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)
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.
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