Mini Electric
Mini Electric (pre-facelift)
Overview
ManufacturerBMW i
Also calledMini Cooper SE
Production2019–present
Model years2020–present
Assembly
Body and chassis
ClassSubcompact/Supermini (B)
Body style
LayoutFront-motor, front-wheel-drive
RelatedBMW i3
Powertrain
Electric motor135 kW (181 hp) synchronous electric motor[1]
TransmissionSingle speed with fixed ratio
Battery32.6 kWh[2]
Electric range235 kilometres (144 miles WLTP)
Plug-in charging11 kW on-board AC charger (CCS)
Dimensions
Wheelbase2,495 mm (98.2 in)
Length3,845 mm (151.4 in)
Width1,727 mm (68.0 in)
Height1,432 mm (56.4 in)
Kerb weight1,365 kg (3,009 lb)
Chronology
PredecessorMini E
SuccessorMini Cooper E

The Mini Electric (marketed as the Mini Cooper SE in all markets outside the United Kingdom)[3][4] is a battery electric version of the third generation Mini Hatch that was launched in 2020. The drivetrain utilises technology developed for the earlier BMW i3.

Design

The traction motor has an output of 135 kW (181 hp) and 270 N⋅m (199 lb⋅ft) of torque,[5] drawing from a 32.6 kWh battery, of which 28.9 kWh are usable.[6] The battery uses twelve packs of lithium-ion cells arranged in a T-shape between the front seats and below the rear seats.[5] It has an EPA rated range of 110 mi (180 km) on a single charge, with a 36-minute fast charging time to 80% capacity using a 50 kW DC fast charger.[7] According to the WLTP test cycle, the car has a range of 225 to 234 km (140 to 145 mi).[8]

Compared to the Mini E, a limited production battery-electric vehicle leased by Mini to a few hundred customers in the United States in 2008, the acceleration, power, and range were nearly the same, but the battery in the newer Mini Electric takes up less passenger volume; the battery of the Mini E occupied the entire rear seat and cargo area.[9]

The chassis position of the battery shifts the weight balance from 63/37 (front/rear) for a Cooper S with an internal combustion engine to 58/42 or 54/46 (F/R) for a Cooper SE; in addition, the center of gravity is 30 mm (1.2 in) lower for the SE,[5] despite an increase in ride height by 18 mm (0.71 in).[6][1] The chassis was fitted with unique dampers; springs were borrowed from the Countryman and Clubman models to accommodate the extra weight of the battery, which increased weight by 129 to 159 kg (284 to 350 lb) compared to a base Cooper.[10][11]

The top speed of the Mini Electric is limited to 150 km/h (93 mph).[9] The Mini Electric has a luggage capacity ranging between 211 and 731 litres, depending on how many seats are used.[12]

Styling

Styling details: "Corona/Power Spoke" wheels and the E/plug ambigram embossed on the charge port door

Because the car does not require a radiator, the grille is closed; additional tweaks to the undercarriage and rear apron were made to reduce aerodynamic drag.[1] Certain badges and trim of the Mini Electric are finished in a bright "Energetic Yellow" colour, which may be specified in grey instead.[5] Inside the car, the digital instrument display, shifter, and starter button are highlighted with the same yellow colour.[6] The charging inlet is located behind the fuel filler door[6] and is regionalised: Type 2/CCS Combo 2 in Europe and Type 1/CCS Combo 1 in North America.[5][1]

One of the model-specific wheel options, initially branded "Corona Spoke", has a three-hole asymmetric design reminiscent of three-pin BS 1363 household mains sockets in the United Kingdom;[6] the name was updated to "Power Spoke" shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began.[13] The Mini Electric continues to use the round stylised "E"/plug logo first developed for the Mini E[14] and continued on the Countryman Cooper S E Hybrid.[15]

A facelifted version of the Mini Cooper was unveiled in 2021,[16][17] reducing the use of bright yellow trim and badges.[18]

History

The Mini Electric should not be confused with the 2010 Mini E which was a limited production vehicle used as a technology and market test platform.[19][20]

The Mini Electric was previewed by a concept car, the Mini Electric Concept at the 2017 Frankfurt IAA.[21] The production Mini Cooper SE was announced in July 2019[1] and the international launch was held six months later in Miami, where BMW touted the fleet of press cars would be charged using renewable sources of energy.[22]

The Mini Electric is assembled at Plant Oxford alongside conventionally-powered Mini hatchbacks.[9] At launch, the factory could build up to 120 Mini Electric vehicles per day, and already had 2,000 preorders for the UK market.[23] In the UK, the Mini Electric was offered in one of three different trim levels, with suggested retail prices ranging from £27,900 (for the "Level 1" trim) to £29,900 (Level 2) and £33,900 (Level 3).[24] The corresponding trim levels and prices in the US were "Signature" (US$30,750), "Signature Plus" (US$34,750), and "Iconic" (US$37,750).[5][25] In 2020 17,580 Cooper SE were sold worldwide.[26]

The "MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW" was unveiled in March 2021; it functioned as the safety car for the 2020–21 Formula E World Championship.[27] Compared to the roadgoing Mini Electric, the Pacesetter underwent a weight reduction of 130 kg (286 lb) and featured new wheels and a rear wing with integrated safety lights.[28]

In 2021, Paul Smith designed the MINI STRIP, a version of the Mini Electric which shows sustainable ideas, for example a panoramic roof and car mats by remanufactured materials as well as cork in the interior.[29][30]

Reception

In 2021, the UK magazine CAR noted "the ride is firm ... the Mini fidgets and fusses more than we'd like; ... [the steering] tugs about lumpily under heavy acceleration and there's a surprising dead spot on the straight and narrow", noting the Mini "is largely indistinguishable from its combustion-engined compatriots" but "you can get the same range for less, more range for a similar price or a generally far more interesting car" from competitors on the British market.[6] Motor Trend echoed CAR: "I can't recommend the Cooper SE ... It is not the confidence-inspiring electric hot hatch I had anticipated. Instead, it's a style-over-substance, disappointing glimpse at how great an electric Mini could be."[11]

In a three-way comparison test with the Honda e and Peugeot e-208 conducted by CAR in 2020, the Mini Electric finished third. The reviewer noted the Mini was "comfortably the quickest car here — but what surprised us more was how it lacked the sophistication of the others" and called the range "desperately short".[31]

In contrast, the US magazine Car and Driver said that if "you don't need to drive 200 miles on a charge and ... you enjoy driving ... this might be the best electric way to get you there."[5] Technology site CNET compared the Cooper SE with the Mazda MX-30 in 2021, noting that while the interior dimensions and driving range were comparable, "the MX-30 is unpleasant to use and dull to drive. Every time one of us gets into the Cooper SE, it makes us happy. The Mazda, on the other hand, feels like a bore."[32]

Competitors

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "The new MINI Cooper SE" (Press release). BMW Group. 9 July 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. ↑ "2020 Mini Electric: price, on sale date, electric range and info". The Sunday Times. 9 July 2019. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
  3. ↑ "INTRODUCING THE FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC MINI". Mini (marque). Archived from the original on 18 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2019.
  4. ↑ Kew, Ollie (2 February 2020). "Six things we learned about the Mini Electric". Top Gear. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Dyer, Ezra (9 October 2020). "Tested: Mini Cooper SE Charges at the Low End of the EV Segment". Car and Driver. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Groves, Jake (11 May 2021). "Mini Electric (2021) review: an icon, electrified". Car. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "Mini introduces all-new Mini Electric". Goodwood Festival of Speed. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  8. ↑ "Mini Cooper SE". automobile-propre.com (in French). Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  9. 1 2 3 Rix, Jack (9 July 2019). "181bhp, 144-mile range: this is the new Mini Electric". Top Gear. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  10. ↑ White, Annie (6 March 2019). "The 2020 Mini Cooper S E Hardtop Will Be Mini's First Electric Vehicle". Car and Driver. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  11. 1 2 Brady, Duncan; Nelson, Jade (photographer) (24 November 2020). "2020 Mini Cooper SE First Test: I Wish I Could Recommend It". Motor Trend. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  12. ↑ "MINI Electric – Feel-Good Electric Hatchback". Mini (marque). Archived from the original on 8 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  13. ↑ Ewing, Steven (24 April 2020). "Mini renames Cooper EV's 'Corona Spoke' wheels due to coronavirus". CNET. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  14. ↑ Ralev, Margarit (20 October 2008). "new Mini E logo". logoblink.com. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  15. ↑ Hall, Chris (9 September 2019). "Mini Countryman Cooper S E review: A greener Mini". Pocket-lint. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  16. ↑ "New and exclusive features for electric driving pleasure: The MINI Electric Collection for the MINI Cooper SE" (Press release). Munich: BMW Group. 10 February 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  17. ↑ "The original – new every time: The MINI 3-door, the MINI 5-door, the MINI Convertible" (Press release). BMW Group. 27 January 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  18. ↑ Ewing, Steven (26 January 2021). "2022 Mini Cooper Hardtop and Convertible get fresh looks and new tech". CNET. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  19. ↑ Kraaijenbrink, Jeroen. "BMW's Three Thinking Mistakes with the New Mini Electric". Forbes. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  20. ↑ Smith, Luke John (11 July 2019). "New Mini Electric car UNVEILED – Affordable EV price, specs, range and release date". Daily Express. Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
  21. ↑ "The Mini Electric Concept" (Press release). BMW Group. 30 August 2017. Archived from the original on 12 October 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  22. ↑ "Consistently sustainable: Media presentation of the new MINI Electric is designed to be CO2 neutral" (Press release). Munich: BMW Group. 14 January 2020. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  23. ↑ Marriage, Ollie (27 February 2020). "Mini Electric review: the small EV you've been waiting for?". Top Gear. Archived from the original on 14 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
  24. ↑ "Explore the new Mini Electric" (PDF). Mini (marque). October 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  25. ↑ Savage, Mark (22 November 2020). "MINI Cooper SE Iconic Hardtop 2-Door Review". WUWM. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  26. ↑ "BMW will Elektroauto-Absatz 2021 verdoppeln". ecomento.de (in German). 18 January 2021. Archived from the original on 18 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  27. ↑ "The MINI Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW. The first electric MINI as a FIA Formula E Safety Car" (Press release). BMW Group. 30 March 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  28. ↑ Hyatt, Kyle (30 March 2021). "Mini debuts the Electric Pacesetter as the 2021 Formula E safety car". CNET. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  29. ↑ Bharath, Khris (19 August 2021). "Mini Strip by Paul Smith Illustrates Electric Just How Much Excess There Is". TopSpeed. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 26 September 2021.
  30. ↑ "MINI STRIP. Sustainable design with a twist, by Paul Smith" (Press release). Munich/London: BMW Group. 12 August 2021. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  31. ↑ Pollard, Tim (1 September 2020). "Honda E vs Peugeot e-208 vs Mini Electric review: modest modernists". Car. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  32. ↑ Ewing, Steven (13 December 2021). "Driving the Mazda MX-30 made me like our long-term Mini Cooper SE even more". CNET. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
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