the market quickly. The downside of this strategy is that BMW is essentially fitting a square peg in a round hole by making a ICE chassis accommodate an electric drivetrain and batteries.
MINI Brand boss Peter Schwarzenbauer has spoken openly about the engineering challenges of electrifying the current MINI. Specifically BMW has found it difficult to fit the requisite number of battery cells into the current chassis for an acceptable range. What that range will be is unknown but the current i3 range is only 117 miles on a full change. However the just released 120 a-h version is conservatively rated at 153 miles. Could MINI slot that many batteries in the F56 chassis? And even if it does could the heavier steel chassis of the MINI get near what the carbon fiber i3 gets in terms of range? We’ll know shortly.
The look will be toned down dramatically from the concept car (seen above). Instead, the final production car’s design will mix the updated look of the 2018 Mini models with aerodynamic features of the concept.
The Electric MINI will be launched in the second half of the year with sales beginning late in the year.
<p>Is there any news on whether the electric mini will come as the 5-door as well or just the 3 door?</p>
<p>We do not know of any plans to extend the electric drivetrain to the five door hatch for this generation.</p>
<p>The official line from BMW is that the Cooper E will be strictly three door only. However, What Car? – sister mag to Autocar – is reporting in its December issue, that according to its sources, BMW will wait to see what demand there is for the all-electric MINI and that other, as yet unspecified, F-series MINIs could be given the all-electric treatment.</p>
<blockquote>However the rumored 120 a-h version is expected to see over 200 miles.</blockquote>
<p>The 120 Ah version is official, now, and rated at ~153 miles.</p>
<p>Most disappointing, though, is that the max charge rate is still 50kW.</p>