Mini Electric Vehicle History

Specs and Info

March 13, 2020

AMAZON SWEEPSTAKES WINNER TAKES FIRST DELIVERY IN THE US OF ALL NEW BATTERY ELECTRIC MINI COOPER SE

Woodcliff Lake, N.J., March 9, 2020. MINI USA announced today that the winner of the Amazon 12 Days of Deals holiday sweepstakes took delivery of the first MINI Cooper SE electric vehicle last week at MAG MINI of Dublin just outside of Columbus, Ohio. Through a partnership with Amazon, the MINI Cooper SE was featured in the 12 Days of Deals holiday sweepstakes in December 2019. Columbus-area chiropractor, Adam Solomon, was the lucky winner out of more than 250,000 sweepstakes entries.

The most affordable premium EV in the US is now officially on sale around the world

Woodcliff Lake, N.J., March 9, 2020. MINI USA announced today that the winner of the Amazon 12 Days of Deals holiday sweepstakes took delivery of the first MINI Cooper SE electric vehicle last week at MAG MINI of Dublin just outside of Columbus, Ohio. Through a partnership with Amazon, the MINI Cooper SE was featured in the 12 Days of Deals holiday sweepstakes in December 2019. Columbus-area chiropractor, Adam Solomon, was the lucky winner out of more than 250,000 sweepstakes entries.  

After overwhelming interest in the new MINI Electric over the past few months, including down payment reservations on more than half of the units allocated for the U.S. market and more than 18,000 hand raisers, the 2020 MINI Cooper SE arrived at U.S. showrooms over the weekend with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $29,900 plus an additional $850 Destination & Handling fee. 

“There is a lot of excitement and buzz around the new MINI Electric from our customers, dealers and our team,” said Michael Peyton, Vice President, MINI of the Americas.  “We look forward to showing customers around the U.S. how fun it is to drive an affordable, premium EV like the MINI Electric.”

The Cooper SE makes electric mobility more “MINI” by maintaining authentic attributes of design, handling, and fun that are found in every MINI model.  The MINI Cooper SE harkens back to the mission of the very first Mini developed by Sir Alec Issigonis in 1959 – to develop a creative solution for a highly efficient car with a small footprint that was fun to drive, and accessible to the masses.

Power and Performance

With a low center of gravity, a powerful electric powertrain, and dynamic handling, the MINI Cooper SE is a true performance car that retains all the fun-to-drive attributes MINI owners have come to know and love. The front wheel drive electric motor generates 181hp and 199 lb.-ft. of torque enabling the new MINI Cooper SE to go from 0 – 60 mph in 6.9 seconds and achieve a top speed of 93 mph.

Attainable Electric Mobility

While the MINI Cooper SE has an MSRP of $29,900, the federal EV credit of $7,500 along with available state EV incentives make the MINI Cooper SE even more attractive. In some cases, qualified consumers can get a MINI Cooper SE below $20,000.  Examples of some state EV incentives include;

  • CO – offers $4,000 (as of 2020)
  • CA – offers $2,000 plus an additional $2,500 based on income qualifications
  • DE – offers $3,500
  • MD – offers $3,000
  • OR – offers $2,500
  • NJ – exempt from 6.875% sales tax on new vehicle purchase of base trim equals an estimated $2,114

NOTE: NJ law recently passed with 6 months given to enact allows for a $2,750 credit on the MINI Cooper SE plus additional $500 rebate for the installation of home charging. Total combine state tax incentives savings on the base trim are $5,634.

There are also a number of states that offer $1,500 – $1,700 in credits, along with some states that offer additional benefits such as access to HOV lanes. 

The value equation goes up more when one factors in fuel savings on top of federal and state incentives.  A MINI Cooper SE battery electric customer may realize an additional saving of up to $3,700 over a six-year period of driving with the comparison based on the following assumptions:

  • MINI Cooper S with 2.0 liter 4-cylinder engine – 30 MPG combined
  • MINI Cooper SE battery electric – miles per kWh at 3.22
  • 10,000 average miles driven a year
  • Premium fuel at $3.30 a gallon
  • Electricity at $0.15 a kW

With this estimated fuel cost savings, the MINI Cooper SE becomes even more attainable.

2019

August 2019 – MINI announced it had received 45,000 pre-orders for the Mini Electric Vehicle. The pre-orders required a deposit, so they are seen as more substantial than people simply registering interest in the Mini EV src

March 2019 -BMW is about to launch a production Mini EV based on the two-door Cooper model. It’s set to go on sale by the end of 2019, but little is known about the price or the range yet. Guesses have been made because of the similarity to the BMW i3s.

The working range for the Mini Cooper Electric will be around 120 miles, and acceleration will be slow than the 7.7 seconds it takes the BMW i3s to go from 0-62mph – the Mini Cooper SE electric weight about 350 pounds more than the BMW i3s.

2008

As part of BMW’s i Project, the Mini Cooper E was launched at the 2008 L.A. Auto Show. The battery was so large that it took up most of the rear seat space. Only 450 of the electric vehicles were ever offered, and only as part of a lease-only plan in the USA. The price was $850 per month, and there was more demand than there was vehicles.

After BMW’s testing the Mini Electric from 2008 to 2011, they learned that the average driver drove about 25 miles per day.

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