[JD6]

My 5dr Cooper D was in for winter tyres, brake fluid, MOT etc yesterday so I had a Mini Electric loan car. Given that I tend to fill my cars when they drop below about 100 miles, being given a car with a 31 mile available range was a little stressful, particularly as this dropped to 19 miles on my 7 mile drive home!

So I plugged it in for the day and took the 840i, returning to the Mini 6 hours later to find it had charged at just over 6 miles per hour. By comparison filling my Cooper D in 5 minutes to give a 550 mile range is 1100 times faster at 6600 miles per hour! To be fair this was a standard 2.3kW mains charger.

The car was actually quite fun - the low down torque in particular, but it felt heavy in corners compared with my 3 cylinder Cooper D. It also felt very unrefined, but that probably has more to do with the time I have spent driving the 840i.

I can imagine that it would be ok as an urban runaround, but in my hands it had a full battery range of just 80 miles versus the 140 official figure, and that's very limiting, particularly for a £31k car (the top of the range Level 3).

I drove a 20 mile route back to the dealer to try it out a bit more, but remained pretty unconvinced. I then got my Cooper D back which had a nearly empty tank and a range of 110 miles! Given that I have 2 cars to myself, I should be the ideal candidate for an EV second car. Perhaps in 10 years...

[JustChris]

They've a 'long way to go'

[Broncho]

Originally Posted by JustChris

They've a 'long way to go'

2030 is just round the corner

[TimMcC]

I'm not sure why they gave the mini so little in terms of range. Perhaps an artifact of being an EV wedged into an ICE platform rather than a ground up approach?

Does seem daft to give someone an EV as a courtesy car if they're not used to dealing with them. Whilst the infrastructure is generally fine, you need to know how to find them and use them which you wouldn't unless you own one. Then again, they really ought to provide it full too.

[gangzoom]

Originally Posted by JD6

I can imagine that it would be ok as an urban runaround, but in my hands it had a full battery range of just 80 miles versus the 140 official figure, and that's very limiting, particularly for a £31k car (the top of the range Level 3)

That kind of range is actually fine for people like my mother in law whos had a Zoe and now has a Leaf coming to the end of its PCP.

Am surprised at the price though, I was going to recommend her the Mini-E as her previous car before going electric was a Cooper. I thought the Mini-E is suppose to be cheaper than the norma Cooper? Is it just all Minis are more expensive now or just the Mini-E? Was there any offers of good deals?

[gangzoom]

Originally Posted by TimMcC

I'm not sure why they gave the mini so little in terms of range.

The logic I think was it would allow BMW to sell it cheapish, and given its a city car alot of people wouldn't mind the range. The guts are from an i3 I believe so hardly any development costs for BMW.

I'm surprised by the cost though, I'm sure I read is was going to be under £25k comfortably, and than have additional usual BMW list price reductions on top, so approaching not much over £20K.....Clearly thats not looking like the case.

[Harryg]

Originally Posted by JustChris

They've a 'long way to go'

And a short timescale to do it in.

[isleaiw1]

As with OP I have 2 cars and one is a Mini and is used mainly for short journeys with the occasional 30 mile trip. A Mini E ought to be of interest to me too, but to be honest at that price I'd be looking at an i3 or Hyundai Kona - the latter I think could just about do a long journey if needed (say between main cars )

[JD6]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

That kind of range is actually fine for people like my mother in law whos had a Zoe and now has a Leaf coming to the end of its PCP.

Am surprised at the price though, I was going to recommend her the Mini-E as her previous car before going electric was a Cooper. I thought the Mini-E is suppose to be cheaper than the norma Cooper? Is it just all Minis are more expensive now or just the Mini-E? Was there any offers of good deals?

At £31k this was the top Level 3 Mini Electric which has a decent specification including HK, leather seats, HUD, a proper Nav display and 6 paint colour choices! The entry level model is the Level 1 at £25k, and in true Mini style it has a pretty basic spec.

I imagine my use on quicker open roads with an enthusiastic driving style doesn't help the range. It's also quite hilly where I am. I didn't ask about deals as it was just a random loan car while my Mini was in.

[JD6]

Originally Posted by TimMcC

I'm not sure why they gave the mini so little in terms of range. Perhaps an artifact of being an EV wedged into an ICE platform rather than a ground up approach?

Does seem daft to give someone an EV as a courtesy car if they're not used to dealing with them. Whilst the infrastructure is generally fine, you need to know how to find them and use them which you wouldn't unless you own one. Then again, they really ought to provide it full too.

It was quite a cold day - around 4C when I collected it, but I thought the range was pretty poor. I agree that they really need to charge them first if they're going to be courtesy cars. I suspect part of the issue with the Mini Electric range is the desire to keep it handling like a Mini, which it sort of does.

It does feel a bit heavy in corners, but it's certainly sharper than a random appliance like a Nissan Micra. A larger battery would probably make it worse. For me the only reason to buy a Mini is how they drive - I really like the directness of the steering and way they go around corners. Take that away and their entire raison d'etre has gone.

[Sennen]

A range of 80 mies, what is Mini installing half a dozen AAA EveReadys

It will be along time before i am converted, it would take me 4 days to get down to the holiday home at that range and rate of charge

[gangzoom]

Originally Posted by Sennen

A range of 80 mies, what is Mini installing half a dozen AAA EveReadys

It's running 2016 i3 tech underneath, bare-in mind even in 2016 the i3 battery size was small at 33kWh when the smallest battery pack in a Tesla at the time was 60kWh.

The range is still enough as a city car though, but clearly not at £30K+.

[TimMcC]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

It's running 2016 i3 tech underneath, bare-in mind even in 2016 the i3 battery size was small at 33kWh when the smallest battery pack in a Tesla at the time was 60kWh.

The range is still enough as a city car though, but clearly not at £30K+.

Yep, this is the odd thing. No idea why they didn't fit the current 42kWh i3 pack. Perhaps it wouldn't fit, as I think they're where the gearbox would go in the Mini rather than on top of the chassis like the i3.

[DougMcL]

I'm convinced, so much so that I bought one

I used to own a BMW i3. I had free charging at work 17 miles away. I have now moved and managed most of my commuting in fully electric mode in a G20 330e, which I bought last November. Because I was getting on so well with the 330e I decided to go back to fully electric. Sold the 330e for more than I paid for it to WBAC (almost unbelievable), though it would appear they are no longer buying.

I then picked up an in stock Mini Electric in level 2. I love it - it's incredibly quick (several tests of 6.3 secs on youtube) and goes around a track quicker than a 2.0 Cooper S. It charges very quickly on a 50Kw charger, about 80 miles in half an hour. Handles well too and is incredibly well equipped. If you match it and a petrol cooper spec for spec, the electric is actually cheaper. I much prefer it to the i3 and despite being heavier it gets better miles per Kwh.

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by DougMcL

I'm convinced, so much so that I bought one

I used to own a BMW i3. I had free charging at work 17 miles away. I have now moved and managed most of my commuting in fully electric mode in a G20 330e, which I bought last November. Because I was getting on so well with the 330e I decided to go back to fully electric. Sold the 330e for more than I paid for it to WBAC (almost unbelievable), though it would appear they are no longer buying.

I then picked up an in stock Mini Electric in level 2. I love it - it's incredibly quick (several tests of 6.3 secs on youtube) and goes around a track quicker than a 2.0 Cooper S. It charges very quickly on a 50Kw charger, about 80 miles in half an hour. Handles well too and is incredibly well equipped. If you match it and a petrol cooper spec for spec, the electric is actually cheaper. I much prefer it to the i3 and despite being heavier it gets better miles per Kwh.

Looks good, I like the fact it looks like a normal Mini and doesnt have those horrid wheels!

Be good to hear how you get on with it, and if you dont mind sharing what the deals are like....

[EvilDrPorkChop]

Originally Posted by DougMcL

I'm convinced, so much so that I bought one

I used to own a BMW i3. I had free charging at work 17 miles away. I have now moved and managed most of my commuting in fully electric mode in a G20 330e, which I bought last November. Because I was getting on so well with the 330e I decided to go back to fully electric. Sold the 330e for more than I paid for it to WBAC (almost unbelievable), though it would appear they are no longer buying.

I then picked up an in stock Mini Electric in level 2. I love it - it's incredibly quick (several tests of 6.3 secs on youtube) and goes around a track quicker than a 2.0 Cooper S. It charges very quickly on a 50Kw charger, about 80 miles in half an hour. Handles well too and is incredibly well equipped. If you match it and a petrol cooper spec for spec, the electric is actually cheaper. I much prefer it to the i3 and despite being heavier it gets better miles per Kwh.

What's the real world range fully charged?

[gangzoom]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Be good to hear how you get on with it, and if you dont mind sharing what the deals are like....

Keen to see what deals are around too, mother in law has a Leaf that needs replacing soon.

[Goneinsixtyseconds]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

Keen to see what deals are around too, mother in law has a Leaf that needs replacing soon.

Not too bad, but not sure it’d be as cheap as a Leaf. The BMW U.K. Forces scheme that you should qualify for is £345 deposit, £345 monthly, 48 month pcp, 8,000 miles a year. If you’re buying cash it looks like a £2,300 discount.

Not sure if there’s better deals, OP might know?

[DougMcL]

Originally Posted by gangzoom

Keen to see what deals are around too, mother in law has a Leaf that needs replacing soon.

There are no deals. It's list or nothing. Same as the i3 unless I'm mistaken!

Real world range is variable. Depends on time of year, but in summer Mat Watson from Carwow drove it 154 miles. It seemed to go on for about 20 miles after empty IIRC. In this winter zero degree weather it is definitely more like 100 miles. The guessometer range seems particularly inaccurate though. I would probably be happy driving for 100 miles right now and 125 in summer.

Its 4 miles per Kwh is up there in efficiency stakes. More than the i3 and alongside the Tesla Model 3. Remarkable. It has a 50:50 weight distribution so feels great on the road. Only 140kg heavier than the petrol model and it's all low down. I pay around 9p per Kwh but you guys in England can get as low as 5p.

[EvilDrPorkChop]

Originally Posted by DougMcL

There are no deals. It's list or nothing. Same as the i3 unless I'm mistaken!

Real world range is variable. Depends on time of year, but in summer Mat Watson from Carwow drove it 154 miles. It seemed to go on for about 20 miles after empty IIRC. In this winter zero degree weather it is definitely more like 100 miles. The guessometer range seems particularly inaccurate though. I would probably be happy driving for 100 miles right now and 125 in summer.

Its 4 miles per Kwh is up there in efficiency stakes. More than the i3 and alongside the Tesla Model 3. Remarkable. It has a 50:50 weight distribution so feels great on the road. Only 140kg heavier than the petrol model and it's all low down. I pay around 9p per Kwh but you guys in England can get as low as 5p.

100 miles, that's the main issue for me. Find it poor it can't even do 200 in todays battery technology.

If it did 200/250 i'd strongly consider one, but at 100 it's hardly worth it.

[DougMcL]

Originally Posted by Goneinsixtyseconds

NIf you’re buying cash it looks like a £2,300 discount.

Not sure if there’s better deals, OP might know?

Fuck. Really? Mind you getting to London would have been an issue.

[TimMcC]

Originally Posted by EvilDrPorkChop

100 miles, that's the main issue for me. Find it poor it can't even do 200 in todays battery technology.

If it did 200/250 i'd strongly consider one, but at 100 it's hardly worth it.

The bigger the battery the more expensive the car. Plenty available with that range, but BMW went for a battery smaller than the i3 for the Mini - presumably based on the typical mileage they'd expect a Mini driver to do.

Have heard it's a lot more efficient than the i3 at speed, presumably due to the aerodynamics as I think the motors are the same. The Mini's battery is 2/3 the size of the i3. My i3S is getting about 140 miles range in this weather which only around 3.3 miles per kWh. In summer I get about 175 miles. This is normal fast driving, can get a bit more out of it if needed, but we don't often use it for more than about 80 miles in a day so a non issue for us - family car is the 530d until it gets replaced by a Tesla in just over a year.