Mini is no stranger to electric vehicles. Notably, the British brand previously built the Mini E battery-electric vehicle almost a decade ago. Based on the Mini Cooper Hardtop, the 201-hp E was deemed a “pilot project” by the British brand and was available strictly as a lease. It required a great deal of compromise compared with the standard Mini Hardtop, as the E’s chunky 573-pound lithium-ion battery pack took up residence in the area previously reserved for the back seat, and it allowed for only about 100 miles of range on a full charge. Unsurprisingly, the Mini E never became a mass-produced electric vehicle.
After a brief EV hiatus, though, Mini is back in the EV game. While the 2018 Mini Cooper S E Countryman plug-in hybrid crossover SUV is set to become the brand’s first hybrid, it’s the forthcoming battery-electric model that’s due to kick the door to electrification wide open.
Scheduled to begin production in 2019, the latest Mini EV will once again be based on Mini’s two-door hardtop model. Although Mini isn’t yet releasing technical details, the brand did announce that the electric hardtop’s battery pack and electric motor will be produced at BMW’s “e-mobility center” in Germany. From there, the completed drivetrain will be shipped to Mini’s Oxford, England, plant to be mated to a Mini shell.
Mini’s U.S. arm confirmed that the brand’s new battery-electric-vehicle will be sold on our shores sometime after production of the vehicle commences. No surprise, really, given the U.S. market is key to helping Mini’s parent company, the BMW Group, achieve its goal of having electric vehicles make up 15 to 25 percent of its sales by 2025.
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