MINI E UK field trial results
Trial reveals electric MINI would suit 80 per cent of drivers, 80 per cent of the timeBMW has concluded its field trials of the MINI E and claims from the results that the tiny EV meets the demands of the vast majority of drivers. The trial was hailed by the company as one of the world's most comprehensive tests of its kind.
Notable though was the revelation that the MINI E is severely compromised in its practicality by a battery pack consuming its entire rear seat space. Which explains why 90 per cent of respondents said that with rear seats and a bigger boot, the car would have been good for all their trips.
The project, among the largest of its kind run to date, took in 62 private drivers and 76 pool users running a fleet of the battery-powered two-seat MINI EVs over two six-month periods.
With funding from the Technology Strategy Board and Department for Transport as part of the $40 million Ultra Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator Program, it is one of a series of projects aimed at speeding up EV viability in the UK.
The MINI E replaces the conventional MINI hatch’s rear seat with a 35 kWh Li-ion battery pack comprising 5088 cells. It powers a front-mounted 150kW/220Nm electric motor.
With a top speed of 153 km/h, BMW officially claims a range of 240 km, although it’s quick to qualify this with a ‘realistic range’ figure of about 180 km.
Charging came care of a purpose-made home charge kit supplied by utility Scottish and Southern Energy.
Using 40 MINI Es, it covered an aggregate 258,105 miles (415,000km) in 33,345 journeys using 80,282 kWh of electricity. Over either of the six month periods, the vehicles averaged 3226 miles (5192km), the most travelled one covering 7954 miles (12,221km). Charging costs averaged out at £60 over six months which, in Aussiespeak, calculates out on average use to about five cents a kilometre.
The study drew on three main inputs: data-loggers in each car and each home charging point, and driver research carried out by Oxford Brookes University.
To date it has helped BMW in putting future BMW EVs on the road. The company says its early findings contributed towards the development of the 1 Series Coupe-based ActiveE, and it will prove more important in readying the i3, its first blank-page EV project, for launch in 2013. It has also served up reams of valuable policymaking data for UK authorities vested with pushing buyers and makers alike towards low-carbon roadware.
According to BMW’s statement, the UK trial revealed little radical difference in day-to-day use patterns between the MINI E drivers and the control group using conventionally powered MINI Coopers and BMW 116is in the same segment. Other highlights included…
- Daily travel, at 29.7 miles (48km) was slightly more for the EV group than the control group’s 26.5 miles (43km), and a little higher again than the national average for private cars of less than 25 miles (40km). Average single trip distance was 9.5 miles (15.2km); the national average is about seven miles (11.2km).
- 84 per cent said that severe cold weather affected the vehicle’s range. Four out of five, however, considered the MINI E suitable for winter use.
- Against the average daily distance driven, the cars gave sufficient range for drivers not to have to recharge them every night. Average charge frequency was 2.9 times a week, with plenty of opportunity to take advantage of off-peak rates in low-demand periods, when the grid was making the most use of renewable energy.
- 90 per cent found it easy to fit charging into their daily routine. Between 80 and 90 per cent of that charging took place through wall-mounted home charging boxes. Although 82 per cent declared a public network of charge stations ‘essential’, 72 per cent said the private charging facilities were adequate for their needs.
- 96 per cent said they’d consider buying an electric car as a result of taking part, with half saying they would pay a 30 per cent premium for an EV. A third said they’d consider it within a year, but 55 per cent said they would wait for two years or more.
The trial took place under the stewardship of a consortium headed up by BMW but including a number of government and non-government stakeholders. Scottish and Southern Energy supplied charging technology and power. Oxford Brookes University devised the data collection and analysis methodology and selected participants. The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) provided funding and called in local government help.
BMW says the study’s results mirror those of similar projects in the USA, Europe, Japan and China. The 40 MINI Es remain on UK roads and will stay on as part of BMW UK’s official fleet for the London 2012 Olympics.
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