Mini has been playing a long game with its electric vehicle plans. The company dipped its toe into the water with plug-in hybrids and electric teasers, but we don't have a clear picture of how a proper battery-electric Mini would look. It isn't a production reality yet, but the Mini Electric Concept provides some pretty strong pointers.
OK, so it still doesn't provide any powertrain clues, but the electric vehicle-specific touches on the Mini Electric Concept give us a few hints as to what the production version will look like. Without a hungry engine to cool, the radiator grille has been covered over for better aerodynamics, and its shape has been traced in lime green as a hint at the green credentials of its powertrain.
The details are still mostly Mini Cooper but small changes – things like the reworked daytime running lights and matte silver paintwork, along with a few choice decals – make for a showier, more interesting design. Although they're unlikely to make production, we're big fans of the Union Jack motif worked into the brake lights.
Those dark 19-inch wheels are another difference between the Electric Concept and regular Minis. Their shape is similar to that of the older Mini JCW GP, but they're a bit smarter, thanks to 3D-printed air deflectors designed to mimic the shape of the vents on the exterior. Speaking of the vents, their louvered shape is also the result of 3D-printing.
The electric Mini Cooper won't be the first electric car to come from Mini – that was the Mini E – but it will be the first series production model. When it launched in 2008, the Mini E was more of a rolling science experiment. Around 600 were built, before being handed over to real-world users for real-world testing. Lots of the information from the trials was subsequently integrated into the design of the BMW i3.
When it lands in 2019, the new Mini EV will be a fully-fledged production car. Here's hoping it still drives like a Mini, albeit a cleaner and quieter one. The concept will be on show at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show.
Source: BMW
No, with the MINI, it was all about the car's good looks, but subsequent years have not been kind to the exterior aesthetics. Throw in the astronomical prices, and MINI just isn't a car that grabs me, any more.
Yes, I'm interested in seeing their production EV's specs—range, charge time, DCFC capability, and so on—but I'll bet it's going to have a base price of more than $40,000(US), which will make it more expensive than a Tesla 3, and you wouldn't be getting access to Tesla's growing charging network.
Smells like a compliancy car, to me, MINI.
So, it's a big "yes" to EVs, but probably "meh" to this one.