The first 100 people who order the Electric from French showrooms are prioritized over the online pre-orders, with MINI promising they’ll be the first to get delivery. Customers can also add the e-Flex service for 375 euros per month, receiving an internal combustion-engined MINI until the automaker delivers the Electric to them.
Even though test mules appear to look similar to the MINI three-door hatch, the production model will borrow a handful of influences from the Electric Concept. Expected to feature a 33-kWh battery, the real deal could tip the scale at 1,350 kilograms (2,976 pounds) before options.
Let’s recap. The electric motor appears to be sourced from the BMW i3s, the battery is smaller in capacity (33 compared to 42 kWh), and the i3s is lighter (1,340 kilograms or 2,954 pounds). That’s not exactly encouraging, and the performance won’t get you excited either.
There’s talk the zero-to-60-mph acceleration will take 7.5 seconds, and being an electric vehicle, the MINI is understood to run out of puff at 150 km/h (93 mph). As for the BMW i3s with the 33-kWh battery, make that 6.9 seconds and 160 km/h (99 mph). Do you get the feeling the MINI is underdeveloped because BMW scared of cannibalizing sales from the i3s?
If the hearsay turns out to be true, then we’re better off without “the future generation technology with that unmistakable MINI feeling.” In every respect imaginable except brand heritage and snobbery, the Hyundai Kona Electric is the better option in the subcompact EV segment.
