MINI Electric Discreetly Takes The British Icon To The Sustainable Age

The original Sir Alec Issigonis Mini was born in the midst of global political turmoil. In 1956, as president Nasser of Egypt nationalized the British and French owned Suez Canal Company that operated the Suez Canal, the subsequent Suez Crisis caused oil shortage across the western world. British Motor Corporation responded to the new demand for affordable motoring by making an economy vehicle, a tiny little motor car that was cheap to buy and run and with the most inventive of designs that could pack in more passengers than seemed possible. The joke was: how do you fit four elephants in a Mini? Two in front two in the back, came the reply.

The first of Minis rolled off the Oxford factory production line in the summer of 1959 and so began a global success story which has spanned six decades. My parents drove Minis, as did so many other young Londoners. The Mini was the calm, cool star of The Italian Job and, alongside Mary Quant, Biba and The Beatles, became the symbol of youth liberation, fun, freedom and the swinging sixties.

This new MINI Electric responds to the challenges of a new decade in another century. It is a car made to answer some of our urgent environmental, social and economic concerns. There are, of course, now more immediate anxieties with this global pandemic and those that may follow- although these require designers and makers to return to their drawing boards and rethink shared transport altogether.

My MINI Electric experience took place just before the coronavirus brought life, as we know it, to a rapid pause. I picked up the car from Plant Oxford where MINIs continue to be produced today. The facility can make up to 1,000 cars a day, one every 67 seconds, with the flexibility to build MINI Electrics on demand. The electrified cars, therefore, share their assembly line with the marque’s conventional petrol and diesel cars. So far, the plant has received some 2,000 pre-orders from UK customers with the first of these circa £25,000 ($30,000) products delivered in March.

Visually, the MINI Electric is a modern MINI. This is on purpose. Speaking with design director Oliver Heilmer a few months ago, he expressed strong views on the subject. Whereas some carmakers need to visually express the electric technology and sustainability ethics, MINI, he feels, ought to have a different response. “Our drivers care about the technology, but this is not why they buy these cars. They want to personalize them.” He told me that MINI cars are largely seen as fashion items.

Personalizing your MINI Electric is therefore very much encouraged with a packed and colorful menu to choose from. Regardless of the trim level, all exterior finishes can be combined with roof and exterior mirror caps in body finish, or in black or white. You can also customize your car’s wheels in 16 and 17 inches, including the exclusive Corona Spoke alloy designed for this car, which does make the electric model stand out on the road.

The MINI Electric body style and size are similar to the three-door hatch. Aesthetic tweaks include embossed electric logos on the side scuttles, tailgate and radiator grille which features the classic hexagonal shape, closed here since electric cars requires little cooling. Coupled with the car’s enclosed undercarriage, the rear apron and the 17-inch 2-tone wheels, the closed-off grille helps improve the MINI’s overall aerodynamic performance.

Inside also offers a thoroughly modern MINI experience with its oversized elements and bold statements. The main differentiator here is the digital dashboard with a 5.5-inch color screen positioned behind the steering wheel through which the driver can select a preferable driving mode and monitor battery range, observe speed, traffic information and navigate to the nearest charging station.

Performance is close to the hot-hatch Cooper S. The battery pack has 12 modules of lithium-ion cells arranged in a T-shaped unit in the vehicle floor between the front seats and below the rear seats, for a battery capacity of 32.6 kWh. The motor is the latest, most powerful version of the synchronous electric motor developed by the BMW Group for a maximum output of 184 horsepower and torque of 270 Nm with acceleration to 62 mph in a decent 7.3 seconds.

The MINI has four driving modes, with Green+ reserved for emergency situations when the car autonomously deactivates all extra comfort functions to save on power. Modern electric cars offer a lively drive experience and this is no exception. The MINI Electric benefits from improved weight distribution with the new suspension technology allowing a center of gravity that is some 30mm lower than in the Cooper S. This and the weight loss over the front wheels due to the positioning of the electric motor, all contribute to a really dynamic driving experience.

To charge, you can use a home and public cable, which come as standard with the car and are designed for AC and DC charging. At a 50kW DC fast-charging station, an 80% charge is reached in 35 minutes. Plus, when charging, in a classic cheeky MINI way, the dash color hue moves progressively towards green.

The MINI Electric is the first all-electric drive model by the carmaker. The project has been in development since 2008 with the company quietly testing the concept through the MINI e initiative. The feedback and findings from potential customers’ interactions and reactions have helped form this production car.

MINI is engaging with a wider network of industries supporting electrification – those providing renewable energy, wind farms, as well as companies recycling and reusing end-of-life batteries. Theirs appears to me to be a holistic approach, which makes complete sense. Making an ecological pledge for privately owned electric cars will need this kind of collective vision.

Read about the new MINI JCW GP and the current MINI Convertible Cooper S drive, and the marque’s adventures in architecture and urban design with MINI Living.