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The MINI E
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Paco500
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Oct 16, 2010, 06:46 PM
 
Last night, I managed to get my hands on a bit of tech worth writing about, a MINI E. The MINI E is a limited production electric car based on the MINI Cooper, currently under trial by a few hundred lucky drivers in the UK, US and Germany. Our friend is one of those lucky few that were given the opportunity to lease the car for six months and provide feedback to BMW. Yesterday evening, my friend whisked me out for a quick drive.

From the outside, aside from the bold yellow MINI E graphics, it's indistinguishable from a standard MINI Cooper. On the inside, however, you quickly realise it's something different. The rear seats are gone, replaced by a large carpet covered box which contains some obscene number of Lithium Ion batteries- over 1000 as I recall. The large tachometer which is usually found in front of the steering wheel has been replaced with a gauge which shows power consumption and remaining battery life. The gear selector looked to me as standard auto-transmission stick, with P, R and D. Other than the steering wheel being positioned on the wrong/left side (they were all built in the US as I understand it), the rest was standard MINI fare.

Starting the car was a matter of placing the key fob in the dash and pushing the "Engine Start/Stop" button and watching the dashboard come to life. As is written in every electric/hybrid car review ever, it is otherwise silent. The first thing worth noting about driving it was the oddity of having zero movement or power after taking my foot off the break. You do get used to a "normal" car moving off a bit at idle, but to get the car rolling at even a creep, you need to put your foot on the accelerator. It was disconcerting as I was trying to get out of a tight space in the driveway and would normally have not used an accelerator at all until I was clear, but I imagine you would get used to this very quickly, and another quirk about the car was a compensator. At low speeds, you don't need to use the breaks. Power management is obviously a huge priority and the regenerative breaking takes hold as soon as you let your foot of the go pedal- without the need to hit the brakes at all. This was also off-putting at first, but I can see this as something else that would become second-nature quickly.

Now, on to the driving. My first few minutes in the car were unremarkable. The road my friend lives on is chock full of traffic calming measures. Every 50 feet it seemed there was another speed-bump or chicane ensuring I would not be able to get a feel for anything. Joyfully, they ended and the road opened up and things got very fun, very quick. Very, very quick. I've read a multitude of stories and reviews of electric cars, but words on a page (sadly, not even these) can prepare you for what a kick it is to drive a car with absolutely no gears and consistent power and acceleration up to well above the speed limit. I understand the car was limited to 95, and although I didn't get it that high, I could well imagine it would have no problem getting there and beyond. At 70 there was as much punch when you put your foot down as there was at 30. It was utter bliss. Sadly, a few minutes, a couple of round-abouts and traffic-lights later, we were back home. I’m told the batteries add additional thousand or so pounds to a standard MINI, but in my limited time behind the wheel, the handling did not seem compromised. As a car, this thing is eminently driveable.

Now the big question- is it realistic? I understand the range target is 100 miles, and if it’s driven in the right environment (lots of stopping and starting to keep the regenerative breaks feeding power back to the batteries) and like your grandmother (ignoring all that wonderful torque), he reckons it’s achievable. The charging infrastructure is not yet in place such that I would ever feel comfortable getting it more that 40 or so miles from home unless I knew in advance I’d have a hook-up on the other end. Also, I imagine if it was put on the market without serious government subsidies it would be absurdly expensive. In summary, if I lived in an urban environment, had no need to drive long distances on a motorway (or had access to a second car when I did) and had a big wad of cash to spare, I would absolutely put one on my list if it was brought to market. Sadly, not a one of those conditions describes me.

I’ve been promised a longer outing in future and I will absolutely take the opportunity before the car goes back to BMW in the spring. It was too much fun not to do it again. I would say, without hesitation, it was a - if not the- highlight of my driving career. If an electric MINI was this much fun, I can only imagine what driving a Tesla must be like.
( Last edited by Paco500; Oct 16, 2010 at 07:37 PM. )
     
iMOTOR
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Oct 16, 2010, 07:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by Paco500 View Post
Other than the steering wheel being positioned on the wrong/left side
This is in fact the correct side to have a steering wheel.
     
Sealobo
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Oct 16, 2010, 08:14 PM
 
Originally Posted by iMOTOR View Post
This is in fact the correct side to have a steering wheel.
     
Andy8
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Oct 16, 2010, 08:19 PM
 
Originally Posted by Paco500 View Post
they were all built in the US as I understand it.
Construction
MINI’s Plant Oxford built the entire MINI E vehicle on the standard production line, with the exception of the drive components and lithium-ion battery. The body units were transferred to BMW Group’s Munich plant where the electric motor, battery units and transmission were integrated.
     
imitchellg5
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Oct 16, 2010, 08:45 PM
 
I hope the MINI E takes off if it ever goes on sale, along with the Leaf. The electric car will do for car enthusiasts what the car did for horse enthusiasts: Make it an enjoyable pastime. Imagine having a super cheap to run car to go to work in and having a fun, light petrol-powered car for your canyon run.
     
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Oct 16, 2010, 09:21 PM
 
The manual version will sell better.
     
Doofy
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Oct 16, 2010, 10:00 PM
 
OK, since nobody else will tell it like it is, it's up to me again.

Let's face it, this is wishful thinking by the greenies. Nobody is going to buy a 2-seat MINI with a 100 mile range that doesn't go "vrooom!" when you press the fast pedal.

FAIL.
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That's where there's thunder... and the wind shouts back.
     
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Oct 17, 2010, 12:19 AM
 
2nded.
     
Paco500  (op)
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Oct 17, 2010, 04:52 AM
 
Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
OK, since nobody else will tell it like it is, it's up to me again.

Let's face it, this is wishful thinking by the greenies. Nobody is going to buy a 2-seat MINI with a 100 mile range that doesn't go "vrooom!" when you press the fast pedal.

FAIL.
Keep in mind a few things.

1. This is a prototype. As I understand it, the first electric car BMW will produce may actually be a 1 Series rather than a MINI, but in any case, it will have 2 seats.

2. As I wrote above, it would be a limited use-case car, but I think there is a pretty large market.

3. Screw the "vroom". Maybe it did not come across, but my enthusiasm about this car was the driving experience, not the green aspect of it. I challenge you to head a few hours south- I can, without question, arrange a test drive for you, and then tell me if you don't think it's a kick to drive.
( Last edited by Paco500; Oct 17, 2010 at 05:36 AM. )
     
Paco500  (op)
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Oct 17, 2010, 05:38 AM
 
Originally Posted by Andy8 View Post
Construction
MINI’s Plant Oxford built the entire MINI E vehicle on the standard production line, with the exception of the drive components and lithium-ion battery. The body units were transferred to BMW Group’s Munich plant where the electric motor, battery units and transmission were integrated.
I was given incorrect info by my friend then. Apologies.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Oct 17, 2010, 06:02 AM
 
Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
OK, since nobody else will tell it like it is, it's up to me again.

Let's face it, this is wishful thinking by the greenies. Nobody is going to buy a 2-seat MINI with a 100 mile range that doesn't go "vrooom!" when you press the fast pedal.

FAIL.
German auto manufacturers are probably at least ten years from building anything like this in series. They have been systematically encouraged to stick with "no-future" tech by politics here, and they have seen no need to invest in viable future alternatives.

The MINI E is a pure alibi car to signal that "something" is being done - ten years too late.

The Japanese will own the market for "regular" cars in ten years' time.

Also, a car going "Vroom" and a car going "Zip" and pulling off like hell in near-total silence are probably equally exciting, in somewhat different ways.
     
Doofy
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Oct 17, 2010, 07:02 AM
 
Originally Posted by Paco500 View Post
2. As I wrote above, it would be a limited use-case car, but I think there is a pretty large market.
I can't see a market for it outside the curious, TBH.

Originally Posted by Paco500 View Post
3. Screw the "vroom". Maybe it did not come across, but my enthusiasm about this car was the driving experience, not the green aspect of it.
Fair enough.

Originally Posted by Paco500 View Post
I challenge you to head a few hours south- I can, without question, arrange a test drive for you, and then tell me if you don't think it's a kick to drive.
Thanks for offer, but I decline challenge.
I'm not arguing that it wasn't a kick to drive - I'm wondering what the point of it is.
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Doofy
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Oct 17, 2010, 07:08 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
German auto manufacturers are probably at least ten years from building anything like this in series. They have been systematically encouraged to stick with "no-future" tech by politics here, and they have seen no need to invest in viable future alternatives.

The MINI E is a pure alibi car to signal that "something" is being done - ten years too late.
You make it sound like no German manufacturer is coming out with hybrids.

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
The Japanese will own the market for "regular" cars in ten years' time.
Can't see that at all.

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Also, a car going "Vroom" and a car going "Zip" and pulling off like hell in near-total silence are probably equally exciting, in somewhat different ways.
Yes, I imagine the latter will be exciting as you dodge students who step into the road whilst relying on their hearing alone to check whether anything's coming.
Been inclined to wander... off the beaten track.
That's where there's thunder... and the wind shouts back.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Oct 17, 2010, 08:06 AM
 
Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
You make it sound like no German manufacturer is coming out with hybrids.
They're WAY late to the game, and electrics aren't even on the radar yet.

Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
Yes, I imagine the latter will be exciting as you dodge students who step into the road whilst relying on their hearing alone to check whether anything's coming.
That's really just a question of what you're looking out for, i.e. habit.

Many new petrol cars have pretty much silent engines due to soundproofing. The tires make the most noise. That appears to work okay.

They're also thinking of introducing a little speaker to produce "engine" noise. Yah right.

Anything to reduce traffic noise in the city is a Good Thing.
     
imitchellg5
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Oct 17, 2010, 06:10 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
You make it sound like no German manufacturer is coming out with hybrids.
They might as well not be; except for the Merc S400, all other German hybrids on the market right now cost signifigently more to purchase than their petrol counterparts. The X6 hybrid for example is $30k more than the xDrive35i. If you're offering hybrids at that much of a premium, you might as well not offer it at all.
     
jokell82
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Oct 17, 2010, 06:21 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
OK, since nobody else will tell it like it is, it's up to me again.

Let's face it, this is wishful thinking by the greenies. Nobody is going to buy a 2-seat MINI with a 100 mile range that doesn't go "vrooom!" when you press the fast pedal.

FAIL.
I own a MINI now, and it's really a 2 seater anyway. I can squeeze a third in the back on occasion, but I hate driving with a 4th (and I've only done it once). 99% of the time the back seats are down so I can haul around my dog.

100 mile range sucks, but that will get better with advances in technology.

And the "vrooom!"? MINI's aren't really known for it. For the MINI it's all about the handling, and being able to take corners at twice the speed of other sports cars. I wouldn't buy one slower than the current Justacooper, but they only do 0-60 in 7.4 seconds anyway.

All glory to the hypnotoad.
     
imitchellg5
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Oct 17, 2010, 06:40 PM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Also, a car going "Vroom" and a car going "Zip" and pulling off like hell in near-total silence are probably equally exciting, in somewhat different ways.
100% torque available from 0 RPM? Heck yeah!
     
olePigeon
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Oct 17, 2010, 06:40 PM
 
Can anyone else think of an industry where a company gets paid to have people evaluate its products for them?
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
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Oct 17, 2010, 08:02 PM
 
Originally Posted by olePigeon View Post
Can anyone else think of an industry where a company gets paid to have people evaluate its products for them?
Apple
     
turtle777
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Oct 17, 2010, 08:04 PM
 
Originally Posted by Railroader View Post
Apple
[smartass]
Apple is not an *industry*
[/smartass]

-t
     
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Oct 17, 2010, 08:08 PM
 
Doh!

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