New article quotes VP of Mini USA claiming that Mini will actually offer an electric Mini for sale in late 2009. It doesn't sound like he's referring to the 500 "test" cars they're sending to the U.S. I don't know if I'd run out and buy an electric Mini but how cool would it be to have the choice?

 

I'm already preparing for all of the "golf cart" analogies...

Did you notice the other key quote in the article?

"Mini will add 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles to the allotment its U.S. dealers get this year, he said. Sales for the brand, which BMW owns, soared 33.9% to 26,400 cars for the first half of 2008. Minis have been selling in a mere four days on the lot, and the company is out of inventory in the United States, McDowell said." (emphasis mine)

No wonder all of the dealer lots are vacant.

 

I have moved this to this forum, as it is general MINI news. Plus I'm not sure what generation electric MINIs will be

Mark

 

doubt it will happen thta fast since the 500 electric MINI is not enough to go aorund..

 

Yeah it does seem like a pretty audacious claim for Mini USA to make, that they would actually be selling an electric Mini *in 2009*.

The plug-in version of the Prius and the Chevy Volt are supposed to hit the market in late 2010. But these have taken years of research, and word is that both Toyota and Chevy are scrambling to make 2010. So it would be quite a feat indeed for Mini (/BMW) to beat everyone to market in 2009 with a completely electric Mini!

Maybe sooner than we think NAM will need to start "Electric Mini" and "Diesel Mini" forums.

 

How would you go about modding an electric MINI? Getting a new motor with carfully wound armature wire like an R/C car?

 

I bet the foot long radio antenna will look good on the electric version! or "batteries are included"

 

Yeah it would be like a big R/C car!

Seriously though I'm a bit surprised that MINI would go completely electric. Battery powered cars usually have a fairly short range, 40-60 miles if you're lucky. The weight and expense of the battery are the limiting factors. This is a long enough range to get probably 80-90% of people to work and back, so it's a viable solution for short hop urban commuting.

But I think more potential customers would prefer the greater range that a serial hybrid solution gives you. This is where yeah the car's battery powered, but it has a small engine that's used to charge the batteries. It's like having a built-in generator. Used this way, the engine can run at a constant optimum speed. Also you can easily put whatever type of engine you want in the car -- gas, diesel, natural gas, even a fuel cell. You can get great mileage *and* range this way. If you only ever take short trips, you can run completely electric and never use gas. This is basically the approach used by the Chevy Volt.

ALSO, the battery approach is a little surprising given that BMW's a long standing proponent of hydrogen powered cars. But I'm glad to see them get real -- hydrogen was mostly an excuse to seem like they were "doing something" about the fossil fuel problem, while never actually doing anything. Hydrogen's a boondoggle. The fuel of the future -- and always will be. Battery is here today.

 

Funny you should bring that up as I was thinking the same thing basically. Bigger batteries, stronger motors, beefier electronics. Maybe I should switch from mechanical engineering to electrical? LOL

 

I would buy an electric MINI tomorrow if I could.

As far as modding them, if there cars are actually in the hands of consumers then somebody will start messing with them.

My guess is that they would start with chips and better battery packs.

 

[quote=Gil-galad;2379947]"Mini will add 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles to the allotment its U.S. dealers get this year, he said. Sales for the brand, which BMW owns, soared 33.9% to 26,400 cars for the first half of 2008. Minis have been selling in a mere four days on the lot, and the company is out of inventory in the United States, McDowell said." (emphasis mine)

So, is this why we're not getting waves and smiles as much lately? People are buying gas mileage instead of fun and community?

 

Check this out. http://www.ecorazzi.com/2007/07/13/j...to-production/

John D.
about to order a '09 MSC

 

They will probably sell as many E6x's as they can make.

 

Well I don't know how many of you knew this but there are already 3 electric minis in the us. They had to make them for the subway scene in the Italian job.

 

Aftermarket electric conversions are interesting gee whiz experiments, but a production electric Mini would truly be a game changer.

 

I was doing some reading on this last week and was intrigued. Although I don't remember the Diesel MINI portion of that article. Nearly 700 miles a tank on a MINI. That would be something to get. Although by comparison the Electric MINI would be the equivalent of maybe 100mpg or more. Lets just say though that I would in a heart beat get myself a Diesel MINI. And then use my R53 as a track/weekend car.

The only thing I would ask from BMW is for the electric MINI to function much like the Tesla Roadster. So in other words, you get a charging station that hooks up to a 220v outlet and also have a mobile charging kit for 110v outlets. (sort of on-the-go charging station) I suppose though that BMW dealers could install charging stations for these MINIs, although I wonder what it would cost to charge. And lets not forget that it wouldn't take a few minutes to fully charge it either.

I think if they can get the MINI to have a range of 200-300 miles, and have a charging station at your very own home I'm sold. The only thing I'd be worried about is the price. I'd imagine it'll be more expensive then an S. I reckon maybe 30-40 grand.

 

Being a MINI it will use small batteries ...8,000 AAA types.