An electrified MINI Cooper has been spied undergoing
winter tests, and from these images it appears to be a fully electric test mule
in three-door guise.
That car, though released to private users for
deployment in everyday conditions, however was on a field trial-leasing basis,
after which the vehicles were returned to BMW for evaluation, which effectively
fed development of the BMW i3. There has since been the MINI Electric Concept,
which would appear to be a closer approximation of the car that will
materialise from this test mule.
Just as the original MINI E led to the i3, so the
trail comes full circle back the the MINI Cooper E, which is expected to adopt
its electric powertrain from the updated i3 or i3s. In its more powerful guise,
the i3s offers 184 hp and 270 Nm of torque from its electric motor, which is
fed by a 94 Ah lithium-ion battery. Having two pure-EV BMW variants could make
room for Cooper E and E S variants, aligning with the petrol
line-up.
Driving range is tipped to be up to 400 km,
according to Japanese publication Cliccar, with an 80% charge said to be
attainable in 40 minutes. This is a big gain on the i3s’s 280 km NEDC-rated
range if true, which could mean a considerable step up in battery capacity or
technology to enable said gain.
