Well, looks like Junior is going to start full EV. Just finalized the config on his first car. Quite a different experience compared to Tesla. They’ve been calling me 2x a week to arrange the config, test drive etc.
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The next generation going full electric
- Thread starter 12Pack
- Start date
from what I saw in the launch pretty poor - Around 150 miles? It’s based on the BMW i3 battery tech I believe......
LongRanger
Active Member
It’s a very interesting time, as we will start to have a generation of drivers that will in part be fortunate enough to have a choice of BEV, PHEV and petrol/diesel.
For smaller budgets it is still hard to beat a small petrol engine, in 5-10 years time will we a bunch of “cheap runabout” BEVs that can keep going and going for the new drivers of that timeframe.
It feels like we don’t yet know what a pure EV is like for tens of thousands of first time drivers when those cars have been through 10+ years of use already. Will battery reconditioning/replacement costs be sufficiently low to make EV possible at the £2-5k mark ?
I remember my first car costing £600. Admittedly inflation changes that number but you don’t get a lot of proven EV for £600 plus inflation.
Fascinating times ahead ...
Hope Junior enjoys the car and get them to appreciate what they are doing and spread the word !
For smaller budgets it is still hard to beat a small petrol engine, in 5-10 years time will we a bunch of “cheap runabout” BEVs that can keep going and going for the new drivers of that timeframe.
It feels like we don’t yet know what a pure EV is like for tens of thousands of first time drivers when those cars have been through 10+ years of use already. Will battery reconditioning/replacement costs be sufficiently low to make EV possible at the £2-5k mark ?
I remember my first car costing £600. Admittedly inflation changes that number but you don’t get a lot of proven EV for £600 plus inflation.
Fascinating times ahead ...
Hope Junior enjoys the car and get them to appreciate what they are doing and spread the word !
Unfortunately the issue with this is that you are arranging this for junior. Presumably paying as well by the sounds of it. It’s going to take a long time for first cars to be electric.
They would be great first cars in one sense, not so great for the commute to uni, and also maybe not so great if you’ve learnt in a manual diesel.
They would be great first cars in one sense, not so great for the commute to uni, and also maybe not so great if you’ve learnt in a manual diesel.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
My sprog paid for her own. She feels very strongly about climate and Eco
Buying kids a car is common enough ... olden days used to be something knackered, but there are plenty of parents doing that now that have two specific thoughts:
Buy something cheap to run, to make the kids money go further
Buy the safest car they can; in an accident any EV not having an engine out front coming into the cabin to meet the driver will result in a better outcome, as will being heavier than the opponent. Modern Tech in a new car, rather than a knackers-yard one, will also help
Don’t get me wrong, if you can afford it then great and there is a strong argument on the safety side. I think it’ll be a good few years before we see a decent number of them parked up outside schools and colleges.
On the flip side, I think that generation will jump at the opportunity when it becomes more affordable!
On the flip side, I think that generation will jump at the opportunity when it becomes more affordable!
Well no question it’s a city car - Junior doesn’t drive that far so no issue with the range. He has plenty of access to charging.
And the smaller battery and footprint actually make it relatively light for an EV, no doubt going some way towards the claimed 4.1 miles/kWh - which if true will make it the most efficient full EV.
Musk just claimed the Model Y will hit that same number, but the Mini SE will be here in March.
And Junior will indeed contribute £200/month. He works his way through Uni. He’s earned it.
And the smaller battery and footprint actually make it relatively light for an EV, no doubt going some way towards the claimed 4.1 miles/kWh - which if true will make it the most efficient full EV.
Musk just claimed the Model Y will hit that same number, but the Mini SE will be here in March.
And Junior will indeed contribute £200/month. He works his way through Uni. He’s earned it.
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
Minis look cool and are usually very nimble.
Good choice for a student.
Charging on campus would be a bonus.
Americans tend to beaters for students because the insurance is so expensive and they get into more than their share of accidents.
Good choice for a student.
Charging on campus would be a bonus.
Americans tend to beaters for students because the insurance is so expensive and they get into more than their share of accidents.
I think these look great, and they are only ~4k more than a cooper which is a viable step up if you care.
how fast can they charge? The site says 36 mins 0-80% at 50KW, can you attach them to a 350KW ionity cahrger, or will that just result in an expensive 50KW charge? I think for these smaller city-targeted cars, being able to get that charge time down, rather than range up, will be the turning point. If you can do 100 miles normally that covers a lot of use cases, but taking the pain out of the occasional long trip is key. You will have to accept lots of stops, but if they were all 5-10 minutes that would be pretty acceptable. Having to stop 30 minutes for every 1.5 hours driven is pretty unappealing, which i think stops this being a main car for all the people that might otherwise have a normal mini.
how fast can they charge? The site says 36 mins 0-80% at 50KW, can you attach them to a 350KW ionity cahrger, or will that just result in an expensive 50KW charge? I think for these smaller city-targeted cars, being able to get that charge time down, rather than range up, will be the turning point. If you can do 100 miles normally that covers a lot of use cases, but taking the pain out of the occasional long trip is key. You will have to accept lots of stops, but if they were all 5-10 minutes that would be pretty acceptable. Having to stop 30 minutes for every 1.5 hours driven is pretty unappealing, which i think stops this being a main car for all the people that might otherwise have a normal mini.
MrBadger
Badger out
It is basically a Mini bodied BMW i3s. So probably not quite as efficient, but otherwise, electric side of things, the same.
As an owner of a few original Mini's, I never really took to the new range, or some of the drivers they attracted, but I must admit, the Mini EV would be on my shortlist now if I ever needed to replace my own car.
As an owner of a few original Mini's, I never really took to the new range, or some of the drivers they attracted, but I must admit, the Mini EV would be on my shortlist now if I ever needed to replace my own car.
As far as charge time for EV, once they get to a stage where 100 miles can be added in 10 minutes (which is already close) or less they are far more directly competetive with an ICE. Admittedly, the ICE can be 'charged' by 250-300 miles in 10 minutes but at what financial and environmental cost? Even on a 200 mile each way return journey it is only adding an extra 30 minutes but probably saving in excess of £50.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
Except that (in your comparison) I would argue that that person would be "charging" the ICE to full / for a week ... whereas for EV only need to charge it to next destination.
I do 30K miles a year, and with previous MS 90 I Supercharged a couple of days a month, and my total time spend doing that was pretty much identical to the total time fuelling the previous (eco) ICE - about 8 hours a year.
I now have a Raven (more range), and although it is now used for some "more range challenging journeys" instead of, as previously, taking the Backup-ICE I am already way-down on total Supercharge time / days-per-month
Sorry, I didn't really have a point! except that Progress is knocking this issue into a cocked hat
For a forthcoming trip to the Alps ABRP predicts 1h20m total supercharging time ... for a 770 mile journey; and if I can find an ideally placed overnight stop with charging that will bring it down to an hour
Indeed we are unlikely to ever get the power density of a petrol tank in a battery EV. It’s a question being able to cover your daily / trip usage adequately, charging when the vehicle is idle, and then enjoy the benefit of relatively clean, efficient, low maintenance driving. Especially beneficial in fleet vehicle situations.
There is no way we would have gone for the Mini Electric if it was meant to cover long distances. But it doesn’t and will be nice 3rd EV in the family.
There is no way we would have gone for the Mini Electric if it was meant to cover long distances. But it doesn’t and will be nice 3rd EV in the family.
I think it is a true city car. Those range numbers will be sub 100 in winter. That said if you use the vehicle as intended then it will be fine. We have a Leaf 40kW along with Tesla's. The leaf gets used a hell of alot. 40,000 miles in 2 years
Its going to be great seeing lots more Evs on the road
Its going to be great seeing lots more Evs on the road
MrBadger
Badger out
I do 4-5000 miles a year. So a Mini could be a weekly charge if it wasn't so easy to leave on charge when asleep - so under £6/week (non discounted) - remember those days as a student of rocking up to a filling station and putting a fiver worth of fuel in - maybe history is repeating itself for the modern generation?
Alas, my current ICE is only 4 years old, so probably plenty of more years before I go fully electric.
Alas, my current ICE is only 4 years old, so probably plenty of more years before I go fully electric.
WannabeOwner
Well-Known Member
There will be a pivot point where ICE resale values tends to £zero ... we could have a sweepstake on when you MUST dispose of the ICE to avoid that
Don;t suppose you bought Tesla shares back in the Summer? You could swap ICE for a Roadster II
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