[aaggoswami]

@moderators : I tired searching " All Electric Mini " but could not get a thread on this topic. If already there exists a thread, then please lock this thread or merge. Sorry if this is a repost.


I came upon this all electric Mini. Quite impressive. But has become a two seater.
Source :
All-Electric MINI E Officially Revealed

Article :

MINI may have pulled the coup of the year in the eyes of ‘green’ lobbyists by announcing its all-electric MINI E is soon off to 500 customers in California, New York and New Jersey as part of a testing programme. There have been loud questions as to MINI’s electric strategy and these have now been answered officially. Following our most recent spy shots of the car in testing, our expectations were of a later reveal yes, but not this soon.

The MINI E is a very special vehicle in that it uses electric power 100 percent of the time, meaning it is not a hybrid like a Toyota Prius or the upcoming Chevrolet Volt with their combinations of electric and internal-combustion engine power sources. To accommodate its 5,088 individual high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion cells that make up the air-cooled battery, MINI stripped the back seats, just like you would when ‘tuning’ a car for racing-like readiness. Yet the car keeps its 50:50 weight distribution. The 260kg battery powers the electric motor which is conventionally found upfront.

The motor pulls out a seriously impressive 150kW (200hp) of power and 220Nm (162 lb-ft) of torque which, as one expects from such a motor, is available from idle. Incidentally the car can rev up to a maximum of 12,500rpm! MINI says it will dash from 0 – 100km/h (62mph) in 8.5 seconds with an electronically-limited top speed of 152km/h (95mph). Not bad considering the battery’s weight, but also the car’s total curb weight of 1465kg (3230 lbs). It goes without saying that the MINI E produces zero emissions.

Charging an empty battery will take about 2.5 hours at the average home or other designated recharge facility, depending on area voltage. Thereafter a range of 240km (150 miles) can be anticipated under a combined driving route. Highly-qualified personnel will be looking after the cars while they are in the care of their new leasing ‘owners’ and at the end of the testing period the cars return to BMW for deep analysis. You’ll be able to see the MINI E next month at the Los Angeles Auto Show 2008.

Images.

[Stratos]

Impressive but yet again. Personally though, I feel that how is someone living in a apartment complex going to charge his Mini? I believe this can only be done if you have your own personal garage parking.

[DocG]

Originally Posted by Stratos

Impressive but yet again. Personally though, I feel that how is someone living in a apartment complex going to charge his Mini? I believe this can only be done if you have your own personal garage parking.

Well parking lots in appartment complexes now feature sockets to charge your electreic runabout. That is at least in some countries. The more electric cars that come up, the more places we'll be able to find such sockets at the lots of your local supermarket or mall.

Have seen around 10 such parkings on average at malls in California

[jassi]

those are some awesome performance numbers from an electric motor - however is an electric ever going to be as fun as driving a petrol hmmm times a changing!!

[Mpower]

Some apartments (not the rental ones) do have personalised parking spots/garages with electrical outlets.........but I think it is not billed to the owner but to the association.

[GTO]

Yet the car keeps its 50:50 weight distribution.

a seriously impressive 150kW (200hp) of power and 220Nm (162 lb-ft) of torque

Incidentally the car can rev up to a maximum of 12,500rpm!

Only BMW could come up with something like this! Bet the Germans have a lot to learn from this test project.

[aaggoswami]

A link to video of all electric mini.
Link : All-Electric MINI E on Video - worldcarfans

The video is present on the page address above.

Article :

‘Silence is golden', the old adage goes. If that be the case then MINI E is a jewellery case. This video showcases the new MINI E on a track, but not even the birds that often litter race tracks could hear this one coming. A somewhat worrying thought actually; what happens with the blind or other physically impaired people when they can't hear it approaching?

Under the hood is a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor which receives power from a high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Thanks to the high-tech battery pack the Mini E can travel up to 156 miles per charge. 0-62 mph takes 8.5 seconds and the MINI's top speed is limited to 95 mph.