As you read this, 20 people in Oxfordshire and Hampshire are preparing to take delivery of what BMW hopes is the future of the car. The electric Mini is part of a field trial to get real-world experience of how everyday drivers get on with electric cars. That is real electric cars, not the quadricylces being presented as cars by the likes of G-Wiz, as demonstrated by the Mini E having a Cooper S-beating 201 hp. Unfortunately, it does suffer one deficiency associated with traditional electric runabouts, however: it is only a two seater as the lithium-ion battery pack takes up the space once occupied by the rear seats (and indeed most of the boot). That is a consequence of using an existing car as a base - future electric models under development by BMW, Renault, Nissan and others will be designed around their battery packs, so passenger space will not be compromised.
From the outside, the Mini looks normal apart from a few electric stickers - in a nice touch, the socket for the recharger is positioned where the fuel cap normally goes, so owners can easily guess where to put the plug. The statistics of the Mini E are impressive: 0-62 mph in 8.2 seconds an electronically limited top speed of 95 mph , a maximum range of 156 miles and a normal range of 100-120 miles. Of course, we have been hearing impressive-sounding claims for electric cars for at least 40 years, so we wanted to know how the Mini E really drives.
