The all-electric vehicle segment is not so big in South Africa and that does not seem to stop manufacturers from bringing fully-electric cars to our shores.
Currently dominating the fully-electric sphere is the BMW i3, Jaguar I-Pace and Nissan Leaf. Mercedes-Benz is scheduled to also join the stable with its EQC while Audi will do the same with its e-Tron.
The most recent member set to join the fully-electric sphere is the new Mini Cooper SE with a R642 000 price tag and it’s slated to go on sale in October 2020.
Based on the Mini Copper that lurks an internal combustion engine, the SE model comes with Energetic Yellow accents and those can be found in several places, including the closed radiator grille, mirror caps, tailgate and side scuttles.
It is powered by an electric motor that churns out 135 kW of power and 270 Nm of torque.
The battery is located deep in the underbody structure and according to Mini, it shifts the vehicle’s centre of gravity down considerably.
The new Mini Cooper SE hurdles silently from a standstill to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and can travel up to 217 km before requiring a charge. Buyers can charge the Mini Cooper SE at home using the standard charging cable or the optional Mini Wallbox.
The Mini Cooper SE consumes 17kWh per 100km.
For example, if the cost of electricity is 75c/kWh, then it would cost around R12,75 to run a Mini Cooper SE for 100km (or R28 for a full “tank”, assuming the battery is depleted).
Charging at all BMW and Mini-branded public chargers, using the standard Mini charging card is, however, free of charge.
Allow 35 minutes for a charge from 0 – 80% using a 50kW fast charger, and two-and-a-half hours using the 11kW charger.
As with the BMW Group’s BMW i models, the Mini Cooper SE comes standard with an eight-year/100 000km battery warranty.
Source: Mini
