All-electric MINI E plugs-in to L.A. Auto Show

Gizmag.com ^ | 10/21/08 | Staff

[Reaganesque]

In a further sign that full-electric drive vehicles are headed for the mainstream, BMW BMW Group will showcase a lithium http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium -ion battery powered version of the MINI at next month's Los Angeles Auto Show Detroit-Auto-Show-2008 ahead of a pilot project that will see 500 of the cars evaluated on US roads in 2009. Based on the current MINI Hatch, the MINI E will initially appear in two-seater form with rear seats dropped to make way for the battery pack. Rather than an in-hub motor arrangement, an electric motor mounted under the bonnet drives the front wheels through a single-stage helical gearbox derived from the Cooper S, and being all-electric, the full power is delivered from a standing start delivering quite adequate acceleration of 0-62 mph in 8.5 seconds with a top speed electronically-limited to 95 mph.

To conserve energy and help achieve greater range (which is specified at an impressive 150 miles), the MINI E uses a regenerative braking system is directly linked to the accelerator. Release the pedal and the electric motor http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_motor acts as a generator, feeding the kinetic energy back into the system. Getting used to such a system takes a little time as we learned during our road-test of similar technology found in the Vectrix electric scooter, but once you've become accustomed to staying off the brakes it's remarkably easy to utilize it in the majority of driving situations. In the case of the MINI E, BMW estimate that if you can use it in city traffic for around 75 per cent of all deceleration the car's range can be extended by up to 20 percent.

If you do need to hit the anchors, the car's brake system also comes with a newly developed electric pump and the Electrical Power Assisted Steering (EPS) is the same as the one used in mass-produced MINIs.

The lithium-ion storage unit itself is made up of 5,088 cells grouped into 48 modules and packaged into three battery elements. It has a maximum capacity of 35 kilowatt hours (kWh) and transmits energy to the electric motor as direct current at a nominal 380 volts.

Recharging is via a standard power outlet but a high amperage wallbox will be supplied as standard that will speed up the full recharging time to just two-and-a-half hours. The wallbox is designed to be installed in the customer’s garage, though only lockable garages or similar buildings will qualify. A full recharge draws a maximum of 28 kilowatt hours of electricity from the grid which translates to one kilowatt hour per 5.4 miles and information on how much charge is left in the system is relayed to the driver via a battery level indicator behind the wheel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behind_the_Wheel .

Design-wise, the MINI E still looks like a MINI. All of the car's made for the pilot project will share the same dark silver paintwork on the panels and a silver roof incorporating a large yellow power plug logo. The same logo is also emblazoned on the the front and back of the car, the charger port lid (a handy reminder in-case you try to put petrol in), the door-jam and the dashboard trim.

The 500 MINI E's slated for the US trial will be produced at the company’s Oxford and Munich sites before being shipped to California, New York and New Jersey for testing by private and corporate customers on a one-year lease. The cars will then be returned to BMW for comparative tests. Because special tools and qualifications are required for servicing the vehicles, MINI will also set up a dedicated service base for customers in each of the states.

So the options appear to be steadily mounting for those looking into the ZEV market, lets just hope that renewable energy fla-bank-meeting-to-focus-on-biofuels Apr-3-2008 infrastructure can keep pace so that we can enjoy truly zero-emissions motoring - with no emissions at the tailpipe or the power plant - sometime in the not too distant future.

MINI E specifications

• Number of doors/seats: 3/2
• Length/width/height: 146.2/66.3/55.4 inches (3,714/1,683/1,407mm) - unloaded
• Wheelbase: 2,467mm (97.1 inches)
• Track front/rear: 1,453/1,461mm (57.2/57.5 inches)
• Turning circle: 10.7m (35.1 feet)
• Kerb weight: 1,465kg (3,230lbs)
• Payload: 195kg (430lbs)

• Gross vehicle weight rating: 1,660kg (3,656lbs)
• Cargo space (DIN): 60 liters

• Engine: Electric motor
• Output: 150/204 kW/hp
• Torque (from idle): 220Nm
• Max. rpm (cut off): 12,500 min-1

• Battery capacity: 35kWh, approx. 28kWh of which useable
• Battery weight: 260kg (573lbs)

• Battery charge time: 23.6 hours at 110 V/12 A(1.3 kW) / 4.4 hours at 240 V/32 A (7.0 kW) / 2.9 hours at 240 V/48 A(10.6 kW)
• Battery cooling: Air cooling via temperature-, load- and speed-sensitive fans
• Peak current: Short bursts of up to 900A

• Front wheel suspension: Single-joint MacPherson spring strut axle with anti-dive control
• Rear wheel suspension: Longitudinal link with centrally mounted control arms, z axis
• Front brakes: 294mm Vented disc
• Rear brakes: 259mm Disc
• Road stability systems: DSC adapted to modified kerb weight and wheel load (always on), low-friction recuperation control via DSC, ELUP (electronic under pressure pump) brake boost

• Steering: Rack and pinion with electronic power steering (EPS)
• Type of transmission: Single-stage helical gearbox
• Axle load distribution: 750/715 front/rear in kg
• Tyres: All-season Runflat 16"

• Performance Ratings
• Power-to-weight ratio (DIN): 9.76 kg/kW
• Acceleration 0–100 km/h (0-62 mph): 8.5s
• Top speed: 95.0mph

• Range (FTP 72): 150miles, 240km
• Consumption (FTP 72): 0.19 kWh/mls (0.12 kWh/km)
• CO2: nil

[Reaganesque]

More progress. A 150 mile range isn't bad. Its way more than the standard 40 miles per charge that previous electric cars offered and only 2.5 hours for a recharge. So, the tech continues to develop. Cool.

Maybe add some solar panels to the roof and extend the range even more or add a fuel cell. Who knows? The market will provide. And no government mandated 10-year plan needed either. Imagine that. Capitalism does work, Mr. Obama.

[gridlock]

Do they know the price for this thing? Looks beautiful. I would love to have one, but I don’t have $40K to drop on a vanity vehicle.

I was thinking of doing an EV conversion on a Volkswagen Bug or maybe a Thing. There are a lot of good looking conversion packages out there. I only need highway speeds with a 40 mile range, so I won’t need anything heroic out of the batteries.

[Reaganesque]

I didn’t find any pricing info in what I looked at. This would make me at least consider a MINI, though. I’ve always thought they look like glorified golf-carts to me. But, this would be really useful with all the in-city driving I do. Parking would be somewhat easier to find as well. I guess I’ll check MINI’s website and see if they have pricing info.

[vaudine]

My question about these plug-ins--how can the electric grid accomodate a lot of them when we already have brown outs every summer? Especially in CA.

It seems to me the enviros and their Dem relatives need to get their heads out of the dark place they have stuck them and get onto building nuclear, clean coal burning utilities, and drill, drill, drill.

Instead they will probably have a tea party featuring kool-aid and dress up with tinfoil hats, before a conference telling how they are going to save the planet.

vaudine

[SnakeDoctor]

Capitalism works ... if people want to drive this glorified golf-cart, help yourself. But, I wouldn’t slam on the brakes too hard in front of my Suburban ... crunch ... like a bug on the front bumper.

They can pry my SUV out of my cold, dead hands.

H

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

And truckers can pry these cute little cars out of their tires.

[Squawk 8888]

Looks like a great city vehicle. The only weakness I see is the 60L cargo capacity- my 125cc scooter carries that much (~25L under the seat, 35L in the top case).

[SnakeDoctor]

I don’t understand why people think recharging a car is convenient. I’ve forgotten to recharge my blackberry before ... and it was annoying. Having the same thing happen with my transportation would be beyond annoying ... it would disrupt life. I can’t image having to call work to tell them I’m going to be late because I forgot to recharge my pathetic little car.

And, if power goes out for any extended period of time (as it did when Hurricane Ike hit us in Houston) ... you’re just stuck? Not to mention the additional electric bills.

Sounds cute, but impractical.

H

[al_c]

LOL! “Oops ... I forgot to plug in my car today, boss. I’ll be a little late.”

[Reaganesque]

These are steps in the right direction: away from dependence upon countries that hate us for our means of transportation. The technology is developing. Now it has to be recharged. As things develop, they may not have to be in the future. Who knows? The point is, progress is being made towards the day when we can tell the Chavezs, Putins and Ahmedinijads of the world to shove their oil up the first convenient bodily orifice of theirs that is convenient.

[daku]

is it powerful enough to tow a 3-5 hp generator ?

[SnakeDoctor]

This is not a replacement for oil. It isn’t practical or convenient enough to replace oil ... and, the energy to recharge these cars has to come from somewhere.

We won’t depend on Chavez or Ahmedinijad after we overthrow them either. The problem isn’t the oil, its the dictators.

H

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

“... the MINI E will initially appear in two-seater form with rear seats dropped to make way for the battery pack.”

Proof it's just a kludge, to get to market quickly. By comparison, the Chevy Volt has been designed from scratch to be an “extended-range electric vehicle”. The Volt's battery T-pack fits into the space normally occupied by the drive shaft, differential and rear axle. It also has hub motors.

[TheMightyQuinn]

And, if power goes out for any extended period of time (as it did when Hurricane Ike hit us in Houston) ... you’re just stuck?

In the Northwest we get winter storms every year that knock the power out for days. The last time it happened, we went three days without power, with no source of heat in our home in sub-freezing temperatures, so we drove 50 miles to the nearest available hotel to get warm showers, food, and a bed. With an electric only car, you'd have to wait at home until the government turned your power on before you could go anyway. Yikes!

[Old Professer]

“The lithium-ion storage unit itself is made up of 5,088 cells grouped into 48 modules and packaged into three battery elements. It has a maximum capacity of 35 kilowatt hours (kWh) and transmits energy to the electric motor as direct current at a nominal 380 volts.”

Sounds like they wire 106 3.5V cells in series into 48 modules then parallel wire these into three battery units of 16 modules each to comprise the 500+ pound package.

Anybody else notice the similarity between this battery info and the Tesla specs?

The specs show a charging cost of less than $3.00 day after installation of the high-rate charger.

[Atlas Sneezed]

one kilowatt hour per 5.4 miles

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At 12 cents per kWh, that’s 2.2 cents per mile (the equivalent of about 136 mpg of $3/gal. gas).