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What is it?

Mini’s much anticipated entry into the small, but increasingly significant, electric vehicle segment – the Mini E.

Only 500 of the E will be produced, with cars leased to drivers in two American cities. The latest, and greenest, addition to the Mini line-up retains the look of the petrol and diesel powered car, and keeps its front-wheel drive architecture.

But under the surface the E adopts the very latest in electric vehicle technology, including...Read the full article

 Why do you quote power fiqure from metric and imperial - choose bhp or KW, or at least quote both for power and capacity.

35 kwH, means a minimum life of 15mins at a 135 KW draw.

Even an 25% average power draw only gives you an hour. Not too useful

2 hour charge at domestic 110V, single phase? Doubt it, but am prepared to be proved wrong.

 I have to say, I love these things. this is the future, fossil fuel burning in large scale efficient plants, providing energy to be used by cars. Battery tech has to catch up but it will.

Any more info on lightning's battery type, is anyonr else using their type?

$850pm for a two seater with a limited range, still nice that they tried I guess, though they need to ditch that cheap dashboard with the dumb speedo, trying to take in  the info is like sitting in the front row at an IMAX.

When are they going to bring out a 90bhp 1.6 OneD around 89CO2g/km? Think that would be a more significant move at the moment to improve sales.

This thing could send fatalities soaring!!!

You won't even be able hear it to get out the way.. as an Estate Agent trying to balance his mobile and a Starbucks tries to mow you down.

"Sadly, you can’t. The initial fleet of Mini Es will be leased to carefully-selected customers living in Los Angeles and New York for 12 months.

That said, it’s no secret that BMW is looking to establish a similar scheme in Europe, with London and Munich likely to be among the cities chosen to take part, and with the programme likely to lead to a dedicated electric-only Mini."

- Greg Kable

Not so Greg. BMW have just announced Berlin as the next city to get the Mini E. It's being done in cooperation with Vatenfall, electricity company.(Bild.de)

I think someone already explained the logic of selling ultra-green cars to the world's most profligate wasters of energy, but I still don't understand why manufs. like BMW wouldn't want to schedule a simultaneous launch in London or on home territory as well. London has the Congestion Charge which favours such electric vehicles, and customers both in the UK and in Germany are used to making sacrifices in return for better fuel economy and big savings at our massively taxed pumps. Dunno about you guys, but for me giving the MINI-E to Americans seems like feeding strawberries to donkeys.

The Apprentice:

This thing could send fatalities soaring!!!

You won't even be able hear it to get out the way.. as an Estate Agent trying to balance his mobile and a Starbucks tries to mow you down.

 Most of the noise you hear these days from cars passing by in cities, where pedestrians are found, comes from the TYRES, and not the engine.

In fact, during braking and anything but brutal acceleration by a complete ***, all the most of the noise you'll ever hear from a car approaching you is tire noises.

 So I know the whole "no engine noise, blimey" stuff is somewhat frightening, but rest assure - if an electric car is about to run you over, you'll hear it coming from the same distance. I just hope you'd be listening in the first place, as pedestrians these days are too busy blabbering over their cell-phone to even notice anything around them.

ThwartedEfforts:

Dunno about you guys, but for me giving the MINI-E to Americans seems like feeding strawberries to donkeys.

rtwingo:

I just hope you'd be listening in the first place, as pedestrians these days are too busy blabbering over their cell-phone to even notice anything around them.

With many drivers doing the same thing what chance does mankind have?

Paul J:

rtwingo:

I just hope you'd be listening in the first place, as pedestrians these days are too busy blabbering over their cell-phone to even notice anything around them.

With many drivers doing the same thing what chance does mankind have?

Good point...

No right hand drive I guess? Not really surprising after the Clubman fiasco though. We must be the doormat market.