The Electric MINI Cooper SE – US Availability and Pricing
In our recent conversation with MINI USA we also spent some time discussed the highly anticipated all electric MINI Cooper SE. Launching internationally this November at the LA Auto Show, the Cooper SE will go on sale in Europe and the UK late November and December of this year.
MINI Cooper SE – US Availability
In the US we’ll see the MCSE at dealers in “early 2020” according to MINI USA. MINI has hinted at pricing being similar to an automatic Cooper S which is typically around $29,000. While it won’t compare with EV leaders in terms of range vs price, it will offer a different level of driver engagement and design compared to the Chevrolet Bolt or the Nissan Leaf.
MINI USA Head of Sales Claude Bruni made it clear that there’s a genuine enthusiasm for the MCSE for those that have sampled it. He described it as not just another EV but “it’s truly a Cooper S electrified”.
He also went on to clarify that there will be no loss in capacity for other models and that MINI USA is committed to bringing the right amount of cars to the US to satisfy demand. When I pressed him on how hard it might be to get a MCSE at launch he clarified “if we bring too few, we’ll ask for more”.
He went on to say that MINI USA is committed to making the Cooper SE as high a volume car as it can be.
MINI Cooper SE Drivetrain
No surprise here it’s based on the i3s which produces 181 horsepower motor and 94 Ah with a 33 kilowatt battery. Interestingly the 441 lbs battery is a 96-cell lithium-ion from CATL and not Samsung
The entire electric drivetrain is designed to for fit more or less where the standard ICE unit is on standard MINIs. MINI USA representatives have told us that, while the engineering investment was relatively low, MINI leveraged the engineering prowess from BMWi and then knowledge that has been built up over the past decade in EV design.
MINI Cooper SE Range and Performance
One of the outcomes of this change from ICE to electric is weight distribution which is now 50/50. According to those who have driven it, this allows the MCSE to behave at the limit slightly differently than a standard front wheel drive F56. Off the record we’ve been told that this all electric Cooper S could for the basis of an excellent autox car.
It would appear that the range will be 120 miles given what we know about the drivetrain of the i3s. In our recent testing we also found the i3s to be fairly quick. Officially it tops out at 100 mph and does 0-62 in 7.7 seconds.
MINI Cooper SE Charging Time
According to MINI, the Cooper SE take 40 minutes for an 80 percent charge when hooked up to a 50 kW D/C charger. But lets talk real world. In our testing of the i3s with its near identical drivetrain, charging from 0-100% on a normal outlet takes 8-12 hours. On a quick (Level 2) charger that’s 4-5 hours.
But what about the all new Level 3? That’s where the i3 starts to make some sense. Level 3 DC fast chargers can recharge the i3 battery up to 80% in as little as 20 minutes (80-100% slows to protect the battery from overcharging). It’s interesting that that number differs slightly from the 40 minutes MINI is quoting. Perhaps there are more differences between these two cars yet to be uncovered?
MINI Cooper SE – Now it’s Your Turn
All you EV-heads – lets hear from you. Based on these numbers and what you’re seeing what else can we gleam from these early reviews. What have we missed here?
<p>No range-extender option like on the i3?</p>
No, this will not have the REX. It’s a conversion car, not purpose built EV like the i3.
They don’t have the room, and the REX experiment is at the end of its’ life. They won’t be doing that again.
<blockquote>the REX experiment is at the end of its’ life. They won’t be doing that again.</blockquote>
<p>Good! No sense lugging around an extra engine wherever you go.
If consumers need such a heavy range anxiety safety blanket, then maybe they shouldn’t buy an EV.</p>
<p>Agreed. The PHEV’s (and REX) were a compromise for compromise sake. Lugging around two powerplants and neither was adequate for the job.</p>
<p>No REX. As Jamez says below there’s no room for both an ICE and an electric powertrain in the F56.</p>
<p>Is it possible to stuff extra batteries into the front overhang to extend the range?</p>
Personally, I wish they sacrificed some rear storage space for another 10kWh of batteries.
I’ll be curious to get under the car and see if they utilized the space where the gas tank is on the ICE. In my Focus, that area is open – yet I lost 1/2 my trunk to battery.
<p>Seriously. They’ve decided to pull a previous-gen battery from an EV that was criticized the most for its lack of range. Real head-scratcher.</p>
<p>I’m guessing it’s a size constraint from trying to shoehorn battery in a platform that was never designed to be an EV. Or they’re nerfing the range to keep it below the i3 wearing that ‘BMW’ badge.</p>
<p>I believe they’ve taken it all plus the area under the boot.</p>
<p>LOL. Sadly that damn overhang has to be more or less empty as crushable space for pedestrian safety standards.</p>
<p>Thanks for the update.</p>
<p>R53 JCW owner, EV owner (2016 Focus Electric) and reservation holder of #1 SE to Canada here. Join us following the SE adventure on FB at facebook.com/groups/MINIelectric</p>
<p>I have some comments:</p>
<p>“…it won’t compare with EV leaders in terms of range vs price…”
We have to pause here for a moment. This is the biggest problem of all. ~$29,000 USD ($39,000 CAD) – likely before options – it will be one of the lowest value per kWh price EV on the 2020 North American Market (if not the lowest, depending on the Smart).</p>
<p>What does that mean? Every. Single. EV. Out there, is a better ‘deal’. Bigger pack/More range, possibly more seating capacity, storage capacity etc. For between $5-7K less you can get a handful of other more practical EV’s (Ioniq, Leaf, Golf, and even more in Europe).</p>
<p>Putting it in perspective, 33kWh traction pack (29 kWh usable) is a 2017 market-level product. My 2016 Focus is one production month away from having the same spec as the SE, and if I ever have a warranty replacement on my pack, it will be replaced with the current 33kWh pack.</p>
<p>However, all of this comes down to the price. Currently on MINI.ca a slushbox classic F56 is $33K CAD ($29K CAD for F56 Justa). If they can bring the SE down in price the vehicle becomes MUCH more practical and attractive.</p>
<p>“it will offer a different level of driver engagement and design”
This is perhaps the ONLY selling feature I can find at this point. Like the Focus, it is a converted ICE, and shares the exterior look of the ICE counterpart. So while other manufacturers try to go all “modern EV” with their design language, this is identical to the F56.
We all must admit that the engineering team outdid themselves with the packaging. To shove that pack into an F56 without any intrusion into the standard space is a very impressive move. The comparable weight penalty (450lbs ish) to a standard ICE (normally around 800lbs) is brilliant. 54/46 weight distribution is very nice.</p>
<p>“truly is a Cooper S electrified”
It “truly” is not. They need to stop saying that. They have to stop selling this as an S EV. It is a high trim-level ‘justa’ EV. We all love our MINI’s, We all love our S’s. We all know what the improvements from an S over a justa are: performance and speed. 7.7s is NOT ‘S’ level performance (though looking at C&D 2019 they claim the S to be 7.3s, making me feel a little better). Even though on paper the electric motor is 181hp, and the 4 cylinder B48 is listed as 189hp we know the B48 is a few dollars away and capable of much more, and the power-to-weight of the SE is way lower. There won’t be an aftermarket ‘tune’ on an SE to punch it over 290hp.</p>
<p>They could say “it truly is a MINI electrified” – That would be perfect in my opinion. It shares all the values of the MINI brand.
Yes, it will be zippy with the torque, but it will have traction nanny’s to avoid melting it’s high efficiency rubber off the line.
Yes, with the low center of gravity, weight distribution, and aftermarket tires, wheels and suspension upgrades it could be quite a corner carver. But it won’t ever dominate an F56 S. It is a Cooper with an electric drivetrain. They have to stop overselling it, because it cannot live up to the S performance. They need to refocus and target the city dweller who likes to zip around occasionally.</p>
<p>“MINI leveraged the engineering prowess from BMWi and then knowledge that has been built up over the past decade in EV design.”
Well, let’s be honest, BMW leveraged the 2009 e-MINI into the i3. MINI just went to the i3 parts bin and ‘tossed’ it into the F56. This is a conversion car. It is not the purpose-built EV it should be. It isn’t exactly a ‘compliance’ car like the Focus is, as they have done some great engineering, but it is rushed to the market causing delays across the board on the F56 replacement.</p>
<p>“Bruni made it clear that there’s a genuine enthusiasm for the MCSE…”
REALLY? Where is everyone? I’ve been advocating at the top of my lungs since it was announced. I’ve set up FB pages, written letters, talk at length to anyone who would listen. Everything short of setting up a youtube channel on it.
And I have yet to see anyone as passionate (read; crazy) about this car as I am. I don’t know of anyone else who has put money down on the car yet. I don’t even get that MINI is enthused about the car as they’re 6 months away from production and the GP is the darling of 2019.
If you are out there and interested in this car – please join us on the FB page.</p>
<p>“What have we missed here?”
I have yet to see any information from BMW/MINI with regards to pack conditioning. That is critical to our EV lifestyle. Is it water cooled?</p>
<p>I want to hear how they’re going to handle pack degradation warranty. Even if it’s copy/paste from the i3, they need to announce it.</p>
<p>I want to hear about the rubber they’re going to use. If they use the comically thin rubber, or high efficiency hockey pucks, we need to know.</p>
<p>Modern EV’s are connected. I want to know if I’ll be able to use an app on my phone to look at the current pack level. I’d like to set up “Go Times” and have the car adjust the climate ahead of time. This is all 2012 level tech.</p>
<p>Exterior design.
They haven’t released any further ‘approved’ design elements other than the “UK electric plug” wheels and front ‘grille’ insert. We can assume that the digital gauge cluster will be in the car, but they’ve never come out and said that.</p>
<p>I can’t tell you how much I fell in love with the Electric Concept. That’s what made me demand they take my deposit money. I want the SE to NOT have a sunroof, I want the front fascia to look like the concept. I want that colour option; silver with white/yellow roof.
The GP concept is craz-ballz and they’re making it!! Why can’t they make the SE look like the concept too?</p>
<p>So, to sum up;
This will be a zippy city commuter, sharing the MINI quirks. A car that I may have to ship to the dragon or take a month to get there by driving from Ontario. If they can bring the price down, it will sell to their core city values – if they don’t, they won’t be able to grab any market share, and will end up blaming the customer base or market for their mistakes.</p>
<blockquote>“Bruni made it clear that there’s a genuine enthusiasm for the MCSE [for those that have sampled it.]”
REALLY? Where is everyone?</blockquote>
<p>I read that to mean enthusiasm within corporate.
I mean, who else has really sampled it?</p>
<p>I think it’s clear the MCSE is a “get to market as quick as we can” electric MINI option (which, let’s be honest, is what most other manufacturers have been doing as well). Going forward, I hope they have plans for a model that’s been designed to be an EV from the ground up.</p>
<p>Yes, the 2023 ish second version of the MCSE is slated to be ground-up EV. Likely a performance version and a low range city version.
They’ve delayed replacement of the F56 longer than the normal refresh cycle to squeeze in the SE into the platform.</p>
<p>Like many people I am looking forward to the electric Mini SE. But may wait for the next model when range and performance is more practical.</p>
<p>The range looks to be 120 miles (190 km) which is shy 60km for my commute to the city from my rural location.</p>
<p>I maybe able to recharge with level 3 charging station but still few on the ground to make it a option.</p>
<p>The performance isn’t Cooper S territory which is a shame as that is one of the advantages of electric they should be faster. Plus what happens to range if go aggressively fast does it half.</p>
<p>For me it looks great but probably still for city driving and if have long commutes not practical for me.</p>
<p>But still happy it is coming.</p>