{"id":50,"date":"2020-03-01T20:22:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-01T20:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evglobe.com\/?p=50"},"modified":"2020-03-01T20:22:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-01T20:22:00","slug":"test-drive-2020-mini-cooper-se-first-cooper-electric-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evglobe.com\/2020\/03\/01\/test-drive-2020-mini-cooper-se-first-cooper-electric-car\/","title":{"rendered":"TEST DRIVE: 2020 MINI COOPER SE – First Cooper Electric Car"},"content":{"rendered":"
The MINI Cooper SE has a 181 hp (135kW) electric motor that makes 199 lb-ft of torque and is the same motor used in the BMW i3. The MINI Cooper SE, however, is a typical MINI and front wheel drive versus the BMW i3 which is rear-wheel drive. The electric engine is tucked neatly under the front bonnet.<\/p>\n
While the BMW i3 runs the 0-60 mph in 6.8 seconds, the MINI Cooper SE does it in 6.9. Top speed on the MINI Cooper SE is 93 vs. 98 mph in the i3.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n MINI\u2019s battery technology is also inherited from the i3, but instead of the\u00a0latest 120Ah pack<\/a>, the Cooper SE gets by with a 94Ah modified in a T-shape to fit the car\u2019s layout. Therefore, the MINI Cooper SE has battery pack of 32.6 kWh and 28.9 kWh net.<\/p>\n We asked the MINI engineers whether a larger battery pack will come in the future, but no answer was provided at the moment. We believe that the MINI Cooper SE will follow a similar strategy as the i3, with incremental battery pack upgrades, which will further increase the electric range.<\/p>\n The official EPA rating puts the MINI Cooper SE at 110 miles while the latest BMW i3 at 153 miles. With the caveat that the i3\u2019s range is best case scenario and driving in the super efficient ECO PRO+ mode.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n As far as charging goes, the MINI Cooper SE has a J1772 plug-in charge port which can deliver up to 11 kW Level 2, as well as a CCS DC port with charging at speeds of up to 50 kW.<\/p>\n On the DC Charger, the MINI Cooper SE is capable of going from nearly empty to 80 percent in about 35 minutes. It takes 1.4 hours to a full 100 percent state.<\/p>\n When plugged into a 11 kW charger, 80 percent gain from about flat occurs in 2 and a half hrs. The 7.4 kW Wallbox will charge it to 80 percent in 3.2 hours. 100 percent charge comes in after 3.5 hours and 4.2 hours, respectively.<\/p>\n If you only have access to a regular home plug, then charging to 100 percent will take around 24 hours.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n With its funky, cool and hipsterish design, it was only natural that the MINI Cooper SE will head down south to Miami for the first press drives. Naturally, the starting point of my journey was set at the Institute of Contemporary Art. The end destination was the nearby City of Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n This part of the trip would take place alongside Ocean Drive, a picturesque drive that fits the MINI\u2019s funky character. The electric hatchback starts off in the Mid drive mode which aims to bring the right balance of steering and pedal input, and range efficiency.<\/p>\n It is quite clear from the beginning that the MINI Cooper SE is different than the rear-wheel driven BMW i3. Its nose is loaded and stiff, and thankfully, the go-kart characteristics of a MINI are still there. In fact, that\u2019s exactly what the MINI engineering team was hoping to achieve with the Cooper SE.<\/p>\n According to them, a MINI customer wouldn\u2019t want to trade the go-kart feel of a conventional MINI for an electric drivetrain, so keeping the same driving properties was of the utmost importance.<\/p>\n Thanks to its 50-50 weight balance (aided by the battery pack in the floor) and to a 30 mm lower center of gravity than the standard car, the Cooper SE delivers some impressive sprints while the punchy electric drivetrain makes the Cooper SE a proper riot to drive. More importantly, the 0 to 37 mph (60 km\/h) sprint comes in 3.9 seconds which is quite useful in city driving.<\/p>\n If you switch over to the Sport driving mode, the steering and the \u201cgas\u201d pedal turn sharper, but there is no suspension adjustment. Yet, the MINI Cooper SE becomes more agile, the steering wheel is a bit heavier and there is a lot more feedback from the road.<\/p>\n The understeer feeling from the regular MINI Coopers is still there, but you can now control that behavior by simply lifting the foot of the throttle. In a conventional MINI, releasing the gas pedal will naturally reduce the power input, but in the case of the Cooper SE, that action will also trigger the regenerative braking system.<\/p>\nThe Battery<\/h3>\n
How To Charge The MINI COOPER SE<\/h3>\n
How Does The MINI COOPE SE Drive<\/h3>\n
Regenerative Braking<\/h4>\n