BMW is considering options to add artificial sounds to its range of upcoming electric-vehicles to make them safer for pedestrians, especially blind pedestrians. Rivals Audi and Mercedes-Benz said that they are already developing sounds for their upcoming electric-cars and Nissan and Infiniti have already unveiled their solutions for EVs so they don’t pose a threat to people when traveling at low speeds. BMW and Mini prototype electric cars currently don’t have any active sound system, said BMW spokesman Tobias Hahn.

“However we have been looking into possible technical solutions for a while and we would be able to add such a feature to our vehicles should this turn out to be a real problem,” he said “We are also cooperating with organizations for the visibly impaired in Germany.”

BMW currently has a Mini E prototype and a BMW ActiveE prototype, which is based on the 1-Series Coupe. The first BMW electric model is slated for series production in 2013 under the Megacity Vehicle project.

Refresher: The BMW ActiveE is powered by a synchronous electric-motor making 170-hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. A full charge takes about 4.5 hours allowing a driving range of 100 miles.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News

AC Schnitzer MINI E Tune! Safe! Police Car

At the 2010 Essen Motor Show, AC Schnitzer unveiled the new Tune It! Safe! Mini E. This customized Mini E is dressed up like a police car and features a modified front and rear fascia along with new side skirts, a ventilated hood and 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in Hankook tires. The inside of the car gets a blue trim, aluminum pedals and custom floor mats.

No upgrades were made to the electric-powertrain of the Mini E but AC Schnitzer did put in a sport suspension and high-performance brakes.

Tune it! Safe! is a joint initiative between Germany’s Verband Deutscher Automobil Tuner and the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development. The effort promotes safe and responsible tuning.

Check out the high-res gallery after the jump.

AC Schnitzer MINI E Tune! Safe! Police Car:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: AC Schnitzer (via WCF)

2010 Mini E

The pilot lease program of the Mini E, which consisted of 450 people testing the electric vehicle in the metro-markets of LA and NY, has been a wild success with half of the participants having told BMW that they wish to extend their current deals for another year, said Rich Steinberg, manager of electric vehicle operations of North America.

Though BMW is offering an opportunity to renew, it is only to individual users, and not fleet users. The original price of $850-per-month is being reduced to $600-per-month.

Steinberg is very happy with the reception that the E has received, and said that the second-year lease program serves as a perfect transition for those enthusiasts and early electric-car adopters to obtain the car before the scheduled mid-2011 production version of the Mini E.

It is hoped by many that the car will not be as expensive to purchase as it is to lease.

- By: Stephen Calogera

Source: InsideLine

It’s probably not the car you expect to tout a Nurburgring-Nordschleife circuit lap time but the Mini E today completed a lap of the “Green Hell” in 09:51.45. Known as the Mini E Race, a modified version of the electric-Cooper ran the famous German circuit and hit a top speed of 187 km/h (116 mph).

“The length and profile of the Nordschleife place extreme demands on the technology of our electric car. But the MINI E Race met this considerable challenge with great authority,” said the BMW Group”s Peter Krams, who headed up the project. “The aim of this unique undertaking was to provide an impressive showcase of the great potential of the MINI E and its environment-friendly drive concept.”

The Mini E Race was piloted by former DTM racing driver Thomas Jäger from Munich. “I”ve driven this circuit many times, but never in such an extraordinary car,” said Jäger, the MINI Challenge champion in 2006. “The power of the electric motor has an incredible effect, as you can access its full reserves of torque at all times. Another element of this fascinating experience is the lack of noise from the drivetrain. All in all, that was certainly the cleanest and quietest race lap I”ve ever driven.”

Click through for a video of the Mini E Race’s Nurburgring lap.

Mini E Race at the Nurburgring:

- By: Omar Rana

Following the Mini E trial lease program, BMW AG will launch a new program for its ActiveE electric-car. The 1-Series coupe based electric-car will be leased to a limited number of customers next year in preparation for launching a plug-in vehicle in about four years, says Klaus Draeger, the BMW board member who heads up R&D.

The BMW ActiveE will be leased to customers in the United States and Europe in 2011 on a trial basis, similar to the one conducted with the Mini E electric Cooper. BMW did not say how many units it will use in the program.

The Mini E trial, which involved 450 units in the U.S., was scheduled to end in early 2010 but was extended indefinitely with some lessees saying they would like to hold onto their electric-cars.

The BMW ActiveE, unveiled at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, is powered by a synchronous electric-motor making 170-hp and 184 lb-ft of torque. A full charge takes about 4.5 hours allowing a driving range of 100 miles.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

While we were plowing through the recent snowfall in New Jersey with a 2010 Audi S4, MINI E electric Cooper drivers were feeling the wrath of going green in the winter. Dr. Lyle Dennis of GM-Volt, who is leasing a MINI E for one year said:

On a recent trip at a temperature of 23 degrees Fahrenheit and including a two-hour 110 volt charge in the middle, the battery meter hit zero miles/zero percent after just 55 miles (see graphic). The car is billed as having a 100 mile range…There has been a pronounced decline in battery range in the cold weather.

According to a report by the Washington Post, many MINI E drivers are noticing a 20 percent reduction in the range of the electric Cooper in cold weather. A New Jersey driver with an 85 mile commute found out the hard way after being left out in the cold without any battery charge.

- By: Omar Rana

Source: GM-Volt

BMW announced today that after two months of field trials for the Mini E, the 450 drivers of the electric Mini Cooper have provided valuable, real-world data. The 450 units of the Mini E are in daily use in New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles where they are being driven by private customers, government officials, universities and commercial organizations.

BMW said that initial responses include a wide variety of input including:

- Optimization of the energy consumption through brake regeneration
- Managing the trip to the amount of range available
- Feedback on continued development regarding on-board efficiencies

Just last week BMW announced that it has chosen SB LiMotive as the supplier of lithium-ion battery cells for the future “Megacity Vehicle” project.

Make the jump for the press release.

Press Release:

ELECTRIC-POWERED MINI E TRIAL PROVIDES PRACTICAL, REAL-WORLD FEEDBACK FROM HUNDREDS OF DRIVERS

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – August 13, 2009. Two months into its pioneering field trials of electric-powered automobiles, MINI USA is gathering valuable, real-world data from 450 drivers of MINI E electric-powered vehicles.

These vehicles are now in daily use in metropolitan New York, New Jersey and Los Angeles, where they are being driven by private customers, municipalities, universities, public utilities, non-profit and commercial organizations.

Since the field trials began in June, these experiences have been fed back to MINI USA, with users describing what it is like to live with, and to drive a vehicle that has a purely electric drivetrain. Initial responses include a wide variety of input including:
o Optimization of the energy consumption through brake regeneration
o Managing the trip to the amount of range available
o Feedback on continued development regarding on-board efficiencies

A research partnership between the BMW Group and the University of California at Davis (UC Davis) has been established to further focus on real-world experiences with the MINI E, and is expected to provide valuable insights into real-life usage and perceptions about electric vehicles during the trial period. The study is gathering information from 50 voluntary participants, a subset of the 450 MINI E customers in the US, through online travel diaries, written questionnaires and a series of interviews conducted throughout the one-year study.

Several MINI E pioneers have started blogging about their experiences on the web, reporting on detailed aspects of their day-to-day experiences of their plug-in MINI.

“The feedback and data provided by these early users is valuable because it comes from real-world, everyday use and not some laboratory experiment,” said Jim McDowell, Vice President, MINI USA. “Whether it’s coming from the UC Davis research, consumer blog sites or from direct feedback to our company, this trial is giving us an important insight into the practicalities of using an electric powered vehicle in this country.”

Residential charging stations have been installed in the garages of MINI E drivers. There are two high voltage charging systems – the 220 volt 32 amp system allows a full charge in three to five hours, while a 48 amp system allows a full charge in two to three hours. Every MINI E comes with a 110 volt cable that allows MINI E drivers to also charge the car at locations away from home charging points.

MINI customers have always had a unique sense of camaraderie and this project has taken it to the next level. One group of customers has created a web site to share their charging stations with other MINI E pioneers for “charging on the go”: http://www.waterway4.com/mini-e/.

The 100-mile range on a single charge that is being reported in the trials is an accurate reflection of the typical range of the MINI E on a full charge driven in the variable conditions of the real world. Although one contributor to a dedicated MINI E Facebook group has reported that he has achieved 141.2 miles on a single charge. The driving range of an electric vehicle depends on the driving style and environmental conditions, much more so than a conventional vehicle and is an important real-world consideration for future attention and product development.

In preparation for the field trials, the BMW Group was involved in discussions with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help determine an official range for the MINI E and obtain EPA certification as well as the appropriate Electric Vehicle Energy Consumption labels. The company also worked closely with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to obtain Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) certification.

This pioneering experiment has presented several challenges. As part of the installation process for MINI E residential charging systems, the project was complicated by the flexibility needed to meet a range of local community code compliance issues. There were some initial delays in supplying the 220 volt cables for the fast-charging wall boxes and in obtaining Underwriters Laboratory (UL) approval for the charging boxes from local building inspectors in some cities. These challenges are now resolved.

The MINI E is the first chapter of BMW Group’s Project i, the company’s long-term commitment to research and develop a new type of vehicle specifically to meet the needs of the world’s fastest growing mega-cities, where the majority of vehicle growth will come in the next 20 years.

Just last week BMW Group announced that it has opted for SB LiMotive as the supplier of battery cells for the first megacity vehicle.

- By: Kap Shah

BMW is moving forward with testing 500 electric Mini E Coopers around the world. According to a report by AutoCar, the prototypes are paving the way for an all-electric Triumph or Wolseley. BMW bought the rights to the Triumph and Wolseley name when it bought Rover in 1994 in hopes to revive them as niche brands.

All the information collected from the Mini E Coopers will be used to develop BMW’s next generation of electric vehicles and its ongoing “˜Project i’ program.

A Mini spokesman told AutoCar that an all-electric vehicle will be available for sale in 2015 and said that it may not be called a Mini.

“It is going to be a competitor to the G-Wiz; it will be a premium model. It won’t necessarily be a BMW or a Mini, it could be another brand like Isetta, Wolseley or Triumph,” said the spokesman.

2009 MINI E:

- By: Kap Shah

Last month, the first Mini E was delivered Peter Trepp, a venture capitalist focusing on the green industry. Along with Trepp, up to 300 Mini E customers may be in for a big disappoint when they recharge the battery of their electric-Cooper, reports Open Road.

Apparently there is a glitch in the distribution of the high-voltage charging cable that comes with the Mini E. As a result, 300 of the 450 customers who have purchased a one-year lease may only charge their Mini E from a standard 110-volt wall-socket. According to Mini spokesman Nathalie Bauters, that will require them to keep their Mini E plugged in for 23 hours to reach a full charge.

The high-voltage cable for the 300 customers won’t be available until July. With the cable, the Mini E can reach full charge in 2.5 hours.

To ease the troubles hitting the “field trial participants,” Mini E owners won’t have to pay their $850/month lease until their high-speed cable arrives.

So far, BMW has delivered 23 of the 450 Mini E prototypes.

First Drive: 2009 MINI E:

- By: Omar Rana

Source: Open Road (via WCF)

Peter Trepp, a venture capitalist focusing on the green industry, has become the first owner/customer to get the new 2009 MINI E. BMW is leasing a total of 500 units of the electric Mini Cooper for about $850 a month.

Trepp, owner of number 111, has no idea why he was picked as the first one to receive the MINI E; however, having a blog about his electrical experience with the MINI E probably helped boost his chances a little bit.

Trepp picked up his car on Friday and drove home 30 miles without a problem in the LA traffic. He already threw a party for some 100 friends to show off his new MINI E. The 2009 MINI E will become the third car to join the Trepp household, which currently has a Toyota Prius and an Audi Q7 SUV.

You can reed about Trepp’s experience over at his Plugged-In With Peter’s MINI E blog.

First Drive: 2009 MINI E:

- By: The Daily Auto Editor

Source: USAToday

BMW announced today that its Mini division is taking a revolutionary step forward with a new "magnetic propulsion system" that will extend the range of the Mini E to "several hundred, possibly even thousands of miles, on single overnight charge of electricity."

Known as the Mini PR0401 (which coincides with its launch date of April 1st), the system "uses a series of magnets situated in the MINI E”s moving and fixed parts of each of its four wheel hubs to both pull and push the wheels in the desired direction, exploiting the magnets” natural tendency to attract and repel."

Mini says that one challenge that remains with the PR0401 is how to control it. The speed at which the magnets attract and repel each other is instantaneous allowing for a top speed of 250 mph.

You can read more about this AMAZING breakthrough in the press release posted after the jump .

MINI TO INTRODUCE "PERPETUAL MOTION" MAGNETIC PROPULSION SYSTEM

- New magnetic system delivers world-leading fuel efficiency to MINI PR0401
- Hundreds, possibly thousands of miles range on a single electric charge
- Drive across the USA in a MINI for just a few dollars
- Propulsion / Repulsion 0401 (PR0401) system is the ultimate range extender

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – April 1, 2009… MINI USA looks set to take a world lead in fuel efficiency with the announcement today (April 1) of a revolutionary magnetic propulsion system that will extend the range of its MINI E to several hundred, possibly even thousands of miles, on a single overnight charge of electricity.

Drawing on the same Magnetic Tow Technology (MTT) which was announced by BMW in the UK today, MINI USA has developed its own unique Propulsion / Repulsion 0401 (PR0401) System that is just one short step away from perpetual motion in an automobile.

MINI”s PR 0401 System uses a series of magnets situated in the MINI E”s moving and fixed parts of each of its four wheel hubs to both pull and push the wheels in the desired direction, exploiting the magnets” natural tendency to attract and repel. Not only does this system allow the MINI PR to travel extraordinary distances for just a few cents, it produces virtually no noise as the electric motor can be switched off once the car is moving.

Professor Lirpa Loof, Head of Magnetic Attraction Technology at MINI USA, said: “The Mini E is already leading the way in EV performance, reliability and eco-friendliness but this amazing new system will push it onto another level. We could soon be seeing families travel across the USA from coast to coast for just a couple of bucks.”

“The only energy this system uses is a small draw on the battery to start the vehicle moving forward and then the magnets take over and their natural properties do the rest. This has to be the ultimate range extender,” he added. “Anyone who has played with magnets as a kid or travelled on a Maglev train will understand precisely how this technology works and the kind of performance we are talking about.”

Once moving, only tiny amounts of electric current are required to switch on and off the magnets, as the polarity of the fixed and moving magnets is rapidly switched from positive to negative. The magnets first attract and then quickly repel each other pushing the wheels in the desired direction ““ either forward or reverse.

One challenge that Professor Loof faced with the PR system was the speed of the MINI EV PR… and how to control it! The speed at which the magnets attract and repel each other is instantaneous, which means in theory the vehicle is capable of phenomenal speeds, restricted only by the time it takes to switch the magnets” polarity and the wind resistance and drag of the MINI PR”s body. The MINI EV PR development vehicles are currently restricted to a top speed of 250 mph.

“For years, engineers have dreamed of developing perpetual motion for transport,” said Professor Loof, “And thanks to MINI PR, it looks like we are almost there.”

- By: Kap Shah

We first got behind the MINI E at the 2008 LA Auto Show. Well, now its time to hear from another car enthusiast. The host of The Tonight Show Jay Leno has just finished reviewing the MINI E and you check out his test drive in the video posted after the jump.

Refresher: Power comes from an electric-motor that gets its juice from a lithium-ion battery pack. That allows for a total of 204-hp and a peak torque of 162 lb-ft. 0 to 60 mph comes in 8.5 seconds with a top speed of 95 mph.

You can check out our full review of the MINI E by clicking here.

Click through for the video.

First Drive: 2009 MINI E:

According to Project i boss Dr. Ulrich Karnz, BMW’s Project i will develop vehicles for those that can afford premium vehicle. Project i is BMW’s strategy to develop compact electric-vehicles for big cities like London, New York, Tokyo and Shanghai. The 515 electric MINI E models currently being tested are the foundation of future Project i vehicles.

“These vehicles will be premium vehicles,” Kranz told CAR at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. “They will not be Tata Nano rivals ““ no way! We can and will only build premium cars.”

Kranz said that BMW has yet to decide whether the cars will wear a BMW badge or create another brand for the fuel-efficient premium vehicles. He said that the cars will initially be built in Germany but production in other markets is possible.

“They will be built by BMW in BMW factories ““ we wouldn’t consider outsourcing production to a third party,” Karnz said.

First Drive: MINI E:

Source: CAR

Wondering where you’re going to see some of the 500 MINI E electric-cars when they start being delivered in April? You’re best shot will be the City of New York. According to New York City Mayor Bloomberg, 10 MINI Es will be used in its Street Condition Observation Unit, known as SCOUT.

SCOUT inspectors will use the 10 MINI Es while they drive through the streets of New York in search of street conditions, such as potholes and graffiti.

Of the 500 MINI Es being deployed in the U.S. for testing, 450 will be leased to customers that applied for the chance at MINIUSA.com. BMW has also arranged a program with the city of Los Angeles to test the 2009 MINI E in conditions different from New York City.

Refresher: The 201-hp electric-motor gives the MINI E 150 miles of driving on a single charge. The MINI E goes from 0 to 60 in 8.5 seconds with a top speed of 95 mph. Read more in our First Drive of the MINI E.

Click through for the high-res image gallery.

2009 MINI E at the 2008 LA Auto Show:

First Drive: 2009 MINI E:

The new battery-powered MINI E is very important to BMW – well at least its drivetrain and lithium-ion battery pack are. According to AutoExpress, while the MINI E plays a major role in BMW’s conquest for a future zero-emissions range, it is not being considered for mass production.

Of the 500 units of the MINI E on the road, 450 will be sent back to BMW engineers after current owners complete their one-year leases. With engineering insight and customer feedback, BMW bosses will plan the perfect lineup of electric cars which will be more practical than the two-seater MINI E.

“As the rear seats and cargo carrying space are lost [because of the battery pack], the MINI is not a candidate for mass production,” said a BMW spokesman. He said that the drivetrain is likely to appear on the 5-Series or 7-Series. The new electric-system will also find its way under the hood of the 3-Series and the X1 and X3 SUVs.

Check out our review of the 2009 MINI E.

2009 MINI E – Live at the 2008 LA Auto Show:

2009 MINI E – First Drive:

By: Omar Rana – Editor in Chief.

At the 2008 LA Auto Show, BMW let me have a shot at driving its latest creation – the 2009 MINI Cooper E. I had the chance to spend a half hour with the battery-powered MINI E in downtown LA before I had to return it to BMW. But before I get into the details of my test drive I have to say; driving an electric-car is a totally different experience than driving a car with a normal gasoline engine.

Power comes from a lithium-ion battery pack that feeds power to an electric motor that turns the front wheels pumping out 204-hp with a maximum torque of 162 lb-ft. MINI says that 0 to 60 mph comes in 8.5 seconds with a top speed of 95 mph but driving in downtown LA traffic, I wasn’t able to test out those figures.

Click through to read more and check out the high-res image gallery of the 2009 MINI E test drive.

As I got into the 149th unit of the MINI E (you can tell which of the 500 units you’re driving by the plaque on the side of the car) I felt as if I was sitting in a regular MINI Cooper besides the exterior and interior colors and graphics that scream “I’m not just any Cooper” (not to mention there are no exhaust pipes in the back since this is a zero-emissions vehicle). But everything changed once I slid the key into the ignition and hit the start button. The MINI E is completely and awkwardly silent besides the buzzing/humming noise from the electric-motor during acceleration. You just slide the key in, push start, wait for a little sound that tells you the car is ready to drive, put it in ‘D’, hit the accelerator, and off you go.

There are no gear-changes since there is no engine – and since there is no engine there is no noise. Now some of you may say why would you want to drive a car that requires hardly any involvement from the driver? But there is a big difference here. The 2009 MINI E is fairly zippy. While I didn’t get a chance to do a 0 to 60 mph run or a top speed test – BMW’s claim of an 8.5 second run from rest to 60 is definitely believable. The only difference you’ll notice from its gasoline sibling is that it feels a little heavy due to the 600 pound lithium-ion battery sitting in the back, which not to mention makes the MINI E a two-seater vehicle (total weight is 3,230 pounds compared to a regular MINI Cooper which weight 2,634).

Sit inside the MINI E and you’re welcomed by the same familiar interior of a MINI Cooper. However, the ginormous speedometer in the middle of dashboard features a tiny power-flow gauge replacing the normal placement of the fuel-gauge. The power-flow gauge turns counter clockwise indicating the amount of power going out when you accelerate. The gauge behind the steering wheels has now become a battery level indicator which scared me a little as the percentage-level kept declining during my drive. I took over the MINI E with a 43% charge and I have to admit it’s a bit eerie watching the battery-level percentage decline. It causes you to be a little more worrisome than watching your fuel gauge go from ‘F’ to ‘E’ since when driving a gasoline powered car you just pull into a gas station; but when driving an electric-car, you have to run and find a wall socket to plug it in.

Overall, driving the MINI E was one of the most interesting and unique driving experiences I’ve ever had. The future is coming and it’s coming fast. BMW is leasing 500 units of the MINI E in California, New York and New Jersey for a whopping $850 a month. After a one-year lease, drivers will have to turn over their MINI E to BMW engineers who will examine and run further tests on the electric-car. Of course all this is a part of the process of one day putting the MINI E into mass production and after driving the electric-Cooper I must say that BMW is on the right path. 

First Drive: 2009 MINI E:

Photos Copyright © 2008 Omar Rana for eGMCarTech.