Pilot project for 150kW electric MINI

BMW's quirky/retro/'British' small car brand, MINI, has announced an electric-powered model, the MINI E. 500 of the cars will be trialled in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey, with the company also considering European evaluation of the car.

The MINI E is powered by a 150kW electric motor that develops 220Nm of torque and drives through the front wheels.

That sort of power from an internal combustion engine approaches the upper limit of output for a front-wheel drive, but the MINI E channels the motor's torque through a helical-cut transmission with just one forward speed.

Assuming the gear ratio is likely to be a relatively high ratio, the driving experience should be quite different from the internal combustion engine norm. Backing the supposition that the MINI E doesn't drive quite like the petrol/diesel versions, the company refers to the experimental car's "fascinating launch capability" in its press material.

MINI is relying on the wide torque band of electric motors to compensate for the lack of gearing in the transmission and claims that the MINI E can reach 100km/h from a standing start in 8.5 seconds, with a top speed of 152km/h.

Since the MINI E's weight distribution is different from internal combustion-powered models, the company  revised the suspension settings for the electro-MINI accordingly.

Much of the weight redistribution is due to the size and mass of the battery pack in the rear (the electric motor is mounted transversely in the front, just like the internal combustion engines). 

Power for the motor is stored in a lithium-ion battery that MINI claims has been specifically developed for automotive applications.

One shortcoming of this device is the space it requires within the car, effectively occupying the space normally reserved for rear-seat passengers in internal-combustion models and restricting the MINI E's seating capacity to two.

Regenerative braking restores 'lost' power to the battery pack and, according to MINI, can relieve conventional brakes of their role for 75 per cent of the time, in urban traffic.

MINI is the latest company to try out leading-edge automotive technology on prospective users in a real-world situation while considering the feasibility of the car in the broader market.

GM is currently engaged in a similar practice with its fuel cell Chevy Tahoe, for example, and Mazda is already testing the first of thirty hydrogen-fuelled RX-8s on the road in Norway.

MINI will offer the electric car to users who qualify for selection and are willing to lease the vehicles on a one-year contract basis (with the option to extend the lease). Users will be supplied with a 'wallbox', which provides high-amperage recharging of the battery within a 150-minute period.

With this battery, the MINI E can travel over 240km between recharging, according to the manufacturer, which plans to unveil the car to the general public at the Los Angeles Auto Show from November 19. The 500-unit pilot build will be produced through to the end of this year.

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