What's all this about?
This is a properly mini MINI, at last - in this case, an electric scooter wearing the company's branding.
An electric scooter - what's the point of that then?
Capable of 15mph and 15 miles on a charge, the MINI Citysurfer concept has a lithium-ion battery in the frame and a gearless hub motor in the rear wheel, with the throttle controlled by the rider's thumb. You can charge it via a 12V in-car socket or via the mains at home, and it can be ridden as a normal scooter once the power has run out, with some energy regeneration for the motor provided by the brakes. The motor won't activate until you've got the Citysurfer up to a minimum (unspecified) speed using your legs.
And presumably this is to get you from your MINI in the car park to your final destination, like an office or something?
Indeed, as the 18kg Citysurfer can fold up and fit in the boot of a three-door MINI Hatch. There's also a mobile phone holder on the handlebars so you can use satnav on it for the last steps of your multimodal transport journey.
Matt Robinson - 25 Nov 2014