It’s no secret that an electric MINI is on the way. The electric Brit has been teased and spied a few times by now. However, some new spy photos have surfaced, showing off the upcoming MINI Cooper S E completely undisguised. (We don’t own the spy photos but they can be seen here)
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In these new photos from Autocar, we get to see the upcoming electric MINI without an inch of camouflage. What’s interesting is that it looks about as close to the MINI E Concept as we could hope for. While it’s obviously not exactly like the quite radical concept car, it’s as close to it as a production car is going to get.
Thankfully, one of the Concept’s design elements that did stay is the wheel design. Personally, I really liked the Concept’s wheels when I first saw them and I’m glad they stayed on the production car because they’re quite cool looking.
Powering the MINI Cooper S E will be the 181 hp electric motor from the BMW i3 S. It also gets a similar battery pack and range has been internally said to be around 200 miles. That’s not too shabby a spec sheet, as it packs about the same amount of power as the regular Cooper S but with an all-electric powertrain. So it should be about as quick but far more efficient.
The MINI Cooper S E is something we’re very excited about. That’s because we think electric powertrains work really well in MINIs. Their instant torque and punchy acceleration make electric motors perfect for MINI-duty. Plus, MINIs are already excellent city cars, so removing any emissions while also adding better low-down torque will only make them even better.
MINI will launch the electric Cooper S E to coincide with its 60th anniversary. We can’t wait to drive it.
[Source: Autocar]
We can’t wait to drive it…………………..but wait for that “long wait” to have it re-charged……………….:-D
Don’t people recharge while sleeping? Cars, too.
Yes, with electric I never have to remember to drive to the gas station before work. The car is already charged and waiting. That “long wait” to unplug the plug, terrifying for some I suppose.
Looks like a subtle “neg” with poor color choices.
The Union Jack backlights are the coolest I’ve ever seen. Maybe they have that on other Minis as well, I don’t know. Really love that. With some nicer rims it should be good.
Does the electric Mini really need the hood scoop or does it get one just because it’s a Cooper? The Hardtop’s smooth hood would look better and be more aerodynamic. If this car is going to have way less than half the range of a Chevy Bolt, it’s too bad it can’t be quicker than a Bolt.
Something is up with the numbers. There’s no way they’re getting 200 mi out of a 33 kWh battery pack assembly. It would need to be something around 50 kWh usable.
If it really is 33 kWh, then I think it’s supposed to be 200 km, not mi. If you do the conversion, 200 km = 124 mi. That’s more in line with a 33 kWh capacity.
I think the latest i3 has a larger battery capacity