It looks like MINI has another hit on their hands with the MINI E. Here’s an except from Bloomberg:
Applicants, who will pay $850 a month for the zero-emissions car for one year, are outnumbering the models available by 4-to-1, according to the Munich-based carmaker.
BMW’s electric experiment beats Nissan Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. in delivering a fully alternative-fuel vehicle to drivers concerned about gas prices and global warming. Sporting a luxury-automobile brand name and being first to take corners in an environmentally friendly car trump functionality, said Mario Soto, a Southern Californian who signed up for one of the two-seaters.
Our good friends at Jalopnik.com got their hands on the MINI E in New York City last week.
As long as you can get a clean start, the engineers claim you’ll be able to drop a 0-to-60 time of 8.5 seconds. Not too shabby for a vehicle with a top speed of only 95 MPH and a 156 mile capacity on the batteries. This ain’t no Tesla Roadster, but it’ll certainly give you more get up and go than you’d expect considering the heft of this ‘lectric Cooper — 3,230 lbs.
How many of you have put your name in the proverbial hat for this MINI? Let us know in the comments!
The first batch of MINI E’s were just spotted at MINI of Manhattan getting prepped from the long haul across the Atlantic. These cars are meant for use as both press cars and the corporate BMW and MINI fleet for the US market. However look for at least one to remain at MINI of Manhattan for any curious onlookers that stop by.
Our friends at Edmund’s Inside Line drove the MINI E recently at the LA Autoshow and have what is likely the best review and most insight into the car’s creation and future. Here’s an excerpt:
There were no great plans for a cute and cuddly electric Mini. When BMW decided it needed an electric car in January 2008, the Project i engineers looked around for an off-the-shelf solution.
“If the electric-drive components would have been better fitted to the BMW 1 Series, we would have done the conversion to the 1 Series,” Ulrich Knieps, vice president of corporate communications for BMW AG product and technology, tells us.
MINI E will indeed make it’s way to Europe via German electric company Vattenfall. The company and BMW will launch the first field test of electric cars in Berlin next spring. Here’s an excerpt:
The joint project is going to start as soon as spring 2009 in order to launch emission-free driving in Germany’s capital, and the development of the infra-structure necessary to make the project a success. Thus this will be the first project of its kind to be implemented in Berlin. The project is supported to by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety.
Dan Neil, staff writer for the LA Times, has come up with a list of cars from this years LA Auto Show that he thinks are turkeys. I would have to agree with him on some of them like the Honda FC Sport Concept and the Toyota Venza. He also Included the Ferrari California which is ok because it looks odd.
It would appear that the MINI E wasn’t a favorite either.
This is like digging into a luscious Thanksgiving bird to discover it’s stuffed with floor sweepings and sawdust. The electric Mini is, in fact, a crude and rude retrofit of the existing British bumblebee, with a 28-kWh battery lump stuffed into the space where the back seat used to be.
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! And thanks to all of you that sent this one in.
While out in LA MINI threw the keys to a few journalists to take a spin around the block with the new MINI E. And as you’d expect MINI International Magazine’s had a chance behind the wheel. Here’s the result.
Leftlanenews.com, along with many other automotive journalists at the LA Auto Show this week, got the chance to actually drive the MINI E.
The Mini E is one of few cars that allows you to pull up next to a Prius, like the one with the personalized “LESS OIL” license plate we saw on our test drive, and smugly look down upon the gas-guzzling heathen behind the wheel. The Mini E uses no oil other than a few drops here and there for moving parts lubrication. Take that, Prius.
With a limited range and limited cargo capacity, the Mini E is a strictly in-town commuter car, and at that it excels. Handling is mostly on par with a standard Mini, though it’s possible to get the front end a little more squirrely here than in the gas version.
Didn’t make it to the press preview at the LA Auto Show yesterday? No worries, we’ve got you covered with a full look at the MINI E introduction and press conference as well as some shots of the car itself driving around the LA area.
By far the most popular display during the first Press Day at the LA Auto Show was the unveiling of the MINI E. The crowd started gathering an hour before the MINI E was uncovered and were not disappointed.
I also have audio from the event plus a little video. Keep an eye out for that later today.
Do you want to lease a MINI E? You now have your chance. MINI USA has officially opened the application process today on MINIUSA.com. But be warned, not only do you have to live near New York or LA and be willing to pay $850 a month, but you’ll only have until December 10th to get your application in. So start your clicking…
BMW Release: The BMW Group will be the world’s first manufacturer of premium automobiles to deploy a fleet of some 500 all-electric vehicles for private use in daily traffic. The MINI E will be powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor fed by a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its power to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox nearly without a sound and entirely free of emissions. Specially engineered for automobile use, the battery technology will have a range of more than 250 kilometers, or 156 miles. The MINI E will initially be made available to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey. The company is looking into expanding the MINI E pilot to include Europe. The MINI E will celebrate its world premiere at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 19 and 20.
MINI senior vice president brand management Dr. Wolfgang Armbrecht and technical director Ulrich Kranz were interviewed by MINI Space (a MINI blog tied to MINI International Magazine) about the new MINI E. It’s a great read for those interested in the story behind the car and the technical aspects around the powerplant. Here’s an excerpt:
MINIInternational: Will the MINI E retain that typical MINI agility, the renowned go-kart feeling?
Dr Wolfgang Armbrecht: Yes, for sure. The go-kart feeling is one of the core values of MINI, which is why the engineers have tailored the chassis to suit this new set of parameters. The MINI E has sensational acceleration and the driving experience behind the wheel really is a lot of fun. Plus, the car is extremely quiet, which gives you the feeling of gliding through the countryside.
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Sections: MINI E Jan 6th, 2009 13 Comments 
