Electric MINI E Officially Revealed, Bringing 204-HP Li-Ion Battery Pack To LA Auto Show

The BMW Group will be the
world’s first manufacturer of premium automobiles to deploy a fleet of
some 500 all-electric vehicles for private use in daily traffic. The
MINI E will be powered by a 150 kW (204 hp) electric motor fed by a
high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery, transferring its
power to the front wheels via a single-stage helical gearbox nearly
without a sound and entirely free of emissions. Specially engineered
for automobile use, the battery technology will have a range of more
than 240 kilometers, or 150 miles. The MINI E will initially be made
available to select private and corporate customers as part of a pilot
project in the US states of California, New York and New Jersey. The
possibility of offering the MINI E in Europe as well is currently being
considered. The MINI E will give its world premiere at the Los Angeles
Auto Show on November 19 and 20, 2008.

The MINI E’s electric drive train produces a peak torque of 220
Newton meters, delivering seamless acceleration to 100 km/h (62 mph) in
8.5 seconds. Top speed is electronically limited to 152 km/h (95 mph).
Featuring a suspension system tuned to match its weight distribution,
the MINI E sports the brand’s hallmark agility and outstanding handling.

By introducing the MINI E, the BMW Group is underscoring the resolve
with which it works towards reducing energy consumption and emissions
in road traffic. The BMW Group is drawing on its unique technological
expertise in the field of drive systems to develop a vehicle concept
enabling zero emissions without renouncing the joy of driving. Putting
some 500 cars on the road under real daily traffic conditions will make
it possible to gain widely applicable hands-on experience. Evaluating
these findings will generate valuable know-how, which will be factored
into the engineering of mass-produced vehicles.

The BMW Group aims to start series production of all-electric
vehicles over the medium term as part of its Number ONE strategy. The
development of innovative concepts for mobility in big-city
conurbations within the scope of “project i” has a similar thrust, as
its objective also includes making use of an all-electric power train.

The energy storage unit: cutting-edge lithium-ion technology engineered specifically for use in the MINI.

Based on the current MINI, the car will initially be available as a
two-seater. The space taken up by back-seat passengers in the series
model has been reserved for the lithium-ion battery. When in use in the
zero-emissions MINI, the battery unit combines high output with ample
storage capacity and a small footprint with power ratios that are
unrivalled in this field of application so far. The lithium-ion storage
unit will have a maximum capacity of 35 kilowatt hours (kWh) and
transmit energy to the electric motor as direct current at a nominal
380 volts. The rechargeable battery is made up of 5,088 cells grouped
into 48 modules. These modules are packaged into three battery elements
that are compactly arranged inside the MINI E.

The energy storage unit’s basic components are based on the
technological principle that has proven itself in practice in power
supplies for mobile phones and portable computers. The MINI E’s
lithium-ion battery can be plugged into all standard power outlets. Its
charge time is strongly dependent on the voltage and amperage of the
electricity flowing through the grid. In the USA, users can recharge a
battery that has been completely drained within a very short period of
time using a wallbox that will ship with every MINI E. The wallbox will
be installed in the customer’s garage, enable higher amperage, and thus
provide for extremely short charging times. Wallboxes fully recharge
batteries after a mere two-and-a-half hours.

Driven by electricity: reliably, affordably and free of emissions.

A full recharge draws a maximum of 28 kilowatt hours of electricity
from the grid. Based on the car’s range, a kilowatt hour translates
into 5.4 miles. Besides the benefit of zero-emissions driving, the MINI
E thus offers significant economic advantages over a vehicle powered by
a conventional internal combustion engine as well.

The heavy-duty battery delivers its power to an electric motor,
which transforms it into thrilling agility. Mounted transversely under
the MINI E’s bonnet, the drive train unleashes its full thrust from a
dead standstill. This provides for the car’s fascinating launch
capability. The MINI E’s intense driving experience is augmented by its
dynamic deceleration potential, which is also directly coupled to the
accelerator pedal. As soon as the driver releases the gas pedal, the
electric motor acts as a generator. This results in braking force, and
the power recovered from the kinetic energy is fed back to the battery.
This interaction ensures extremely comfortable drives – especially at
medium speed with constant, but marginal, variation. In city traffic,
some 75 percent of all deceleration can be done without the brakes.
Making substantial use of this energy recuperation feature extends the
car’s range by up to 20 percent.

Signature MINI agility in a new guise.

Weighing in at 1,465 kilograms (3.230 lbs), the MINI E has an even
weight distribution. Minor modifications made to the suspension ensure
safe handling at all times. The Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) system
has been adapted to this model’s specific wheel loads.

The MINI E’s brake system comes with a newly developed electric
underpressure pump. Its Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPS) is the
same as the one used in mass-produced MINIs. Both brake and steering
assistance react to driving conditions and are thus extremely
efficient. Even the air conditioning’s electrical compressor only
operates if desired or necessary.

Design: unmistakably MINI, undoubtedly new.

At first glance, the MINI E is obviously an iteration of the brand.
But its design, which is the blueprint for the zero-emissions
two-seater, has been complemented by a number of visual cues that point
to its revolutionary drive concept. All of the units produced for the
pilot project will have the same paintwork and bear a serial number on
their front fenders.

The MINI E’s coachwork sports an exclusive combination of metallic
Dark Silver on all panels but the roof, which is clad in Pure Silver.
What distinguishes the zero-emissions MINI is a specially designed logo
in Interchange Yellow, depicting a stylized power plug in the shape of
an “E” set against the silver backdrop. It has been applied to the
roof, in smaller dimensions to the front and back, to the charger port
lid, the dashboard trim, and – combined with the MINI logo – to the
door jamb, in slightly modified form. The color of the roof edges,
mirror housings, interior style cues and seat seams will match the
logo’s yellow tone as well.

Moreover, the central gauge and the battery level indicator behind
the wheel of the MINI E, which replaces the MINI’s rev counter, feature
yellow lettering against a dark grey background. The battery level is
displayed in percentage figures. The central gauge includes an LED
display indicating power consumption in red and power recuperation in
green.

MINI E customers will be part of a pioneering mission.

A 500-unit, limited-production MINI E series will be manufactured
through the end of 2008. The project will thus attain an order of
magnitude that clearly exceeds the size of currently comparable test
series. Putting the MINI E on the road on a daily basis will be a
pioneering feat to which both the drivers and engineers of the first
zero-emissions MINI will contribute as a team.

MINI E customers will join forces with BMW Group experts to assist
in the project’s scientific evaluation. MINI E engineers accord high
importance to staying in touch with the drivers on a regular basis, as
this will help them analyze driver behavior besides vehicle
characteristics in order to gain the most accurate and realistic
picture of the demands placed on a vehicle with a purely electrical
drive in the select usage areas.

Special charging station and full service for every MINI E.

The cars will change hands based on a one-year lease with an
extension option. Monthly lease installments will cover any required
technical service including all necessary maintenance and the
replacement of wearing parts. At the end of the lease, all of the
automobiles belonging to the project will be returned to the BMW
Group’s engineering fleet where they will be subjected to comparative
tests.

The MINI E’s lithium-ion battery can be charged using a wallbox
provided to MINI customers. Only lockable garages or similar buildings
will qualify as homebases and power stations for the MINI E.

Maintenance by qualified specialists.

The electric drive’s high-voltage technology requires that
maintenance work be done by qualified personnel using special tools
that are not included in MINI service partners’ standard toolboxes. In
light of this, a service base will be set up on both coasts, staffed by
service engineers that are specially trained to perform maintenance and
repair work on the MINI E’s electrical components. In the event of
drive malfunction, these experts will provide professional support at
the customer’s local MINI dealer or the service base’s specially
equipped workshop. Technical inspections will take place after 3,000
miles (just under 5,000 kilometers) and at least after six months.

Production in Oxford and Munich.

The MINI E has already gone through the major phases of product
development for mass-produced vehicles and passed numerous crash tests
on the way. Aspects investigated besides passenger protection were the
impact of collision forces on the lithium-ion battery and finding a
non-hazardous location for it in the car. The MINI E’s energy storage
unit emerged completely unscathed from all of the crash tests mandated
by US standards, which are especially high.

Production of the approximately 500 cars will take place at the
company’s Oxford and Munich sites and is scheduled for completion
before the end of 2008. MINI’s UK plant will be responsible for
manufacturing the entire vehicle with the exception of the drive
components and the lithium-ion battery, with the brand’s series models
rolling off its assembly lines concurrently. The units will then be
transferred to a specially equipped manufacturing complex situated on
BMW plant premises where the electric motor, battery units, performance
electronics and transmission will be integrated.