BMW Group to launch Electric Mini Cooper
Mon 01 December 2008
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BMW Group has announced plans to launch trials involving a fleet of 500 battery-electric Minis, mainly in the United States. The company says that the vehicles are capable of almost 100mph and have a range of over 150 miles on a single charge.
The electric Minis will be powered by a lithium-ion battery pack, which occupies the backseat. There are 106 automotive-specific lithium-ion cells packed into each of the 48 cylindrical modules. The extra equipment adds 662 pounds to the Mini E's weight. The car will also come with a special charging adapter installed at an owner's home, capable of recharging the Mini E in 2 1/2 hours. The car can also be plugged into into a standard wall socket, but will take longer to recharge. The drive-line is similar but not identical to that of the Lotus Elise-based Tesla battery-electric sports car.
A statement from Munich-based parent company BMW indicated that it plans to lease the electric Mini Coopers to customers for one year with an option for an extension. The cars will not be available to buy but will be leased for $850 a month. They will be available in a limited roll-out in New York, New Jersey, and California in 2009.
THE US trials will be followed by a further trial of 50 cars in Berlin in the summer of 2009. A small number of the cars in the European trial may come to the UK.
The fleet will be built at the Mini plant in Oxford and will all have a distinctive silver livery including "Power Plug" logos on the roof and front and back.
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