Electric Mini impresses on field test 05 | 08 | 2011
MINI HAS RELEASED details of its countrywide field trial of the electric Mini E, and the main facts revealed are; the average daily journey was 29.7 miles, and virtually all recharging was carried out at home.
Over two six-month periods, 62 members of the public and 76 pool users — labelled as 'pioneers' — ran the battery-powered hatchbacks.
The daily journey distance of 29.7 miles was slightly more than the 26.5 miles recorded by the control cars, a mix of Mini Coopers and BMW 116i models. The UK average daily distance driven for private cars overall is less than 25 miles.
Gathering information from onboard data-loggers, the results showed the average single trip distance was 9.5 miles compared to the UK average of seven miles.
Data was collected electronically by data-loggers in the car and the home charging points, and also from driver research carried out by Oxford Brookes University.
Watch our video of the all-electric Mini E
The early findings have already informed the development of the 2011 BMW ActiveE car, a four-seat car based on the BMW 1 Series Coupe, but the biggest beneficiary will be the BMW i3, the first purpose-built EV from the BMW Group, set for launch in 2013.
And, of course, here it's worth just reminding you that all the following figures and '"customers' feedback" responses are as a direct result of questions asked by Mini/BMW.
Almost all participants (96%) said they’d consider buying an electric car as a result of taking part, and half (51%) revealed they would pay a third more for an EV. Almost a third (30%) said they’d consider taking the plunge within a year, while 55% said they’d hold fire for two or more years.
The trial found that one week was all that was needed for customers to adapt to the characteristics and peculiarities of driving an EV, such as charging, range, regenerative braking and low noise.
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Four out of five people reported that 80% of their trips could be done exclusively in the Mini E, and this increased to 90% of users saying that with the addition of rear seats and a bigger boot, all their trips could have been done in the Mini E.
“The feedback from the trial has been invaluable in helping our understanding of how people really respond to electric cars and other factors necessary to support electric car drivers," Suzanne Gray, general manager of BMW i, said.
“With this information we will be in a strong position to provide a well-rounded product and service proposition to customers of the BMW i3 and to work with other players in the electric vehicle market to make it a successful experience for a new generation of users.”
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Jim McGill