The Mini E was a demonstration electric car developed by BMW as a conversion of its Mini Cooper car. The MINI E was developed for field trials and deployed in several countries, including the United States, Germany, UK, France, Japan and China. The field testing of the Mini E was part of BMW Project i, which was followed in January 2012 by a similar trial with the BMW ActiveE, and the last phase of project was the development of the BMW i3 urban electric car, that went into mass production in 2013. In 2019 BMW announced that the mass market Mini Electric will go in to production.
The first trial was launched in the U.S. in June 2009 and the Mini E was available through leasing to private users in Los Angeles and the New York/New Jersey area. Another field test was launched in the UK in December 2009, where more than forty Mini E cars were handed to private users for a two consecutive six-month field trial periods. This trial program allowed the BMW Group to become the world's first major car manufacturer to deploy a fleet of more than 500 all-electric vehicles for private use. After the trial some MINI Es were displayed in museums, others shipped to Germany for further lab testing, and the rest dismantled and crushed. The 40 Mini Es that participated in the UK trial were kept in use after the trial ended in March 2011, participating in promotional activities and forming part of BMW Group UK’s official vehicle fleet for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
All Mini-E vehicles were equipped in the same way, similar to a standard Mini Cooper hatchback.
The Mini E was unveiled at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show. BMW used its Mini brand to test its electric powertrain technology but the vehicle was also developed in order to meet new California regulations that require carmakers to offer zero emission vehicles.
The Mini E is powered by an asynchronous electric motor that is mounted in the former engine bay and is rated at 204 PS (150 kW) and 160 lbf⋅ft (220 N⋅m) of torque. Drive is sent to the front wheels. The Mini E employs a lithium-ion battery pack with an overall capacity of a 130 megajoules (35 kWh). The batteries weigh 572 pounds (259 kg) and replace the back seat. Top speed is electronically limited to 95 mph (153 km/h), with 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) acceleration in 8 seconds. The car’s range is 156 miles (251 km) on a single charge under optimal conditions. Estimates of normal driving conditions put ranges at 109 miles (175 km) city and 96 miles (154 km) highway.
AC Propulsion issued a news release on 19 November 2008, announcing they were a supplier for Mini E. The news release stated that AC Propulsion supplied a specially developed version of its proprietary tzero, a registered trademark, technology, including air-cooled copper-rotor induction motor and Li ion battery on the Mini E. It is characterized by high performance, high efficiency, and fast charging.
The Mini E could be charged by 120 volt (at 12 amp) and 240 volt (at 32 or 48 amp) power sources; charging times were 20 hours and 3.5 hours (fast-charge system). Charge rate was set from the instrument panel before charging.
The 240 volt 32 amp home "wall box" charging stations for the USA trial were made by Clipper Creek, with a proprietary electrical connector to the car made by ODU.
The accelerator was a drive-by-wire system with a soft start to limit the electric motor's response and prevent burnout from a standstill. After this initial delay, response goes back to normal.
The Mini E's regenerative braking was designed to capture as much kinetic energy as possible giving it a distinct driving characteristic. When the driver released the acceleration pedal, the Mini E started braking, slowing it down significantly as if the brake pedal were pressed.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified the Mini E range as 100 mi (160 km), with a city/highway combined energy consumption of 34 kW·h/100 miles. Under its five-cycle testing, EPA rated the Mini E at 98 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (2.4 L/100 km) combined fuel economy, with a rating of 102 mpg‑US (2.3 L/100 km; 122 mpg‑imp) equivalent in city driving and 94 mpg‑US (2.5 L/100 km; 113 mpg‑imp) equivalent on highways. This information was displayed in the window sticker in terms of energy consumption, as 33 kW·h/100 miles for city and 36 kW·h/100 milesfor highway.
The Mini factory in Oxford, England supplied vehicle gliders to a team in Munich, Germany who added the electric running gear.
Field testing of the Mini E was part of BMW Project i, and was followed in January 2012 by a similar trial with the BMW ActiveE all-electric vehicle. After the MINI E trial program ended some cars were displayed in museums, others shipped to Germany for further lab testing, and the rest dismantled and crushed.
Mini-E drivers participating in the field trial program of the vehicle were required to participate in online surveys and discussions, and to bring their vehicle into their local dealership to be worked on. The car was available only as a three-year limited lease, and drivers were required to return their cars to Mini who destroyed or donated them to tech schools and museums for display, disassembly, and analysis purposes.
In the U.S. 9,500 people signed up to lease the 450 MINI Es available. In June 2009, Mini started the program by leasing 250 units in Los Angeles area and 200 in the New York/New Jersey area. The leasing price was set at US$850 (approx. €600) a month for one year and included collision coverage, maintenance costs, and home installation of the charging station. Residents of New Jersey did not pay sales tax on their lease due to the existing state exemption for battery electric vehicles.
In May 2010 BMW announced that leasing could be renewed for another year at a lower price of US$600 a month. This renewal was offered to all individuals who had a Mini E lease at the time but fleet customers were excluded and according to BMW half of all lessees agreed to the extension.
Field testing in Paris with 50 units began in 2010.
A total of 100 trial vehicles were assigned to Germany. Testing in Berlin began in June 2009, and for the second phase, a total of 70 vehicles were delivered in March 2011 to private customers and fleet users. Field testing began in Munich in September 2010, for a leasing fee of €400 (approx. US$517) per month.
Testing in the U.K. took place between December 2009 and March 2011 with 40 Mini E cars handed to private users for two consecutive six-month field trial periods. The leasing price was set at GB£330 (around US$536) per month, which included VAT, insurance, service and maintenance. One MINI E was delivered to the Government car pool in Downing Street to be tested by ministers in an urban environment on their official business around London.
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