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Should BMW Have Made the Mini E a Production Car? #YouTellUs

 
937 views Jun 14, 2011
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MINI E

MINI E

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BMW can’t be accused of rushing into the electric car market. After nearly two years of BMW Mini E testing and countless hours of feedback sessions from test participants, BMW is just about to start its second round of electric car testing with its 1-series based Active-E. 

But if you want to actually buy an electric BMW you’ll have to wait even longer until BMW officially starts sales of its closely guarded 2013 i3. 

However, with every Mini E driver who took part in the 450-strong lease scheme content with the car’s performance, range and comfort, we wonder if BMW should have rethought its electric car strategy, making the Mini its first all-electric car to reach mass production.

The electric Mini-E trial was (mostly) a success

MINI E Race

MINI E Race

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Despite only having two seats, BMW claims its Mini E test fleet was a resounding success, both in the U.S. and in Europe. 

One owner covering an astonishing 21,000 miles in just 8 months, showing that the battery  and drivetrain within the Mini E was certainly robust enough to withstand the arduous task of being driven daily as a primary car.

Other test drivers liked the MIni E’s powerful regenerative braking and instant torque, claiming the car had a sportier feel than cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf. And with a powerful on-board charger, the Mini E could recharge raster than many of its electric car rivals. 

Stylish, chic

When the BMW Mini was first launched back in 2001 it gave BMW a retro-styled car which embraced the spirit of Sir Alec Issigonis’ original Mini, the diminutive 1959 Morris Mini Minor. 

Less aggressive in appearance than its BMW siblings, the 2011 BMW Mini is personified as BMW’s cute, friendly, fun and reliable car.  Electrifying it would simply take that reputation to a new level, giving BMW’s timeless classic a greener image. 

Specialized dealers 

BMW Minis are often sold at specialist Mini dealerships rather than at BMW dealerships, meaning a production Mini E could be sold directly to loyal and new Mini fans alike rather than fighting for showroom space at a larger, less specialized dealer. 

Not only that, but current Mini dealerships are in the areas most likely to sell electric cars, including key electric car hotspots such as Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona, and the East Coast. 

Good in cities

Most electric cars are used in large metropolitan areas as commuter vehicles or a second family car.  With a small frame and nimble performance, the Mini E was well suited to life in a big city.  And while it only had two seats, we think many consumers would chose the larger and quicker Mini E over its nearest rival, the 2011 Smart ForTwo Electric Drive.  

But the seats?

Mini E electric vehicle - rear seat and load area mostly occupied by battery box

Mini E electric vehicle - rear seat and load area mostly occupied by battery box

Enlarge Photo

Of course, developing an all-electric car from the same chassis as an internal combustion engined car is never easy. Compromises have to be made, and in the case of the Mini E that was the rear seats. 

With 2-seat cars making up a tiny, tiny portion of U.S. sales, BMW would have to address the situation in order for an electric Mini to be taken seriously and sell in large enough numbers to be profitiable. 

However, it doesn’t have to be a completely bad experience, as Ford as illustrated with the 2012 Ford Focus Electric. Based on a ground-up redesign, Ford designed the 2012 Focus to accept a variety of powerplants with ease, including an all-electric option. 

A re-designed 2013 Mini, for example, could have taken on board the need to store batteries elsewhere within the car’s frame, giving BMW a Mini with multiple drivetrain options. 

Yay or nay? What do you think?

The Mini E may not have been as refined as BMW’s i3 promises to be, and was obviously not a finished, mass-production product. But with so much potential we think BMW could have brought an all-electric version to market without its continued electric vehicle trials. 

Then again, it may already be thinking exactly the same, with rumors that BMW could be working on as many as 10 different models of Mini - including an electric one - for future model years. 

But what do you think? Should BMW make a real electric Mini?  Let us know in the Comments below. 

 





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Comments (14)

  1. mikejg2 avatar Michael Granoff Posted: 6/14/2011 10:52am PDT

    I have been a happy driver of a Mini-E for two years now. The car has met the vast majority of my driving needs -- except for when I had to take the kids. And the heavy regen braking did not take long to get used to. However, I don't think this vehicle, as is, should have been a production car. The lack of space, the regen, the range inconsistencies were acceptable for enthusiasts like me but would have tainted the industry if made available to the general public. BMW is taking a thoughtful approach to entering the electric age. All they need to do now is make a switchable-battery car!
     
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  2. Tommolog avatar Tom Moloughney Posted: 6/14/2011 11:04am PDT

    I do think they should sell an electric MINI, however the MINI-E isn't ready for series production. It's a great car that is a blast to drive, but it is a prototype and the flaws it has would be unacceptable for the general public. First, it's very inefficient as far as EV's go. It's aerodynamics are terrible, it's like a rolling brick and it's extremely heavy for such a small car. Losing the entire back seat area to the huge battery is also something that many folks wouldn't be happy about. Since it's so heavy and inefficient, BMW had to stuff an huge 35kWh pack in it to make it go 100mpc. That's 30% bigger than the LEAF's pack and that would make it very expensive. A purpose built electric MINI is the way to go they are going to do it
     
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  3. Noel Park avatar Noel Park Posted: 6/14/2011 12:34pm PDT

    I think that Michael and Tom have said it all.
     
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  4. JeffU avatar Jeff Uren Posted: 6/14/2011 1:32pm PDT

    No. Not as It is now. It would not be as widely excepted as a car that was designed from the ground up to be a plugin electric car. The MINI is too heavy, not aerodynamic, featureless by current standards and has not cargo room. As a converted gas car it is pretty good but that just show how simple electric cars are to make compared to a complicated gas car. BMW is still dabbling with converting current models for their future electric car efforts. They are not that interested just yet in investing the billions it takes to sell a real plugin model like the Chevy Volt or Nissan Leaf. The upcoming ActiveE program is more of the same, lease to people that are willing to pay for BMW to maintain their ZEV credits status. BMW, too profitable now.
     
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  5. fb_100002544459353 avatar Ramon Leigh Posted: 6/14/2011 2:21pm PDT

    Being "Preferable to the Smart for Two" isn't saying very much. And I'm tired of analysts referring to the non-existant "city driver." There is no such animal - everyone needs driving range and lots of it for a car that cannot be refueled either fast or at will.
    BMW is at least realistic, unlike GM, and understands the obstacle to building an affordable electric : battery prices. The other issues mentioned are mostly irrelevant. Building an electric car is easier
    than building a gas powered job - it has about half as many parts, to begin with, and its drivetrain, as demonstrated by Tesla, can be removed completely from the occupant space. BMW will no doubt learn from Tesla. As will every other automaker who looks to design electric
     
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  6. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 6/14/2011 2:21pm PDT

    I agree with Jeff, if it had been designed as a separate electric model the design's configuration would be better. A flat in-floor battery like the Tesla Model S is supposed to have, may have been better. But maybe that's why this was only a test because BMW/Mini knows that when they do bring a Mini-E to production that they will design it from the ground up to deliver a car that is configured as customers expect them to be from Mini.
     
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  7. Tommolog avatar Tom Moloughney Posted: 6/14/2011 3:10pm PDT

    Cdspeed: Here is a link to the BMW electric drive system that will be in the i3 and the future MINI electric if you are interested. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nXoa_D4eETg/TY4qE4WOBJI/AAAAAAAAAm0/nNA6CECMnys/s1600/BMWedriveSystem.jpg
     
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  8. CDspeed avatar CDspeed . Posted: 6/14/2011 8:55pm PDT

    Thanks Tom, although I am a big BMW fan/owner I seem to have missed this. I lost interest in the i3 when I read that it may only be available for lease only.
     
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  9. Tommolog avatar Tom Moloughney Posted: 6/19/2011 5:29pm PDT

    CDspeed: The report the BMW was only going to lease the i3 was wrong. Once it was out there BMW issued a statement that the i3 would be available to purchase or lease in 2013. Here's a link to the article: http://www.just-auto.com/news/bmw-pours-cold-water-on-lease-only-option-for-megacity_id108963.aspx
     
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  10. jamcl3 avatar Jim McLaughlin Posted: 6/14/2011 4:07pm PDT

    We loved the Mini E, still miss it. But its not ready for prime time. Whether BMW could make a mass market ready Mini E is another question. As is making it affordable. I am quite happy with the Think, which has much better batteries (the Mini E batteries had cold weather issues) and astounding cargo space. The refinement of a fifth generation platform is reassuring, and I expect that much of what Ford learned developing the Think will show up in the Focus EV.
    But no one seems to be going for that 12 kw built in charger with 3 hour maximum charge time that the Mini E has. That is what I miss the most. Forget everything else, longest range and fastest recharge time are the top two issues. And fast recharge time can be very cheap.
     
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  11. BenBrown avatar Ben Brown Posted: 6/14/2011 6:32pm PDT

    Hmm.... I'm thinking the electric Mini should be -being produced by say oh... 2010, perhaps a limited production number that can be purchased by the public of 450 vehicles. In 2011 I'd expect like with other makers, they would offer the next limited production with improvements, maybe more space. Perhaps they'd want to offer both a 2 seater and a 4 seater. 2012 even more improvements. Which would I buy? The two seater works for my lifestyle, but without a restructuring of the banking industry, I'd have to be in the 25-30k buying group. I've no doubt the car, being familiar and with a successful history would sell well.
     
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  12. fb_1797878866 avatar Jack Rickard Posted: 6/15/2011 9:50am PDT

    I guess I disagree with everyone here on the topic. This is very strange since I've never driven a Mini-E. But I'm curious as to what is to happen to them, as I would buy one in an instant if they decide to offload them.

    Mini-E's were not made available in my area. So we built our own. We took a 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman and converted it. We used completely different batteries, and an entirely different AC drive train. We kept the Getrag 6-speed manual. And we've had some odd difficulties along the way. The EPAS power steering won't come on until we reach 600 rpm. We never did get the fuel gage to accurately depict amp hour usage. Most was DME issues that BMW could have solved easily, and provide almost no information for us.
     
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  13. fb_1797878866 avatar Jack Rickard Posted: 6/15/2011 9:53am PDT

    We did lose the back seat as well. Actually 99% of the time I'm alone in the car. It was simply more important to me to keep the cargo space in back and lose the tiny rear seats which I would have never used anyway. This was a Clubman model, and I like the cargo area and rear door.

    Aerodynamics? WHAT are you all talking about. I use about 1.15 AH per mile in town, and 0.85 AH at 80 mph on the freeway. This is an INVERTED situation from every other electric car we have. We can only attribute it to the aerodynamics and the Getrag overdrive gears.

    Bottom line is I think this is one of the greatest platforms for an electric car conversion available. Very nimble. Very functional. And quite sporty. I love the car.
    http://EVTV.me
     
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  14. darvex avatar Brian Darovic Posted: 7/1/2011 6:44am PDT

    They've got a car that was praised by all who drove it for several months. They've got the tooling to make them. Why not just continue to make these until they have their i3 ready for mass mass production?
     
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