A team at the Mini plant in Oxford started work on a side project to produce electrified Classic Mini with transformations. They followed positive indications about a one-off electrified classic Mini at the New York Auto Show in 2018. Mini has thus declared that it is turning some of its original Mini cars into Electrical Vehicles with its new Mini Recharged Project. The company will offer this service to its customers.
The original Mini was first developed in 1959 as a compact car with two doors. Four seats were there offering a little space for luggage at back, the front-wheel-drive pop-culture was designed by Sir Alec Issigonis and went on to sell nearly five and a half million units by the time production ended in 2000. An updated generation was initiated in 2001, and then an all-electric Mini Cooper SE was launched in 2019.
Several companies are adding electric drive trains in classic Minis, and now BMW joins the same to give existing cars a new tenure in the upcoming electric age, under the Mini Recharged Project.
The engineers replace the classic model’s combustion engine with an electric motor capable of 90 kW continuous output for a zero to 100 km/h sprint in around nine seconds. A battery pack is also introduced that is good for up to 160 km of the per-charge range. And the central instrument cluster has been updated.
Converted cars have the advantages as they have zero emissions while gaining clean and quiet motoring. Moreover, the driver does not have to pay environmental taxes. BMW mentions that converted cars cannot be re-registered. Moreover, any installed update can be converted back to its previous stage if desired. The Recharged Team stores the original removed combustion engine, thus providing the chance to owners to restore the vehicle to its original configuration.
Bernd Körber, head of Mini brand said, “What the project team are developing preserves the character of the classic Mini and enables its fans to enjoy the all-electric performance.” He had further mentioned, “With Mini Recharged, we are connecting the past with the future of the brand.”
BMW has not mentioned pricing details for Mini Recharged Project-based Cars, but they will be undertaken in the U.K.