Mini has applied its extensive sporting know-how to its first EV model to create the Electric Pacesetter, a track-only creation that will be used for safety car duties in the 2021 Formula E world championship. Aside from giving the electric series a flashy new workhorse, it delivers the first real hint of Mini's aspirations for a performance EV model, not least because the Electric Pacesetter is officially ‘inspired by JCW’ – something that’s evident not only from the racey look of the liveried-up hot hatch but also its underlying technical setup.
While the road car’s 32.6 kWh battery and 185hp single electric motor remain in place, peak torque is up to 205lb ft, and the setup has less weight to shift thanks to a motorsport-grade diet. The Electric Pacesetter weighs 130 kilos less than the road model, which, when combined with the small bump in torque, means the safety car can crack 62mph in 7.3 seconds, half a second quicker than standard. Even more usefully, given the job at hand, it can go from 50-75mph in 4.3 seconds, a three-tenth improvement.
Nevertheless, the most interesting changes are in the chassis, where three-way adjustable (for rebound, compression and height, as well as camber) coilover suspension is mounted off firmer control arms and against hubs that, combined with the rest, widen the tracks by 10mm. The four-piston brake calipers are pinched straight from the Mini GP, and the forged 18-inch wheels come wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sports of 245mm widths. Add that lot to a platform with a low centre of gravity anyway, and it’s not hard to imagine some significant gains in the handling department.
The work, which was undertaken with BMW Motorsport, is a compelling nod to a JCW-grade EV in the near future. If you think that sounds a bit optimistic, don’t forget that the Mini’s safety car predecessor, the BMW i8, introduced several changes – including a bigger battery – from 2016 that eventually it made it onto the production facelift. Direct carry-overs are a little less likely in this case, but safety cars are becoming a handy marketing niche for manufacturers - see the Aston Martin Vantage for the most recent example.
Mini’s Electric Pacesetter certainly has an attention-grabbing look, with GP-aping arch extensions, a big rear diffuser and a loop-shaped wing – made from recycled carbonfibre in Oxford. In fact, the whole car demonstrates Mini’s eco intentions as much as anything else, with efficient 3D printing used inside as well, including for a set of web-like cushions for the carbon fibre bucket seats, which are said to “combine comfort, robustness and modularity”. Smart stuff, although we wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for vacuuming out the biscuit crumbs. As you’d expect, there’s a roll cage and harnesses to go with that lot, and almost certainly an enhanced exposure to the motor’s whine as a result of the cabin sparseness.
It’s a stark contrast to the aforementioned Vantage F1 safety car, and is obviously going to be considerably slower around a lap. But with less demanding treaded tyres to manage instead of temperature sensitive slicks, not to mention far less air cooling requirements, the Formula E field doesn’t need something ultra-quick. It just needs to be battery-powered and easily marketable – and a darty JCW-inspired Mini Electric looks like just the ticket. Dare we say, it might just provide budding EV tuners with the inspiration they need. Who’s going to take the plunge and fit a set of coilovers to their Mini EV?
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