A lot of electric cars go to great lengths to cast off traditional design ideas and announce themselves as something totally new and futuristic – take the BMW i3 for example. Mini plans to do things differently. Recognizing customers' fondness for the classic shape, the company is presenting a restored classic Mini Cooper kitted out with a completely electric drivetrain that looks just like it used to on the outside, but packs an electric punch underneath. It's called the classic Mini Electric.
There's no details in terms of range, power, battery location … In fact the whole thing looks exactly like a nicely restored Cooper were it not for a few strategically placed plug logos around the body and a charge point where the petrol cap would normally go.
Mini also says the electric version honors the go-kart style nailing and zippy driving experience of the original, although that's pretty academic, as nobody will ever get to drive it.
Still, it's a good reminder that the design of electrics is far less bounded by engine and drivetrain technology than the average combustion car – whether that means they're built to look like spaceships, or to emulate resonant designs of past eras. Anything's possible!
Source: Mini
