Hot on the heels of the
electric Porsche from Ruf, another icon is given the full planet-saving treatment as MINI charges in with this, the MINI E.
It's not quite a production car just yet, though MINI will be making at least 500 and leasing them to customers in New York, Los Angeles, New Jersey and, hopefully, London. How those cars are received will determine whether the E makes it to the showroom.
As you can see, little is changed inside or out over the regular car, save for some 'Interchange Yellow' trim and the new PR-friendly MINI E badge stuck on every available surface. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like you can still order yours with a Union Jack on the roof in place of the new 'Pacman' plug decal.
The latest MINI boasts similar tech to most of the pack of electric vehicles beginning to raise their green heads, though lets not get too blasé - each new electric concept signals a further shift towards our cleaner future.
So, a lithium-ion battery pack powers a 201bhp electric motor to silently propel the MINI E to 62mph from standstill in just 8.5 seconds and on to 95mph. That's enough to comfortably outsprint the regular
MINI Cooper, and is particularly impressive when you consider the car's porky 1,465kg kerb weight. That's thanks to the maximum 162lb.ft of torque being available from standstill.
More important than outright performance, however, is the range between charges, which MINI claims is around 150 miles from an eight hour charge, though a quicker charge will be possible if the owner has the MINI-supplied 'wallpack' near by. As usual, regenerative braking helps charge the battery on the go.
Due to make its debut at the
Los Angeles Motor Show in November, production of the first 500 customer cars will begin at the end of this year.
Mark Nichol - 20 Oct 2008