Mini E

Mini E
Overview
Manufacturer BMW i
Production 2009-2010
Assembly Oxford, England
Body and chassis
Class Small family car
Body style 3-door hatchback
Layout FF layout
Powertrain
Electric motor 150 kW (200 hp) asynchronous motor
Transmission 1-speed helical
Battery 35 kilowatt-hours (130 MJ) lithium ion battery
Range 100 mi (160 km)
Dimensions
Wheelbase 97.1 in (2,466 mm)
Length 146.2 in (3,713 mm)
Width 66.3 in (1,684 mm)
Height 55.4 in (1,407 mm)

The Mini E was a demonstration electric car developed by BMW as a conversion of its Mini Cooper car. The MINI E was developed for field trials and deployed in several countries, including the United States, Germany, UK, France, Japan and China.[1] The field testing of the Mini E was part of BMW Project i, which was followed in January 2012 by a similar trial with the BMW ActiveE,[2] and the last phase of project was the development of the BMW i3 urban electric car, that went into mass production in 2013.[3][4]

The first trial was launched in the U.S. in June 2009 and the Mini E was available through leasing to private users in Los Angeles and the New York/New Jersey area.[5] Another field test was launched in the UK in December 2009, where more than forty Mini E cars were handed to private users for a two consecutive six-month field trial periods.[6] This trial program allowed the BMW Group to become the world's first major car manufacturer to deploy a fleet of more than 500 all-electric vehicles for private use.[7] After the trial some MINI Es were displayed in museums, others shipped to Germany for further lab testing, and the rest dismantled and crushed.[8] The 40 Mini Es that participated in the UK trial were kept in use after the trial ended in March 2011, participating in promotional activities and forming part of BMW Group UK’s official vehicle fleet for the London 2012 Olympic Games.[9]

All Mini-E vehicles were equipped in the same way, similar to a standard Mini Cooper hatchback.

History

The Mini E was unveiled at the 2008 Los Angeles Auto Show.[10] BMW used its Mini brand to test its electric powertrain technology but the vehicle was also developed in order to meet new California regulations that require carmakers to offer zero emission vehicles.[11]

Specifications

Powertrain

The Mini E is powered by an asynchronous electric motor that is mounted in the former engine bay and is rated at 204 PS (150 kW) and 160 lbf·ft (220 N·m) of torque. Drive is sent to the front wheels. The Mini E employs a lithium-ion battery pack with an overall capacity of a 130 megajoules (35 kWh). The batteries weigh 572 pounds (259 kg) and replace the back seat.[12] Top speed is electronically limited to 95 mph (153 km/h), with 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) acceleration in 8 seconds.[13] The car’s range is 156 miles (251 km) on a single charge under optimal conditions. Estimates of normal driving conditions put ranges at 109 miles (175 km) city and 96 miles (154 km) highway.[14]

Mini E under the hood

AC Propulsion issued a news release on November 19, 2008, announcing they were a supplier for Mini E.[15] The news release stated that AC Propulsion supplied a specially developed version of its proprietary tzero, a registered trademark, technology, including air-cooled copper-rotor induction motor and Li ion battery on the Mini E. It is characterized by high performance, high efficiency, and fast charging.

Charging

The Mini E could be charged by 120 volt (at 12 amp) and 240 volt (at 32 or 48 amp) power sources; charging times were 20 hours and 3.5 hours (fast-charge system).[16] Charge rate was set from the instrument panel before charging.

The 240 volt 32 amp home "wall box" charging stations for the USA trial were made by Clipper Creek,[17] with a proprietary electrical connector to the car made by ODU.[18]

Performance

The accelerator was a drive-by-wire system with a soft start to limit the electric motor's response and prevent burnout from a standstill. After this initial delay, response goes back to normal.

The Mini E's regenerative braking was designed to capture as much kinetic energy as possible giving it a distinct driving characteristic. When the driver released the acceleration pedal, the Mini E started braking, slowing it down significantly as if the brake pedal were pressed.

EPA ratings

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certified the Mini E range as 100 mi (160 km), with a city/highway combined energy consumption of 34 kW·h/100 miles. Under its five-cycle testing, EPA rated the Mini E at 98 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (2.4 L/100 km) combined fuel economy, with a rating of 102 mpg-US (2.3 L/100 km; 122 mpg-imp) equivalent in city driving and 94 mpg-US (2.5 L/100 km; 113 mpg-imp) equivalent on highways. This information was displayed in the window sticker in terms of energy consumption, as 33 kW·h/100 miles for city and 36 kW·h/100 milesfor highway.[19]

Production

The Mini factory in Oxford, England supplied vehicle gliders to a team in Munich, Germany who added the electric running gear.[11]

Field trial program

The Mini E trial was followed by the field testing of the BMW ActiveE in the U.S. that began in January 2012.

Field testing of the Mini E was part of BMW Project i, and was followed in January 2012 by a similar trial with the BMW ActiveE all-electric vehicle.[2] After the MINI E trial program ended some cars were displayed in museums, others shipped to Germany for further lab testing, and the rest dismantled and crushed.[8]

Mini-E drivers participating in the field trial program of the vehicle were required to participate in online surveys and discussions, and to bring their vehicle into their local dealership to be worked on. The car was available only as a three-year limited lease, and drivers were required to return their cars to Mini who destroyed or donated them to tech schools and museums for display, disassembly, and analysis purposes.

U.S. program

In the U.S. 9,500 people signed up to lease the 450 MINI Es available.[20][21] In June 2009, Mini started the program by leasing 250 units in Los Angeles area and 200 in the New York/New Jersey area.[3] The leasing price was set at US$850 (approx. €600) a month for one year and included collision coverage, maintenance costs, and home installation of the charging station.[4] Residents of New Jersey did not pay sales tax on their lease due to the existing state exemption for battery electric vehicles.[22]

In May 2010 BMW announced that leasing could be renewed for another year at a lower price of US$600 a month.[23][24] This renewal was offered to all individuals who had a Mini E lease at the time but fleet customers were excluded and according to BMW half of all lessees agreed to the extension.[23][24]

European program

France

Field testing in Paris with 50 units began in 2010.[25][26]

Germany

Mini E recharging in Germany

A total of 100 trial vehicles were assigned to Germany.[3] Testing in Berlin began in June 2009, and for the second phase, a total of 70 vehicles were delivered in March 2011 to private customers and fleet users.[27] Field testing began in Munich in September 2010, for a leasing fee of €400 (approx. US$517) per month.[28][29]

United Kingdom

Mini E recharging in the UK

Testing in the U.K. took place between December 2009 and March 2011 with 40 Mini E cars handed to private users for two consecutive six-month field trial periods.[9] The leasing price was set at GB£330 (around US$536) per month, which included VAT, insurance, service and maintenance.[6] One MINI E was delivered to the Government car pool in Downing Street to be tested by ministers in an urban environment on their official business around London.[30]

The UK trial was a partnership between BMW Group UK, Scottish and Southern Energy, the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council. Data collection and research was conducted by Oxford Brookes University’s Sustainable Vehicle Engineering Centre throughout the UK project. Funding support was provided by the Technology Strategy Board and the Department for Transport (DFT) as part of the GB£25 million (US$41 million) UK-wide program involving trials of 340 ultra-low carbon vehicles from several car makers.[6][9][30] The selected test area is roughly a triangle contained within the M40 motorway between the M25 motorway and Oxford, the A34 south to the M3 motorway, and the M3 back to the M25.[31]

The 40 Mini E electric cars were kept in use after the trial was completed in March 2011, participating in activities to promote awareness and understanding of electric vehicles. These cars were part of the BMW Group UK’s official vehicle fleet of 4,000 low-emission luxury vehicles deployed for the London 2012 Olympic Games. The fleet also included 160 BMW ActiveE electric cars.[9][32]

China

Field testing in Beijing started on February 22, 2011.[33] Testing also took place in Shenzhen.[9]

Japan

A field trial took place in Tokyo in 2011.[9]

Field test results

Rear view of the Mini E.

The main concerns reported by those participating in the U.S. during the first year trial were range anxiety and lack of public charging infrastructure, as the country had only 734 public charging stations, most located in California.[7][16][34] Another concern was the 100-mile (160 km) range on a fully charged battery reducing to between 80 to 90 miles (140 km) during very cold weather.[7][34] In the UK, an abnormally harsh winter also showed how very low temperatures diminished power output until the battery ‘warmed-up’.[25] There was one report of the range dropping below 40 miles (64 km) in sub-zero weather.[35] There were issues reported with exterior charging points as winter temperatures dropped dramatically.[25]

Other complaints in the U.S. related to the lack of space in the car as the battery pack eliminated the Mini’s back seat and most of its cargo area,[34][36] and the difficulties found in practice to install the charging equipment in homes; installation permits, site visits, inspections and installation could take up to a month.[36][37]

BMW

According to the BMW team of engineers responsible for the demonstration program, the following facts and key lessons were learned during the Mini E first year trial:[38]

UC Davis study

In May 2011 the Plug‐in Hybrid & Electric Vehicle (PH&EV) Research Center at the University of California, Davis published the results of a consumer study of the U.S. Mini E field trial. The study is based on surveys and interviews conducted with more than 120 families who leased the electric car for the period of June 2009 to June 2010.[1][39] Some of the key findings of the consumer study are the following:[1][39][40]

Oxford Brookes University

In August 2011 BMW published the results of the UK trials. The findings are based on the 40 test cars driven by 62 members of the public and 76 pool users, who together drove 258,105 miles (415,380 km) over two six-month periods. The data was collected electronically and the research was carried out by Oxford Brookes University. The following are some of the main findings:[9]

Range record

As part of the 21st Century Automotive Challenge held at Penn State University on May 23, 2010, Mini E #466 achieved the longest trip in an electric car to date, achieving 147.3 miles (237.1 km). The Mini E went on to win the efficiency competition, traversing three mountain ranges in the rain.

Alternative electric Mini

Nevada’s Hybrid Technologies has started production of its electric-powered BMW Mini Cooper all-lithium model. The new electric Mini uses Hybrid Tech’s own proprietary advanced lithium management and battery-balancing system. Top speed is only around 80 mph (130 km/h) but driving at a slower speed preserves battery-life and means owners will be able to travel up to 120 miles (190 km) on a single charge.[41]

EVTV has published a free "how-to" series of videos documenting their conversion of a 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman to electric drive.[42] The project uses a more powerful AC induction motor from MES-DEA and TIMS600 controller to provide 177 lb·ft (240 N·m) of torque. It uses 112 readily available Sky Energy 100Ah LiFePO4 cells to provide an energy storage of 40.3 kWh and a range of 125 miles (201 km). Top speed of 120 mph (190 km/h). This is an open source project using parts readily available to anyone from existing suppliers and intended for those inclined to do their own conversion of an existing 2009 Mini Cooper Clubman.

CravenSpeed, of Portland, Oregon, USA, has built and will offer instructions and parts for converting a 2002-2006 Hatchback Mini into an all-electric vehicle. Utilizing the existing transmission mated to a DC motor, their relatively inexpensive conversion kit will produce modest power and about a 80 km (50 mi) range per charge while keeping the rear seats and cargo room completely untouched.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Turrentine, Thomas S., Dahlia Garas, Andy Lentz, Justin Woodjack (2011). "The UC Davis MINI E Consumer Study". Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis. Retrieved 2011-06-14. Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-11-05
  2. 1 2 Jim Motavalli (2012-01-12). "The Mini-E's True Believer Gets the Keys to the First BMW ActiveE". PluginCars. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  3. 1 2 3 Tom Murphy (2010-05-19). "Mini E Only Beginning of BMW EV Strategy". Wards Auto. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  4. 1 2 Joe Lorio (May 2010). "Green: Rich Steinberg Interview". Automobile Magazine. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  5. "BMW and UC Davis Partner on MINI E Study". Green Car Congress. 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  6. 1 2 3 "BMW Delivers 40 Electric MINI E Cars for UK Trial". Green Car Congress. 2009-12-14. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  7. 1 2 3 Peter Whoriskey (2009-12-24). "Recharging and other concerns keep electric cars far from mainstream". Washington Post. Retrieved 2009-12-25.
  8. 1 2 Michael Thwaite (2010-10-10). "MINI E Meetup: End Of The Line For Electric Car 'Experiment'". Green Car Reports. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "BMW Group releases results of UK-supported EV trial". Green Car Congress. 2011-08-05. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  10. Abuelsamid, Sam (2008-10-18). "LA Preview: Officially, official: the MINI E!". Autobloggreen.com. Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  11. 1 2 Alex Kaufmann. "Technical details for Mini 'E' electric vehicle". MotorAuthority. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  12. Taylor III, Alex (March 30, 2009). "Bavaria's Next Top Model". Fortune. 159 (6): 102.
  13. Horrell, Paul (2008-11). "Mini Cooper E". Retrieved 2013-04-11. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. "MINI USA: MINI E spec sheet (PDF)" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-12-30.
  15. Press release from AC Propulsion
  16. 1 2 John O'Dell (September 2009). "BMW Learing Lessons From Mini E Tes". Edmunds. Retrieved 2009-09-25.
  17. Richard Steinberg (2009-09-21). "Mini Priority 1 Slides" (PDF). Mini USA. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  18. Edgju (2009-07-25). "ODU's connector for MINI E - is this a robust design?". Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  19. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy (2012-04-17). "2008 MINI MiniE". Fueleconomy.gov. Retrieved 2012-04-19.
  20. Abuelsamid, Sam (2008-11-06). "MINI E will reportedly cost $850/month for one-year lease — Autoblog Green". Autobloggreen.com. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  21. "creative projects, competitions, events, thoughts and ideas, by MINI". MINI Space. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  22. "State and Federal Incentives for EVs, PHEVs and Charge Stations". Plug In America. Retrieved 2010-05-29.
  23. 1 2 "Mini Says Half of Last Year's Mini E Lessees Renewed for Another Year". Edmunds.com. 2010-05-12. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  24. 1 2 "Half of Mini E lessees renew for another year, price dropped to $600/month". AutoblogGreen. 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  25. 1 2 3 Chris Wright (2010-06-03). "UK: Harsh winter provides valuable Mini EV feedback". Just Auto. Retrieved 2010-06-13.
  26. Autoactu.com (2011-01-24). "Marché du véhicule électrique en France en 2010: tous les chiffres!" (in French). Automobile Prope. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
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  28. "BMW Group Taking Applications for MINI-E Trial Drivers in Munich". Green Car Congress. 2010-05-10. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  29. Zaher Karp (May 2010). "Upcoming Munich MIni E Trial". PluginCars.com. Retrieved 2010-06-12.
  30. 1 2 "Prime Minister backs MINI E trials". Oxford Brookes University. 2009-12-16. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  31. Anthony ffrench-Constant (2009-10-29). "MINI E review: The all-electric version of the MINI is being trialled in Britain". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  32. Antony Ingram (2012-03-26). "BMW's Low-Emissions Olympic Fleet Lands In London". Motor Authority. Retrieved 2012-03-26.
  33. "Mini E Goes on Field Trial in China". ChinaAutoWeb.com.
  34. 1 2 3 Lawrence Ulrich (2010-03-25). "Gas-Pump Freedom (Restrictions Apply)". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  35. Jorn Madslien (2010-06-03). "What is it like to live with an electric car?". BBC News. Retrieved 2010-06-18.
  36. 1 2 Stephen Williams (2010-03-19). "BMW Preaches Sustainability in Munich and New York". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  37. Jim Motavalli (2010-03-16). "Home Charging for Electric Vehicle: Costs Will Vary". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-04-10.
  38. Sebastian Blanco (2010-07-02). "In depth: BMW Megacity Vehicle and Project I". AutoblogGreen. Retrieved 2010-07-31.
  39. 1 2 "UC Davis study highlights results of MINI E field trial in US; MINI E met 90% of daily driving needs". Green Car Congress. 2011-06-13. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
  40. Christine Tierney (2011-06-14). "Quake's effects may delay U.S.-built Leaf". Detroit News. Retrieved 2011-06-14.
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