The 2024 Mini Electric
The 2024 Mini Electric
MINI has lifted the wraps from its new Cooper Electric that will now be capable of covering up to 250 miles on a full charge.
Forming part of what is the fifth generation of the iconic hatchback, the 2024 model will be available as both a full-electric or petrol version. It will also only be available as a three-door.
Unveiled at the 2023 Munich Motor Show, the latest MINI gets a new design and added tech, including a brand-new infotainment system.
The 2024 MINI Electric will be available in three trim levels, Classic, Exclusive and Sport. The entry-level Classic includes black synthetic leather sports seats with a knitted textile interior. The Exclusive’s knitted textile trim on the dash panel is a two-tone houndstooth pattern, while the sports seats benefit from a perforated trim. There’s also the option of what MINI calls a “Spray-Tech” roof; this blends three different colours.
The range-topping Sport trim gets black synthetic leather seats with contrast red stitching, multi-coloured knitted textiles, plus more gloss black for the car's grille and logos. Naturally it’s the raciest-looking in the range, and its sporty looks can be further enhanced by adding a contrasting roof and bonnet stripes.
While the petrol model will follow later, the first to arrive will be the new electric MINI which will be available in two forms: Cooper Electric E and Cooper Electric SE. There’s also three new exterior colours, Blazing Blue, Sunny Side Yellow and Legend Grey. With first deliveries scheduled to arrive in Spring next year, prices for the MINI Cooper Electric E start at £30,000, with the Cooper Electric SE rising to £34,500.
Sharing the same dimensions, but not the same platform as the petrol model, the MINI Electric E is fitted with a 40.7kWh battery which sends its energy to a single electric motor. This delivers 181bhp and 290Nm of torque, and covers a claimed range of up to 190 miles.
The Cooper Electric SE sees the battery capacity rise to 54.2kWh, with power and torque increasing to 215bhp and 330Nm respectively. Delivering up to 250 miles on a single charge, the SE will cover 0-62mph in 6.7secs, that’s six tenths quicker than the Electric E. Both models can be charged at 75 and 95kW respectively; which means a 10% to 80% recharge will take 30 minutes.
The MINI designers have focused on a more minimalist look, removing chrome, making the door handles sit flush, and removing the wheel-arch trims. The big circular headlights — offered with three different LED running light signatures — remain, plus there’s a new octagonal front grille. The rear lights are now even more customisable: you can have the familiar Union Flag signature, or a choice of other modes.
The EV’s larger wheels have been pushed further out towards the car’s extremities, resulting in even better packaging and space inside the cabin. With the rear seats in place, bootspace has now increased to 200-litres, increasing to 800-litres with them folded flat.
Inside the minimalist cabin, which in many ways better reflects the original BMC MINI of 1959, the centrepiece of the new car's cabin is still a large round display. Originally a large speedo, it’s now a 9.4-inches in diameter ultra-slim OLED screen. This will be standard fit across all models.
Labelled the MINI Interaction Unit, it displays EV data on the state of charge and range available, all the customisation options, plus speed and media.
The 2024 MINI will also run a new OS9 operating system (based on Android software). As a result, owners will be able to select different themes from the menus which change the look and feel of the screen and interior lighting.
Included in the MINI Experience Modes are Go-Kart, Personal, Timeless, Core, Green and Balance. Select ’Timeless’, and you get a digital depiction of a classic Mini speedo on the central screen. Even more intriguing is ‘Personal’, which allows users to first upload a background photo of their choice. The system will then detect the main colour from those that feature in the picture and extend this across the screen to better tie in the image.
Each Experience mode will also be accompanied by a corresponding soundtrack. While ‘Core’ creates a sound which is audible inside and outside the car to help warn pedestrians, ‘Go-Kart’ produces a “pronounced pitch and fall” sound. Interestingly, the ’Balance’ sound “is based on the noises heard in a forest at different times of the day and night, from the rippling of a stream and the chirping of crickets to the rustling of the wind in the treetops.” Not sounds you hear every day in a car.
Thinking of making the switch to electric?
MINI designers have also ensured that the cloud-based sat-nav's map can be displayed in the centre of the Interaction Unit. And owners who opt for Mini’s native nav set-up get the reassurance of a “charge-optimised” routing function.
Available to order now from Arnold Clark’s MINI dealerships, the first 2024 Mini Electric models will be available for delivery from Spring next year.
