RE: Mini Electric | UK Review
Discussion
ghost83 said:
Still rather have a petrol Cooper s, what happens when the battery is goosed after 10yrs?
Well if you manage to get over 160.000 Km with the regular Copper S before something else falls apart... as quoted at the beginning of the tread:BMW said:
The maximum mileage over a warranty period has been extended to 8 years and/or 160,000 kilometres.
Jex said:
It works if:
You have off road parking and can install a charging point
Probably it can work out also using public recharge points, but is a good pointYou have off road parking and can install a charging point
Jex said:
Do many short or shortish journeys
Absolutely, it's not for anyone driving 100 miles a dayJex said:
You have another car for longer journeys (although you could always hire one - cheaper than owning two cars)
This is the ideal combination to own such car. As only car it asks too many compromises.Dave Hedgehog said:
KJH said:
MrGeoff said:
KJH said:
This is a reskinned I3s model.
I think you're way off the mark with this. The i3s is a vastly different vehicle.
The Article Said: said:
Note the cradle that holds the power unit under the bonnet, an alteration to ensure the robots used to engines can easily install the EV powertrain.
Would be lovely to get some pics of the technical bits. It seems a shame the journo and picture editor don't appear to communicate!You can see the cradle here:
And an interesting video here:
https://twitter.com/GinnyBuckley/status/1233126933...
a purpose made electrical platform wouldn't require that heavy additional cradle. I've seen criticism of the Chevy Volt for a similar compromise.
Griffgrog said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
KJH said:
MrGeoff said:
KJH said:
This is a reskinned I3s model.
I think you're way off the mark with this. The i3s is a vastly different vehicle.Dave Hedgehog said:
it is by far the most complex solution, and as they are creating a hydro carbon presumably nox and other crap will be created when burnt
1) Make green electricity, transfer it to car over existing infrastructure to an EV, after cable and charging losses about 90% of the energy is used for movement.
2) Take 3 energy units of green electricity, make 1 energy unit of hydrogen, use a lot of resources to transport, store and to deliver it. Use it to power Fuel Cell transport, probably the best solution for large vehicles and even shipping. That one unit of hydrogen that a fuel cell uses gives about 60% of the energy for movement.
3) Take the result from 2 add a lot more energy for processing, then use even more resources for transport storage and delivery, using 6+ times as much energy as a a pure EV to create the fuel you then put it in a ICE vehicle that is at best 25-30% of the energy is used for movement, plus some nice pollution out the back.
Its a fantasy of a doomed car industry desperately trying to stay relevant
Not sure it's quite as simple as that....1) Make green electricity, transfer it to car over existing infrastructure to an EV, after cable and charging losses about 90% of the energy is used for movement.
2) Take 3 energy units of green electricity, make 1 energy unit of hydrogen, use a lot of resources to transport, store and to deliver it. Use it to power Fuel Cell transport, probably the best solution for large vehicles and even shipping. That one unit of hydrogen that a fuel cell uses gives about 60% of the energy for movement.
3) Take the result from 2 add a lot more energy for processing, then use even more resources for transport storage and delivery, using 6+ times as much energy as a a pure EV to create the fuel you then put it in a ICE vehicle that is at best 25-30% of the energy is used for movement, plus some nice pollution out the back.
Its a fantasy of a doomed car industry desperately trying to stay relevant
Hyundai are, I believe, working with Shell on hydrogen generation technology that means it is produced on-site at the filling station, so requires no transport.
However, more importantly, the refueling network for ICE cars already exists. If we come up with a synthetic replacement for petrol, you use the existing network. For EVs, there is going to be a massive amount of infrastructure development. Thousands upon thousands of charging points installed at service stations for a start, then thousands and thousands more on roadsides for those who don't have a driveway, as well as putting wall box chargers at millions of homes. Then there is the thought that power networks may need to be upgraded due to increased power demands. All of that comes with a significant carbon footprint, especially once you factor in the phasing out and destruction/recycling of the existing fueling network - oh and scrapping all the ICE cars and replacing them with EVs. Also, batteries, like oil, require materials mined from under the ground (or sea). We're not going to stop using oil any time soon (as it is used for loads of other stuff), so we're effectively going to be mining both for quite a few decades, so we're just ramping up one type of planet-damaging mining while slightly reducing another.
Don't get me wrong, EVs have benefits, but it is a very complex issue and both have plenty of negatives. The ultimate solution remains the same - less cars, regardless of what they are powered by. There aren't many politicians that want to advocate the destruction of the automotive industry though.
Edited by Jon_S_Rally on Friday 28th February 15:06
Jon_S_Rally said:
Don't get me wrong, EVs have benefits, but it is a very complex issue and both have plenty of negatives. The ultimate solution remains the same - less cars, regardless of what they are powered by.
This. 
However realistically this is probably not going to happen. We all want to move freely, where we want and -most importantly- when we wish to do so.
Apart from big cities where public transport can be or already is an alternative, for many people private transport will be the only viable option, so the only way to reduce the impact on the environment is to find the best mix of all the available options.
I do not believe that one single technology will be THE solution, all of them have their pros and cons; it will be our decision to choose the one with the best balance for our needs.
AlexIT said:
I do not believe that one single technology will be THE solution, all of them have their pros and cons; it will be our decision to choose the one with the best balance for our needs.
Exactly, it will be a mix of walking, cycling, taxi's, on demand car rental, public transport and personal transport.Pumpsmynads said:
Exactly! I’ve just written to BMW telling them that their 10 years of research was a waste because this car doesn’t meet the needs of one man on the internet.
Meanwhile their decades of research has led to them making petrol versions that have a range of 450 miles, despite the fact that you can "recharge" them in about 5 minutes. If a 140 mile range is enough, why isn't there a petrol car on the planet with a comparable range? Perhaps car makers realise it really isn't enough, after all...MikeDB1 said:
93 mph top speed ?????? Okay it gets there quickly but the last car I had that was that limited was a 1964 Ford Anglia.
In fairness you'd struggle to keep up with the traffic on the M69 in one that is for sure with only a 93 mph top speed! The MINI isn't really a motorway car though for me. My Cooper S supposedly does 146mph...but no chance in the world would I fancy going that fast in it...because the brakes are absolutely s
t!! 
cerb4.5lee said:
In fairness you'd struggle to keep up with the traffic on the M69 in one that is for sure with only a 93 mph top speed! The MINI isn't really a motorway car though for me.
My Cooper S supposedly does 146mph...but no chance in the world would I fancy going that fast in it...because the brakes are absolutely st!!
If you think they’re bad in the F56, you should drive an R53 Cooper S....those brakes were utterly terrifying! My Cooper S supposedly does 146mph...but no chance in the world would I fancy going that fast in it...because the brakes are absolutely s
t!! 
Dr Interceptor said:
Seems like a no-brainer to me... I like the fact that its an EV that just looks like a regular car. Plus I'm a bit of a MINI fan anyhow.
Mouse Rat said:
But at last we're starting to get normal cars that are EVs rather than the niche oddball leafs, zoes, Teslas, i3s etc.
+1EVs need to look normal and this does and this has the added advantage of potentially being FUN to drive, if they've managed to dial in any of the F56 character in to it.
Seems a relative bargain to me @ £24K ish.
The perfect car for a lot of people I suspect who currently have a mini and just commute to work and back and around towns and retail parks on the weekend, plug it in at 6pm when you get home and it’s full again when you leave again, and it got a bit of the mini appeal that people love so much.
Court_S said:
cerb4.5lee said:
In fairness you'd struggle to keep up with the traffic on the M69 in one that is for sure with only a 93 mph top speed! The MINI isn't really a motorway car though for me.
My Cooper S supposedly does 146mph...but no chance in the world would I fancy going that fast in it...because the brakes are absolutely st!!
If you think they’re bad in the F56, you should drive an R53 Cooper S....those brakes were utterly terrifying! My Cooper S supposedly does 146mph...but no chance in the world would I fancy going that fast in it...because the brakes are absolutely s
t!! 
Are these still supplied on run-flats as the older Coopers were?
Given its heavier than the ICE model I'd expect its ride to "smother" the bumps a little better but acknowledge it could get somewhat crashy on some potholes, but if its still on those dismal run-flats I'm not surprised. If so, would love to try one on a nice set of Michelin or similar ...
Given its heavier than the ICE model I'd expect its ride to "smother" the bumps a little better but acknowledge it could get somewhat crashy on some potholes, but if its still on those dismal run-flats I'm not surprised. If so, would love to try one on a nice set of Michelin or similar ...
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