Mini Cooper SE US market launch complete
The first electric Mini, the 2020 electric Mini Cooper SE has officially arrived at US showrooms over the weekend with a suggested retail price (MSRP) of $29,900 plus an additional $850 Destination & Handling fee.
The announcement that the electric car from Britain would launch in the USA was made last October when the suggested retail price and specs for the US market were released. At the same time, Mini USA started taking pre-orders. The fully electric Mini Cooper SE is still mainly produced in the British factory, however, the joint venture with Great Wall Motors in China will soon “offer additional capacity and flexibility” for the production of the electric vehicles. Demand will probably end up dictating which of the vehicles are then delivered where, however, the initial outlook for the Chinese EV factory is to deliver globally.
Regarding the technical specifications, the electric motor comes from the i3s and also delivers 135 kW in the Mini. However, the T-shaped battery installed in the vehicle floor only has a capacity of 32.6 kWh, falling short in comparison to the i3s capacity of 42.2 kWh. The i3’s WLTP range is a maximum of 285 kilometres (up to 310 kilometres are possible in the i3 without “s”). The Mini Cooper SE loses range here and, according to the WLTP standard, can travel between 235 and 270 kilometres depending on the equipment. The US American EPA also just released their official rating, which falls a bit shorter to an official 110 miles (177 km). They also notably found that the consumption exceeds the Tesla Model S Long Range, which has a good energy economy but is significantly larger.
In terms of pricing, it should be added that federal EV credit of $7,500 along with available state EV incentives push down the price considerably. In some cases, qualified consumers can get a Mini Cooper SE below $20,000.
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