Mini to get electric power up

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WE'VE GOT THE POWER: BMW's electric version of the Mini will hit the road in the US.

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The car that made its name as an icon of the Swinging ’60s is powering into the 21st century with an all-electric version.

BMW has revealed the Mini E, a zero-emission, two-seat version of its famous hatchback that will be leased to 500 Americans as part of a one-year trial.

If the scheme is successful, an electric Mini is likely to go into production within a few years.

The Mini E is based on the regular Mini three-door hatch but swaps its conventional internal-combustion engines for an electric motor.

The electric motor is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack and produces 150kW and 220Nm – sufficient to make the Mini E 1.9 seconds (8.5sec) quicker in the 0-100km/h sprint than the 360kg-lighter Mini Cooper auto.

BMW has limited the E’s top speed to 152km/h, with the car focused on city driving.

However, the large, 260kg battery and electric transmission (located by the rear axle) take the place of the Mini’s rear seats, making the front-drive Mini E a two-seater only. (Some would suggest the limited rear legroom in the regular Mini effectively makes it a two-seater, too.)

BMW says the Mini E has a range of 240km, which can be extended by up to 290km through regenerative braking.

Kinetic energy is fed to the battery whenever the driver lifts their foot off the accelerator pedal.

Mini Es leased in the initial trial areas of Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey (London and Europe are also being considered) will come standard with a ‘wallbox’, which will be fitted into customers’ garages for convenient recharging. Leasing, though, won't be cheap - costing Mini E owners about A$1200 per month.

The Mini E’s battery can be charged fully in about two-and-a-half hours, though will take much longer if connected to a regular power socket fitted with a special adaptor. (The Mini E’s connecting socket sits behind a conventional-looking ‘fuel filler’ cap.)

BMW says it has tweaked the Mini E’s suspension to ensure that the abnormal weight distribution created by the battery pack doesn’t upset the hatch’s signature go-kart handling abilities.

Inside, the most notable difference between the E and regular Mini (apart from the missing rear seats) is the swapping of the tachometer for a battery-power gauge that tells the owner how much charge is remaining – from between 0 and 100 per cent.

While Minis are famous for their virtually unlimited customisation options, the 500 Mini Es look identical.

Each features a silver roof and dark silver bodywork, with yellow power plug symbols (the largest on the roof) marking the E as an electric Mini.

The Mini E will debut on November 19 at the Los Angeles motor show. The 500 models will be built by the end of 2008 at the Mini production plant in Oxford, England, though the battery, electric motor, transmission and relating electronics will be added at BMW in Munich.

The electric technology is unlikely to be restricted to Mini within the BMW Group.

The German car maker’s ‘Project i’ team is exploring a micro electric car designed specifically for mega-cities, though it’s not yet clear whether the car will carry the BMW badge or sit under a new brand name similar to the Mercedes and Smart set-up.