All-Electric MINI Cooper Prototype Sheds Its Minimal Disguise

All-electric MINI Cooper prototype spied / Carpix

By Thami Masemola
October 16, 2008 10:48 am
Filed Under: Electric Vehicle, European, Green, MINI, Spy Photos, Technology

MINI is playing electric catch-up to players like Nissan who are already testing full-on electric vehicles. Nevertheless the Brits aren’t letting their late start hamper their progress. We’ve spotted this all-electric MINI before under a heavy cloud of camouflage, but this is the first time we’ve seen it seriously dressed down in that department.

Most prominently clear is the rear which shows no exhaust pipes at all, which either means side breathers ala SLR McLaren or no fumes to speak of. Since there’s nothing on the sides we can safely confirm electricity running through this MINI’s pipes. The stickers on the sides and rear don’t exactly keep a subtle tone either.

Five hundred of these will be running about, mostly in California (490 to be precise) in order to truly test the car’s compatibility with some of the world’s strictest environmental laws.

Comments

Kepe
October 16, 2008 7:26 pm
damn those alloys are ugly.. otherwise, it's nice to see another eco-friendly car. i wonder how long it'll take for the petrol engine to die completely...

wisp
October 17, 2008 5:47 am
Test cars usually are dressed down so i am not 'shocked' to say the lest at the simplicity of the rims.

joelynn
October 17, 2008 10:45 am
An all-electric MINI is a great idea and I'm sure it would sell well if the prices are low enough, what could be better for city commuting. when will the specs (especially range) be out?

mn07
October 19, 2008 6:23 pm
Thats the idea!!! Its not so pose to be eye catching

October 21, 2008 11:04 am
Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Mini may be built by Brits, but the development and ownership is German (BMW) not to mention the petrol engine (in the US) is French (Puegot). So how are the Brits getting a late start? Building it? Plus the MiniE is not just being offered in CA it's also being offered in NY/NJ as well.

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