Pardon the pun, but in a shocking development, Mini has unveiled an electric version of its popular runabout. Called the Mini E, it uses a lithium-ion battery to power its electric motor.
The plan is to put 500 Mini Es into the hands of "select private and corporate customers" on roads in California, New York and New Jersey for a 1-year period. Mini says all 500 cars will be built at the company's Oxford and Munich facilities before the end of 2008.
The Mini E's battery resides where the standard Mini's rear seat normally is. The electric motor's 204 hp and 162 lb.-ft. of torque power the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox, propelling the 3230-lb. 3-door hatchback to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 8.5 sec., according to Mini, with an electronically limited top speed of 95 mph.
Mini says the car has "a suspension system tuned to match its weight distribution," another way of saying engineers changed spring rates and such to compensate for the Mini E's extra 685 lb. over the standard Mini's curb weight.
With a range of more than 156 miles, the Mini E after can be charged using a Mini-provided wallbox that gives a full recharge in just 2.5 hours. Service of the Mini E, which is covered under the $850 per month lease payment, can only be performed by specially-trained technicians who will work out of a base on each coast. Interaction between customers and Mini engineers will "assist in the project's scientific evaluation," which Mini says will aid with the design and engineering of mass-produced electric cars down the road.
The Mini E's drive system and battery were built by AC Propulsion. The San Dimas, California, company says it has delivered 500 component sets to Munich for Mini E production.
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