Although MINI has not committed to putting its excellent
MINI E into series production, its research into real world usage has reached the UK and a total of 40 cars will be made available for testing.
Half of that number will be driven in a fleet environment, but 20 cars will be offered to the general public on a six-month lease scheme starting this December.
Thanks to funding from the Technology Strategy Board (the Government-backed organisation that promotes technology innovation across the UK) the monthly lease price has been dropped from £550 to an entirely reasonable £330. That includes insurance and maintenance, though not electricity to power the car obviously.
Unfortunately, there are strict criteria for drivers to meet, including living in South East England and having a suitable parking spot where a high-power battery charger can be mounted. Using the 32 amp charger, the MINI E's lithium ion battery pack can be fully recharged in 4.5 hours, a task that would take 10 hours from a conventional 13 amp socket. Depending on the time of day the charging is carried out, a full charge should cost between £1.50 and £4.00.
Given that the MINI E is theoretically capable of 150 miles on a full charge, that's quite an inexpensive way to get to work and back. Of course, that's if you don't use the car's full 201bhp and 162lb.ft of torque too often...
To sign up - after you check whether your postcode is included in the scheme - go to the official site at
www.electricMINI.co.uk. Submissions will be accepted until the last day of September 2009, with a second round of applications in 2010.
Shane O' Donoghue - 2 Sep 2009