
It’s time for the all-new Mini Cooper SE to be reviewed by Fully Charged Show. Jonny Smith goes to the iconic Cowley factory in Oxford, the home of the original Mini, to see their latest offering, the 100% electric Mini Cooper SE.
At the heart of the Mini Cooper SE is an electric motor located underneath the hood. It produces 135 kilowatts (181 horsepower) channeled to the front wheels. As with every other electric car out there, the torque is available right from the start. With 270 Newton-meters (199 pound-feet) on tap, the Mini Cooper SE goes from 0 to 60 km/h (37 mph) in 3.9 seconds and needs 7.3 seconds to complete the 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) task. Flat out, it will do an electronically governed 150 km/h (93 mph).
The high-voltage battery with model-specific configuration is made up of lithium-ions cells subdivided into 12 modules. They form a T-shaped unit positioned in the vehicle floor, providing a gross energy content of 32.6 kWh with enough juice for 235 to 270 kilometers (146 to 168 miles).
The first purely electrically powered Mini also enables the driver to adapt the vehicle setting to the current situation on the road as well as to their own personal preferences. The Mini Driving Modes are selected by means of a switch located on the right-hand side of the toggle bar. There are four modes to choose from in the Mini Cooper SE. Sport mode differs from the standard MID setting, with a more direct characteristic steering curve and a particularly spontaneous response of the drive system.
The comfort-oriented steering characteristics of the MID setting are also active in GREEN mode, as well as in the new GREEN+ mode specially configured for the new Mini Cooper SE. What is more, the drive system in these two latter modes is geared towards maximum efficiency. In GREEN+ mode, additionally selected comfort functions such as heating, air conditioning and seat heating are limited or deactivated in order to increase the range of the vehicle.
The energy for electrifying driving fun is drawn by the new Mini Cooper SE from the power grid, to which it can be connected via a conventional household power socket, the Mini Electric Wallbox or a public charging station. Its charging connection is designed for AC and DC charging using Type 2 and CCS Combo 2 plugs. Above the connection, a charge level indicator displays orange signals for initialisation, pulsating yellow light for an ongoing charging operation, and green light for a fully charged battery.
The standard charging cable is available for connection to a household socket. A Mini Electric Wallbox is optionally available for home charging as well as a three-phase cable for use at public charging stations. Both options allow the high-voltage battery of the new Mini Cooper SE to be charged with a maximum capacity of 11 kW – to 80 percent in two and a half hours, and 100 percent in three and a half hours. A DC fast-charging station allows the vehicle’s energy reserves to be refreshed even more quickly. The charging unit of the new Mini Cooper SE is designed for a maximum charging capacity of 50 kW, allowing an 80 per cent charge to be achieved in just 35 minutes.
Good styling and aggressive pricing mean we could be seeing a lot of these cars on the road very soon.