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Posts Tagged ‘MINI E’

Megacity launch at 2012 Olympics

Sunday, August 8th, 2010

BMW plans to use the London Olympic Games in 2012 as a grand showcase for its new Megacity vehicle. The company sees the games as a unique opportunity to introduce visitors from all around the globe to the concept of electric cars.

The zero emission Megacity car is being developed from the prototype Mini E, which is currently being road tested in the UK and overseas.

Developers intend the Megacity to be bigger than a Mini, but smaller than a BMW 1 Series.

BMW is the official automotive partner of the London 2012 Olympics and is expected to supply a fleet of about 4,000 vehicles. Around half of these are likely to be Megacitys.

Although the Megacity will be unveiled at the London games, it is not likely to go on sale to the public until 2013.

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Celebs back Mini E in Eco Rally

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

The prototype electric Mini E joined a selection of the world’s cleanest, greenest vehicles in the 2010 Bridgestone Eco Rally.

Launched in 2007 by the Prince of Wales, the Eco Rally was set up to showcase the very best in present and future green forms of transport.

Every year, a convoy of low or zero emission vehicles travels the classic veteran car run in reverse, setting off from the seafront in Brighton and heading to London’s Hyde Park. This year’s rally was sponsored by Formula 1 tyre manufacturer Bridgestone.

Celebrity drivers included TV presenters Lisa Rogers and Kevin McCloud, and F1 driver Nico Hulkenburg.

In everyday driving conditions the BMW Mini E can travel around 100 to 120 miles on a single charge. It motors from 0-62 mph in 8.5 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 95mph. The second phase of road testing in the UK will start in September 2010.

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Minis to star at Goodwood

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Minis old and new are set to star at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The annual FoS runs from 2nd to 4th July 2010 at Lord March’s estate in West Sussex.

First up, the festival will host the first ever Mini E race held in the UK.

The race will feature a modified version of the emissions free Mini which is currently being trialled in the UK and overseas. The event gives BMW Mini a chance to showcase the potential of the environmental friendly electric car.

Also at the Festival of Speed, rallying legend Rauno Aaltonen – one of the original ‘Flying Finns’ – will drive the Forest Rally stage in a classic Mini Cooper S. It’s the same Mini in which he won the 1965 RAC rally.

For a rather more up-to-date range of Mini models, contact Bond Street Select.

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Thumbs up for the Mini-E

Monday, May 17th, 2010

On show at the BMW Mini factory last week was the Mini-E, the all-electric, zero emission model which is currently being tested in field trials in the UK and overseas.

The Mini-E itself will not go into production, but the technology it uses will. For the last six months members of the public have been test driving the Mini E in real-life conditions. The results of the trials will help develop a new city car for release in 2013.

And as the first part of the Mini-E trial comes to an end, one of the test pioneers has said he
doesn’t want to give his back.

John Beesley explained: “It is a totally different experience to anything I’ve driven before and probably anything I’ll be driving in the future.”

He acknowledged that there have been one or two teething problems – notably in the sub-zero temperatures at the start of the year – but isn’t that the point of a trial?

BMW Mini says these problems will all be resolved before they begin marketing electric cars to customers.

The Mini E takes about three hours to charge fully, which costs about £3, but Mr Beesley is converted. “I cannot fault the thing, even in its present form,” he said.

Read the full story on the BBC

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MINI E trials take place

Thursday, April 29th, 2010

The brand new MINI E will soon be available for purchase by drivers in Leicestershire.

BMW MINI are currently in the process of looking for volunteers for phase 2 of their MINI E trials.

The electric version of the well loved and adventurous car moves MINI a step further into future.

If you use the social networking website Facebook you may have noticed a number of adverts that have been created to promote the MINI E trial.

Don’t get all excited just yet though, the trials are only taking place in a small test area in the South East of England. Included in this area are the likes of Oxford, Southampton and Reading.

If you are looking to test drive a MINI in the near future why not pop down to see us here at Bond Street Select.

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