There isn't a lot to tinker with on an EV. My neighbor was relating all his Tesla repair issues to me. NONE

 

I read that the EV will eventually destroy the entire auto mechanic industry. There simply isn’t anything to repair.

But anyone who’s ever looked at Tesla pricing can easily see that most of the vehicle’s cost is the battery, and the battery is a collection of hundreds of small batteries.

Tesla cars cost $50,000 to $100,000 and someday, all of those batteries will fail. I promise you. People will find ways to repair them, but they shouldn’t have to! It should simply be a matter of, scan for bad cells, disable all HV current, replace bad cell(s), restart system.

I’m not trying to put down green energy or EV’s. It’s just a very basic thing: The consumer or a trained mechanic should be able to repair these things.

 

I'm kind of torn.

I think the MINI SE has it's advantages, but the limited range makes it feel like you need a second car in the household to even consider it. If I was in the market now, I would think hard about it and have discussions, but I don't know if I could justify the purchase. Like I wouldn't be able to visit my parents (~70 miles away) without borrowing my wife's car. But I would be able to do all my normal tasks of commuting and shopping fine. And with incentives, it's the performance of a MCS for a little more than a Justa.

But I'm interested in hearing about it still =)

And this is one of my biggest gripes with the car industry now... honestly, its one of my biggest gripes with society now. Everything is built to be thrown away, even expensive things!

 

Well, you're right there. Gruber Motor Company does exactly that. I'd love to replicate company up here (but I don't have that kind of smarts)
https://grubermotors.com/

 

Sadly, with EV's the entire industry will be turning cars into appliances. Just like cell phones and other high-tech devices....Lifespan of 4 ish years then turned in for recycling/refresh.
Think of it this way, you're looking to buy a new phone... have you ever bought a use phone instead? No, you want the new hotness with wizzbang tech (in this case, range).

The only thing I can hope for is new industries popping up to rebuild, and make new traction packs for older EV's. I saw a company somewhere in Florida doing just that.

It would be wicked to think that my SE would be able to have a solid state pack installed 6 years later, making the car ever more usable.

 

Apparently, I cannot share the FB live clip here. I'll work up a trimmed down, edited version and post to Youtube shortly.
Feel free to find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/R53JCW

To sum up:
Very good accelerator response
Very strong regen, one pedal driving
Shockingly good LED lighting
Comfortable, hugging seats

Not so good:
The rear camera display is tiny, almost laughable, upgraded models will be better - but it’s a small car, with good visibility so not really needed
Piano Grey rear hatch cover - that will scratch just looking at it

It was a quick opportunity, so I didn’t get time to check:
Cruise control (adaptive?)
Guess-O-Meter and kWh or range remaining display
Connected app
Remote climate control
Apple Car Play

This will be a very good choice of car for those who want a comfortable and fun-to-drive four seat commuter

 

Who would modify their MINI SE and what parts would you guys like to see? Interested in what you guys would do.

Aero, light weight wheels, lowering options? I would like to see and aftermarket range extender(extra battery add on) but that might be too high tech for some to make at a lower price.

 

Definitely lowering options! The consumer could fudge some OEM springs and seats together like the guys lowering Alltracks are doing, but it would be killer for you to put together a kit to drop it back down to the height of a MCS/JCW. (or maybe 5mm lower. ;] )
Would be interested in chassis stiffening if it's necessary. Good wheel options are a plus, but I'm already so in love with the "Plug" 17" I can't really imagine buying anything else, even with them at a $2300 premium. =/

Range extender seems like a bit of a pipe dream but I like the thought. We're already trying to figure out what we are going to do to make autoX work with an SE. The site our club uses is 50 miles away so 100 miles + ~6 ***** out runs is gonna need just a touch more juice. Forget about driving to out of town events with less than 12 hours to charge.

 

There's a vicious cycle happening.

Consumer goods aren't being designed with repair in mind while the prices of the initial goods are falling --> There is less demand for skilled repair shops --> There are less people learning how to repair things --> Skilled labor costs more due to scarcity

I love the show Wheeler Dealers but I always am irked that the host can find these crazy hole in the wall repair shops to get Audi electronics / Mercedes mechanical fuel pumps / upholstery / etc repaired next to nothing.

The obvious upside of modern manufacturing techniques and overseas labor is that higher end goods are more accessible than ever. I'm not sure if it's worth it though if I'm honest.

Agreed. If I had to buy an EV as my only car it wouldn't be the SE. It would be a well used Bolt. Even then limited infrastructure limits that 5% long distance driving that I do a few times per year.

I'm also worried about the acceleration only matching pace with a MCS. All stats equal an EV should always feel faster than it's ICE counterpart. Simply matching 0-60 might be goofy feeling because the acceleration profile is so different from what we are used to. The SE will beat the MCS off the line every time, but if the MCS is already caught up by 60mph I worry about passing power and hard driving feeling flat. Maybe jamez will have some input on this concern.

Personally no. Phones are one of the few widespread consumer purchases that actually depreciate faster than a new car. Bought my last phone used for $200 three years ago and it's still going strong. I can't wrap my mind around needing a $1000 flagship device every other year. Some people care about that I guess.

I understand your point as applied to cars and future EVs though. Just remember that not all of us want bells, whistles, and tech.

One pedal down to a stop? Is the regen configurable? I know that was a common complaint about the i3, one setting for regen.

Where is the tiny display? I haven't used a rearview mirror screen yet, but I've heard nearly universally negative things about them.

Piano grey where? The mustache hatch handle? I can't visualize what a "hatch cover" is for whatever reason.

 

Make me a grille to match the Concept Car... seriously.
I don't know how to do it, but I'm sure as hell going to try.

 

Okay, the clip is rendering on Youtube, but in about 20 mins this link should be live.

I've trimmed down the extra bits, but you'll get a good impression of what it is to be in along for the ride:

 

I don't think you'll experience that under 100kph. Over 120, maybe. But there's zero lag, and you get instant zip you need to squirt around people.

I haven't driven an i3 for a few years, but I suspect it is the same system. Two modes, both will bring to a stop and hold on a hill.

The infotainment system's center display for the reverse camera. Laughable for the rear view mode, but who needs it in such a small car.

yeup, the back handle, but as mentioned on my FB thread, it's likely just the scratching from the dealership plate hanging off the rear wiper

 

On the springs, we talked to 2 major companies about this already The Team Dynamic Wheels I bet would be the best and they are much lighter then the stock wheels, unless those plug wheels are lighter then 17lbs each.

 

I got in the first Like click!
For a car that will cost a net of $22,000 USD (we have a $7,500 tax credit in the States), that’s fantastic, isn’t it? Range is a little disappointing, but it beats the heck out of a Leaf! It looks like you had only good things to say about it.

We have the plug-in Countryman and it’s a very luxurious, comfortable car. Mini’s are just much more fun to drive than most cars. If there’s a JCW version that can be had for net of $30K, it would give Tesla something to cry over.

 

Light wheels and sticky rubber will be a huge performance upgrade for any EV. They may even cancel each other out for efficiency losses.

careful with ride height changes though, the traction pack may not have much shielding. I can offer up my SE for any documentation and testing you’d like to do (other than spring changes). We’ve worked together in the past with the Schwabben scanner review on my R53 Productions page

 

Based on my memory of driving the i3 I seem to recall that highway passing acceleration was just "fine". But it sure felt slow compared to a dig from a stop. Nature of the beast I'm afraid. I'll take "quick" over "fast" any day of the week, just something I was concerned about.

Probably, but plastic exterior bits should be as durable as the paint if not better. There are some of us monsters out there that can't be bothered to hand wash when it's below freezing 5 months of the year. How it holds up to automatic washes will be the real test. In my experience auto washes can't figure out the shape of a Hardtop anyway.

Most likely not, that's impressive assuming they have the strength to back it up. I like the plug wheels for their quirkiness but I did read somewhere that they are the lightest, and most aero of MINIs OE 17" wheels. Not sure if that was true or not. Got a link to the Team Dynamic wheels you are referring to?

Yeah... Unfortunately the high ride height is a product of a low battery placement. Add battery bash plates to the mod list I guess?

Though, in all honesty our theoretical SE will probably stay mostly stock, both for autoX street classing and because it stops being an affordable vehicle if you throw a bunch of money at it on day one. I would appreciate a little more low, but not at the expense of destroying my drivetrain and voiding my warranty. (1:1000000 chance, but the consequences are bad)

 

Team Dynamics: 5x112 wheels https://www.ecstuning.com/b-team-dyn...per-s-b48a20a/

They are 17x8 20lbs each. 1" wider then the stock MINI wheel for 17x7. Less for the smaller sizes. OEM MINI wheels in 17x7 on average are around 25lbs each.

TD has been the wheel for MINI challenge and the factory MINI Challenge 210 cars in Europe. https://www.northamericanmotoring.co...-race-car.html JCW 210 https://www.gumtree.com/p/mini/mini-...15-/1312622434

They have a 4x100 15x7 wheel that are 13lbs. Great for racing. On MINIs every pound counts on the wheels. I know, i have autocrossed for years with MINI 15" 16" 17" and 18" factory and aftermarket wheels. 15" are super light and you can feel it, also take off those stupid runflats and you can feel it more.

 

Dang! And I thought my 17x7 Abarth wheels were bad at 18.9 lb ea. 0.o

Light wheels and sticky tires are a no brainer for any performance oriented car, just need to make sure they can withstand potholes if also being daily driven.

Thanks for the info on TD wheels history with MINI. I've always loved the challenge MINIs.

 

Yep, MINI has wheels called S-lites and we call them S- Heavys lol

Welcome.

My bet is either TD makes your factory wheels on the abarth or maybe OZ, TD has factory contracts with MINI, Lotus, Aston Martin, Land Rover/Range Rover, and Jag. Making the OEM wheels.

 

If your basic needs are covered by 1 or 2 EV cars, then occasional needs could be covered by a rental. Just a thought.

 

A guy I worked with always drove a rental on long trips. He said that it was actually cheaper than driving your own car, once you add everything up.

 

Range extender battery -- yes.
Light weight + aero wheels -- yes.
CF Hood with no faux scoop.
I don't have specific suggestions here but I feel like the "grill" could be better.

So there's a few things I'd be in the market for, as a pre-order customer.

 

I have been thinking about these thing since I saw the MINI E in Detroit at the 2009 Autoshow. Yep I was there.



Thanks, Keep them coming.

 

I’d love to see more battery range, and maybe twin motors (4WD) for faster acceleration and even better handling. It would make for a tempting JCW.

 

Anyone up to making some custom front end work?
How about a 'scoop' fill panel?