Mini Cooper SE EV Pre Bookings Open Online Ahead Of Launch

Vikram Pawah, President, BMW Group India said, "The revolutionary design principle of the classic Mini established the basis for maximum interior space within a minimal footprint. Mini in its new avatar offers a modern re-interpretation of creative space usage and unique riding fun that became the original in the premium small car segment."

"Now, with the first-ever Mini Electric, Mini once again is the frontrunner in the urban mobility segment. Charged with passion, the all-new Mini 3-door Cooper SE will be the first all-electric premium small car in India, paving the way to a sustainable yet at the same time highly emotional driving experience. With pre-booking, our customers and Mini fans have a chance to secure the purchase ahead of the launch and be the first in the country to drive the all-electric Mini."

The Mini Cooper SE (Mini Electric) is the first-ever production electric vehicle from Mini The British EV is powered by a 32.6kWh battery pack with a usable capacity of 28.9kWh. The battery setup consists of twelve packs of lithium-ion cells arranged in a T-shape between the front seats and below the rear seats of the electric hatchback.

The batteries send power to a single asynchronous electric motor that cranks out 181bhp and 270Nm of peak torque. Power is sent to the front wheels via a single-speed gearbox. The Mini Electric can sprint from 0-100km/h in 7.3 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 150km/h. The Mini Cooper SE has a range of 235 kilometres as per Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) testing standards.

Charging the Mini Cooper SE using a regular wall adapter and the onboard 11kW AC charger takes three hours and fifteen minutes. Connecting the Mini Electric to a 50kW DC charger brings this time down significantly. With fast DC charging, the Mini can reach up to nearly 80 per cent battery capacity in just half an hour.

Mini took its first step into electric vehicles with the Mini E, an internal combustion Mini Cooper converted to electric power in 2009. The Mini Es created for this field test later became part of BMW's Project i and later BMW ActiveE. These projects along with a few others eventually led to the reveal of the production BMW i3.

The current Mini Electric, an all-new fully-fledged EV was first previewed at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show. The production-spec Mini Electric made its way onto the floor of the same auto show two years later in 2019.

The Mini Electric features quite a few distinct design features that separate it from its internal combustion siblings. These include embossed Mini Electric logos and bright yellow accents on the grille, side and rear. The interiors are offered with a host of features including an optional 8.8-inch infotainment display.

Thoughts on the Mini Cooper SE

The Cooper SE is Mini's first-ever production EV and the company has promised that it retains the go kart like driving dynamics that have made its IC siblings so popular. We do hope that this is the case as this would mean that Mini hasn't lost its personality with the switch to electric power.