After we turned in the Mini E, I had to go back to driving my old gas Jeep for a short period of time. I didn’t even look at a gas station for those couple years. Virtually all of my family’s driving miles for those two years went onto the Mini. It insinuated itself so far into our lives that if an errand needed to be done and the Mini was already out and about, we’d delay whatever we needed to do until the Mini came back home, so we could drive it instead of one of the many gas cars in the house. At least it *looks* like I was beating the Tesla… Heck, I used to think I liked big cars, then I drove this one, and now I know I love small cars. What my family learned was that, despite its quirks, that slapdash little Mini was the most enjoyable car any of us had ever had, and none of us wanted to go back to driving gas cars after having it for a while. Personally, my family didn’t have too many. But we signed up for a prototype experience, so a few problems were expected. There was a lot of discussion about these issues both online and at our periodic in-person meetups.
Those of us who drove them expected issues, and some in the program encountered quite a few. The whole thing went from back-of-napkin concept to production in only a year, was lease-only, and only available in a couple markets. It was a strange little car - a retrofit gas mini with the rear seats ripped out in exchange for batteries and an AC Propulsion drivetrain (the original suppliers for the Tesla Roadster 1.5) under the hood. I used to like big cars, then I drove this one. Here’s a short video we shot while in Miami, covering just the basics: Find a local Mini dealer here, though the electric hasn’t been added to carsdirect’s lineup yet. The car hits US showrooms in March and pre-orders are open now for a $500 fee. of torque, and will get you to 60mph in 6.9 seconds with a top speed of 93mph. The electric motor is good for 181hp, 199lb.-ft. This price gets you a 32kWh battery good for about 110 miles of range (EPA numbers aren’t yet finalized). California, Colorado, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Oregon all offer enough credits to put the Mini Cooper SE into the ~$20k price range, with other states and regions having their own incentives as well. To start with a few headline specs, the Mini Cooper SE will start at $29,900 before US federal tax credits, which means after federal, state and local incentives, it could be available for under $20k in some markets.
Slapdash eu drivers#
Will the 2020 Mini Cooper SE inspire other drivers the same way the original Mini E inspired me? Let’s find out. I drove it for two years and loved it, and it’s what got me into electric vehicles in the first place. Mini made a limited-run vehicle in 2009, the Mini E, and I was one of the lucky 450 drivers in the US to have one. The Mini Cooper SE is Mini’s first entry into the electric vehicle market…sort of. BMW flew us down to Miami last week to drive it up and down the Florida coast, and Electrek is here to tell you whether it lives up to expectations. The new fully electric Mini, the Mini Cooper SE, hits US showrooms in March.