Mini has had a record breaking number of sales since it made its come back 5 years ago; it looks as if the people of Britain are falling in love with it again. Mini have come up with all sorts different models some more powerful and expensive than others, they have even come up with the idea of a 4X4 cross over concept but this week at the LA auto show they unleashed there ultimate weapon.......Its name is the MINI E driven and once launched it will change the whole face of Mini and their design ideas. It is a 100% electric and comes with 5,088 AC Propulsion lithium-ion battery cells, sort of like the batteries you would find in a mobile phone. Unfortunately this means that there are only 2 seats and they are in the front. But considering how much space the batteries take up there is still enough room for you to take one suitcase on a weekend away with your other half. When you start the car you have to strain your ears to even hear it start. Silence.............and that doesn't even change when its being driven about. It takes 8 seconds to go from 0-60 and has a full driving range of 150 miles with a top speed of 95 mph. You may think that 95 mph is pretty slow considering the Tesla does 135 mph but because they have shoved so many mobile phone batteries in it ; it weighs a whopping 1,465 Kg. If this had been a bit lighter I'm sure they could have nudged up its top speed a bit. You may be comparing this to the Tesla and wondering why I have written about it and there is one very good reason why. Its acceleration is phenomenal and you certainly feel like you are in a normal petrol car. There is though another draw back and that is that it takes 10 seconds to start the engine. This is because with 400 volts flying about the car has to check that everything is safe before it starts. But hey, I would rather wait 10 seconds then to find 2 minutes later I had been blown up by battery pack in the back. All in all, although it has many draw backs this is a big step for BMW's Mini and this could be the start of the way Mini designs its cars. And I am sure that within the next few years Mini will build on their foundations and create something amazing!
Source: autoexpress
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