The All Electric MINI Cooper SE Range Revealed
Range matters. Or does it? For a small and inexpensive city car powered by an electric engine it’s not quite as important as a four door sedan priced between 80-150k. But nonetheless the Mini Cooper SE will be judged on range. And that range isn’t as high as some would have hoped.
In Europe the MINI Cooper SE was credited with a 146 to 168 miles by the WLTP. But in the US the EPA takes a much more stringent look at range and how it is affected by real-world conditions. Because of that MINI USA expects that the 2020 Mini Cooper SE range will be around 110 miles. That’s revised slightly from the 114 that the company had originally thought would be certified by the EPA. And while the official figure isn’t in, it’s a safe bet that MINI wouldn’t talk numbers (especially lower) if they weren’t pretty certain it would align with the final figure.
Why the Mini Cooper SE Range Shouldn’t Matter (A lot)
The MINI Cooper SE will start at $29,900 when it hits dealerships in early 2020. On the face of it, $29k for a car that gets 110 miles on a charge seems steep. But the more we dig into what the final price vs performance will be, the more we’re convinced that the SE could hit a sweet spot for quite a few looking for an electric daily driver. Especially given that this will likely be a 2nd, 3rd or even 4th car for most owners.
To start with the MINI Cooper SE should qualify for the $7,500 tax credit (which is a credit the buyer claims on their federal tax return). On top of that many states also have tax credits that could be applied in a similar fashion. Added together that $29k price starts to get a lot closer to $20k mark – an incredible deal when you consider the quality of a MINI and the performance of the Cooper SE that we’ve all read about.
What about competitors? The Honda E is a particularly interesting one but one that likely won’t be coming to the US any time soon (and even if it does the MINI beats it on specs). So lets look at a few that are on sale as we speak. The Golf E gets about the same range for $32k. It has two extra doors, a bit more room but doesn’t come as well equipped as the MINI. However because VW reportedly loses money on everyone made, it’s only available it states that mandate some level of electric sales. The Nissan Leaf on the other hand is available everywhere and offers a 150 mile range for $30,885. But its questionable design, poor quality and mediocre driving experience have turned us off both times we’ve sampled them.
Then there’s the long-range champion of the segment the Chevy Bolt. The 238 mile range gets top billing as it kills the competition in this category. How can Chevy offer this in a car starting at $36,620? For one, it’s a loss leader as GM is rumored to lose $8-9k on each one sold. Then there are the materials and driving experience – both of which leave a lot to be desired.
That leaves us back where we started. The more we look at it, the more the MINI Cooper SE seems to hit a sweet spot for those looking at a commuter electric car. The F56 quality is well known, and MINI’s history of great driver’s cars could make it totally unique in the category.
No, it doesn’t have Tesla like range. But this is a small MINI, and it’s natural habitat is urban environments where commutes are short (in miles) and chargers are plentiful.
Electric MINI Cooper SE: The Numbers
The MINI Cooper SE is equipped with lithium-ion batteries delivery a range of 146 to 168 miles according to MINI Global. For the EPA that will likely translate into 110 miles despite the relatively stringent (real-world) WLTP testing show a range of 124-144 miles. So why does MINI quote 146 to 168 miles? Simply put, that’s what the car is capable of when driven sensibly and in ideal conditions. No matter what number you look at the range MINI has delivered (while not taking away interior volume) is impressive. Especially considering the F56 platform was never designed to accommodate batteries.
Perhaps more important than range is how quickly the MINI Cooper SE can charge. The SE can be charged on everything from a normal 120 volt socket to a fast direct-current 50kW charger (the latter allowing an 80 per cent charge to be achieved in just 35 minutes)
Like all electric cars, the SE will have energy recuperation that acts as automatic braking. However, MINI has designed a system that allows this energy recuperation to be variable giving drivers two levels to choose from to tailor their one-pedal driving experience.
Electric MINI Cooper SE: Equipment, Price and Performance
But let’s put all that aside for a moment and remember this is a MINI and intended to be an engaging driving experience rather than an appliance like so many electric cars. While the 0-62 time of 7.3 doesn’t seem all that impressive, the immediacy of the torque and ultra low center of gravity reportedly create a feeling like no other MINI. According to those who have driven the SE, it’s an absolute riot on the track and is likely the most capable around an autocross. This is also due to something called ARB – BMW’s highly advanced traction control system designed for electric cars that features a slip control system positioned directly in the engine control unit making it dramatically faster to react. Combined with with DSC, actuator contiguous wheel slip limitation (say that three times) significantly reduces the power understeer usually experienced with front-wheel drive vehicles, but without control intervention to stabilize lateral dynamics.
The MINI Cooper SE will be well equipped with LED headlamps, 2-zone automatic air conditioning, heating with heat pump technology, auxiliary heating, electric parking brake and Connected Navigation. It will also debut the highly anticipated digital gauge cluster that we’ve been reporting on for years at MF (look for this to make its way to other MINI models by 03/20 production).
Taking the the $29,900 MSRP combined the $7,500 federal tax credit (not to mention the typical state credit), the MINI Cooper SE could easily be a $20,000 car all things considered. Given the performance, standard equipment and all that comes with a MINI that’s an exceptional price that makes the MINI Cooper SE much more compelling than many (including us) expected.
But that’s our take. Let us know your thoughts below.
<p>People have been arguing that range shouldn’t matter since the dawn of EVs, but the simple fact of the US market is that it does matter quite a lot to actually move product. Kudos to MINI for pricing it where it probably needs to be to gain any traction with car buyers, but I wonder if that means they’ll be selling at a loss (just like the article mentions GM and VW models do).</p>
<p><s></s> Range matters a lot. Less range means you have to recharge more often. Less range means in winter your actual range is even less. With so small a range, this car is only good for driving to work and back. No short hops to the neighboring city. Etc. $5k more in batteries would double the range, making it a viable car for the other 90% of people.</p>
<p>I completely agree. Plus, one of the things Mini has been touting is how it will respond if driven more enthusiastically. Appealing, but of course that will also have an adverse affect on range.</p>
<p>I’ve done plenty of “short hops to the neighboring city” with substantially less range than this… 160-180 mile day trips in an “81-mile” EV.</p>
<p>Lots of variables, so it might not work for everybody and every situation, but it’s certainly possible to make it work for more than just back and forth to work.</p>
<p>Also, doubling the amount of batteries also doubles the battery weight and volume, which means compromising interior volume, which is already relatively limited. It’s not as simple as just doubling the battery capacity for $5k.</p>
<p>This mini won’t work for the majority of drivers, who don’t have charge stations every 40 miles. Or who don’t want to spend 30 minutes of every hour driving at a charger. Or who live in the 90% of the country that has a winter season.</p>
<p>Adding $5k of battery (about $100/kwh right now) would put it at 85kwh, more than making up for the loss due to weight. A skateboard plateform with battery, additional battery under the back seats, and additional under the hood. (no need for a frunk either in a mini) would have made this a viable machine. Now, it’s a failure waiting to happen.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, I want an electric mini. But this half-hearted attempt is pretty lame.</p>
<blockquote>This mini won’t work for the majority of drivers, who don’t have charge stations every 40 miles. Or who don’t want to spend 30 minutes of every hour driving at a charger. Or who live in the 90% of the country that has a winter season.</blockquote>
<p>I specifically said, and MINI agrees, that this isn’t for everyone. However, no, it is not inherently “only good for driving to work and back” or inherently incapable of “short hops to the neighboring city.”</p>
<blockquote>Adding $5k of battery (about $100/kwh right now) would put it at 85kwh, more than making up for the loss due to weight.</blockquote>
<p>For one, there’s no place to put $5k more of batteries. The trunk is already small. The area under the hood is probably full of other stuff like the ID.3 (and other small EVs). They already raised it up some to make room underneath.</p>
<p>Unless you completely redesign the car…</p>
<blockquote>A skateboard plateform with battery, additional battery under the back seats, and additional under the hood. (no need for a frunk either in a mini) would have made this a viable machine.</blockquote>
<p>Which would make the “$5k” new battery cost far, far more than $5k if it requires a complete redesign of the car.</p>
<p>It’s definitely not for everyone, and it won’t be a road trip warrior, but then many other inexpensive EVs aren’t either (Leaf, Bolt, etc.). As a second/commuter car, though, it’s range is sufficient for a substantial number of people and it’s one of the cheapest EVs on the market despite being a premium brand and likely having great driving dynamics.</p>
<p>I would have this on my list for my next car but not with this range. If you live in a suburb and need to get to neighboring towns or make multiple trips during the day it just doesn’t work. I would need at least 150 to 200 miles in range to make it viable (and no, I don’t have extra cars as mentioned in the article, most people have 1 or 2 cars at the most.)</p>
<p>I’m a little disappointed as it looks like those wheels might not be standard on the base trim level. Seems odd since they were talking about the aerodynamics and light weight of them. I assumed the point of designing them like that would have been to help with range, so why wouldn’t that be standard on all trims?</p>
<p>Each trim level will have some wheel options, with more options for the higher trims, but yeah, it doesn’t look like the base trim will be able to get the unique wheels, unfortunately.</p>
<p>It seems likely that it will have the same options as the “First Edition” versions in Canada, which you can find a configurator for on their site.</p>
<p>I feel like the wheels should have at least been an option for any trim level. I feel like they are one of the more iconic parts of this car.</p>
<p>I wish they were available on the lowest trim, too (as well as the anthracite headliner), but I guess they’ve got to save some things for the more expensive trims.</p>
<p>Be sure to check your state as far as costs and/or rebates are concerned. I checked AZ and registration until EOY 2021 is 1% of the MSRP. In 2022 that increasing to 20%!</p>
<p>Say good bye federal tax credit.</p>