Electric MINI will be in US customer hands in summer 2009!
Click the MINI for a high res gallery
At a breakfast meeting with MINI USA VP Jim McDowell this morning he was asked to elaborate on recently announced plans for a battery powered MINI. McDowell acknowledged that the US branch was caught somewhat by surprise with the announcement. Plans have not been finalized at this point as to whether the cars will be leased or sold, or how many will be built. What McDowell did say for certain is that electric MINIs will be on the road in the hands of regular customers in the summer of 2009, one year from now. He could not say if all those customers would be in California or if they would be made available nationwide. No specifications such as range are available at this time either.
Update: After the presentation, we talked to McDowell for a few more minutes and although he couldn't say what type of battery will be in the cars, he did say that MINI will make a further announcement later this year, possibly around the time of the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Gallery: ABG Garage: 2008 MINI Cooper D
All Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: MINI]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dave 10:02AM (7/22/2008)
That's great news! I think the style and weight of this car lend itself very well to an EV model. Now the price, if they use LI batteries maybe 5K to 8K more than the gas version?
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required 12:00PM (7/22/2008)
The mini is grossly overweight for its size, this is why it gets such poor mileage. Compare it to similar sized cars such as the 1998 Rover Mini or Geo Metro and you'll be pissed off as BMW. In fact I believe the current mini weighs as much as a Grand Cherokee. It's all the plastic.
Jim 12:21PM (7/22/2008)
2008 Mini Cooper S: 2,679 lbs.
2008 Jeep Cherokee: 4470 lbs.
A little different...
wave54 12:24PM (7/22/2008)
** Now the price, if they use LI batteries maybe 5K to 8K more than the gas version? **
I doubt it'll be a penny under $30K (compared to $18K base). There are no other pure highway-speed EVs selling for less than that -- Aptera will be about $30K.
It's going to require at least the battery capacity of an i-MieV (16kWh) for any decent range since the Mini is not the lightest platform to start with at 2500+ lbs.
Hiram K 10:16AM (7/22/2008)
This Electric Mini is great and all for urban dwellers, when are we going to see the Diesel version of the Mini available in the US? I know Diesel prices are high, but mileage gains make up for a good chunk of the difference in price.
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James Sonne 10:25AM (7/22/2008)
I hope it has a range of 150 miles, because that's how far away my nearest MINI dealership is! I'd own one of the first ones, though, if this is true and it offers a decent commuter quality ride, range, and acceleration.
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Throwback 10:36AM (7/22/2008)
My guess is Cali and NY only.
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James Bowe 11:05AM (7/22/2008)
I hope they sell it in NY. My wife loves those cars, and I'm sure it would have the range for her 18 mile commute each day. Maybe I won't be getting Honda's new hybrid...
Randy C. 10:48AM (7/22/2008)
What makes California so special? We up here in Washington state deserve electric cars just as much as CA. My second question is, What's taking so long?
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Joey 11:05AM (7/22/2008)
Randy,
I've often wondered that myself. What makes California the ultimate testing ground? Does anyone know?
mcg 11:51AM (7/22/2008)
A new technology like this requires changes to the service infrastructure, and that's awfully costly to roll out nationwide. So that means picking a single market to start, and ramping up from there. Why they'd pick California over other states, who knows, but it does seem safe to say that Silicon Valley has a nice concentration of treehuggers with money.
It's the same with the Tesla roadster. You can buy it no matter where you live, but it's gonna cost you several thousand dollars more if you don't live near a Tesla service group.
Serge 12:27PM (7/22/2008)
The primary reason, I think, is the CARB ZEV Mandate. Big Auto seems to respond solely to legislative action when it comes to EVs.
fuma 1:43PM (7/22/2008)
@ Randy & @ Joey -
Have you SEEN the smog out here??? California has the toughest emission laws in the nation. And the biggest incentives for car manufacturers to test out alternative vehicles... That's why they are needed out here first, plus we have the most drivers with the highest disposable income... seriously... 1 in 5 cars out here in LA is a Mercedes, 1 in 3 is German... I've sat on Ventura Blvd and counted them myself!
Don't get me wrong, I'm not getting snooty, actually I've lived here for 3 years in LA with no car, just my bike, my legs, and the occasional bus pass! :)
I just hope these all-electric vehicles can handle our canyon passes, I'd hate to run out of juice on the way up the mountain!
Captain Obvious 1:58PM (7/22/2008)
California has specific permission to create air quality standards that are stricter that the national requirements. Other states must adopt the national standards or the California standards, but cannot change the standards to be more lax or more strict. To my knowledge, no other state can set their own independent standards. This has a lot to do with why certain green technologies come to California first...
Sam 10:47AM (7/22/2008)
With all of these electric cars coming out, I wonder if the have every looked at the EEStor capacitor/battery/whatever it maybe. The lighter energy storage of this would do well in a smaller car like a Mini.
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Joce03 1:18PM (7/22/2008)
For your info: The Canadian car company ZENN is working with EEStor to produce an EV with a top speed of 125 km/h and a range of around 400 km. And they plan to launch it late 2009. The following is a quote from an e-mail that someone at ZENN sent me after I asked them some questions through their website:
"On March 28, 2008, ZENN Motor Company announced plans for their cityZENN, a fully certified, highway capable vehicle with a top speed of 125 km/h / 80 mph and a range of 400 kilometres/250 miles. Powered by EEStor, the cityZENN will be rechargeable in less than 5 minutes, feature operating costs 1/10th of a typical combustion vehicle and be 100% emission free.
Target Launch: Late 2009"
Chris M 6:25PM (7/22/2008)
There are two reasons why no one else is considering EEStor capacitors.
1. EEStor has an exclusive deal with ZENN, as ZENN has invested in EEStor, and until ZENN agrees, EEStor cannot sell to others.
2. EEStor is seriously behind schedule, and hasn't even produced a working prototype yet, let alone any units for sale. There is some suspicions that they might not be able to get the high energy density they originally planned.
Rich 11:00AM (7/22/2008)
We could use one now!
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James Bowe 11:22AM (7/22/2008)
They are very environmentally aware, and on average, wealthy. Meaning there are tons of customers willing to pay extra for the latest green tech. And southern california has a milder climate than most of the country, making it a little less demanding on the cars.
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Throwback 11:23AM (7/22/2008)
California is the trend setter in the US automotive world. It is the largest state with the most car sales. It is a good test bed for new products, plus Cali has the toughest smog standards in the US. Also the weather is much more conducive to eletric cars.
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