We’ve heard about it and we’ve seen spy shots of it and now here it is - the 2009 MINI E. Mini is producing 500 units of the electric-Cooper that will be available to companies and individuals in California, New York and New Jersey early next year. We’ll also get to see it at the LA Auto Show in November so stay tuned for live images.

Power comes from a lithium-ion battery that provides a total of 38 kilowatts per-hour allowing for 150 miles on a full charge (that’s less than 3 cents per mile). The 573 pound battery sits in the back seat so the MINI E has room for only two (total weight is 3,230 pounds compared to a regular MINI Cooper which weight 2,634). The battery can be charged from any outlet but the MINI E does come with a wallbox that allows for a quick full charge in two and half hours.

The lithium-ion battery pack feeds power to an electric motor that turns the front wheels pumping out 204-hp with a maximum torque of 162 lb-ft. 0 to 60 mph comes in 8.5 seconds with a top speed of 95 mph.

Click through for more high-res photos.

Source: eGMCarTech

 

Looks like any MINI.

Sounds good.

Now I need some solar panels, some sunny weather and the ability to sell back some power to the electric company in my spare time.

 

I'd be curious to find out more about both the slow-charging rate and the "wall box" that allows the 2.5 hour full charge.

For a 38 kW-hr battery, if you're charging it from a 240-volt outlet (which I'm assuming the "Wall Box" is), you need 60+ amps of current capacity to the 240V outlet. I know that when we added a 240V/60A circuit to our house wiring for an electric kiln, we had to have an electrician come out and install a second breaker box, because our existing box didn't have enough excess capacity to install an additional 60A circuit.

And if you use a standard household 120V/15A electrical outlet to charge the MINI, a truly *full* charge would take at least 21 hours. That's going to be a problem if you use most of the car's 150-mile range during the day and want to charge it up overnight.

It probably won't be that bad, though - even though the battery pack might be rated at 38 kW-hr, you probably don't need all 38 kW-hrs to go 150 miles. Most automotive battery packs don't like to be fully discharged because it kills the service life. As a result, the computer-controlled batteries will report themselves as "empty" and shut themselves down long before they're truly drained.

I'm betting that the 150 miles would only take you down to about 35% battery power, so you'd be able to fully recharge it in 14 hours or so, even from a standard wall outlet. That would also mean that you could probably get by with 40A service to the "Wall Box" rather than 60A.

 

I like the interior...nice..

 

If it was a 4-seater, I'd buy it.

 

interesting -- but why is this in the cabrio forum?

 

i have never heard of the mini e... the saddest part is that i work at a dealer. is that pathetic??

but that mini is definitely the 'ish'

 

I see on other sites that they are sending 500 of them plug ins to US this year for selective testing . I hope they offer a retrofit for the future.