Mini-E Factory Tour + 1st Drive | Fully Charged 

Ben Paynter well said, same here. I love our 24kwh leaf but it’s worked hard in the winter. Also trying to get a 40Kwh EV ASAP.

Ben, the problem is your Leaf has a seriously crap battery management system with no thermal management. BMW designed its original battery system properly, with excellent thermal management, and buffers top and bottom. You can run it to zero, and Rapid Charge thousands of times, with no ill effects. The Mini has the same system, in a different form factor. It won’t be a problem. A bit more range would be good!

@@petergorton9848 Fair point. The Leaf has so far been my only EV experience so looking forward to experiencing some proper thermal management in the future. For the time being I can at least warm the battery by rapid charging lol!!

You might have a valid point, or not. It's just a guess so I don't think people should write it off based on your SWAG. The i3 data could be a way to guess better but I assume by now the chemistry has changed. Experienced EV owners have learned what range they need so this may be fine for a ton of people. When I'm retired and need 5 miles of range to get to the doctor and groceries this will quite fine.

A GREAT STARTER EV. I started with Chevy Volt 38 miles on a charge, daughter loves the Volt now. The volt is a great STARTER EV, wife has a 16k miles on a Model 3 and waiting for Cybertruck. Total electric home with 11k solar.

Yes, that was my thought at end too.

Agreed

It was like factory shot versus tour

@Gus Johnson Like the device you’ve used to post this rant?

@Gus Johnson ...Is one of those great clattering buttocks who reads the Daily Fail and takes all the anti-EV FUD as gospel.

Gus Johnson True, but then mostly everything we buy has been manufactured like that. But they still missed a trick calling it the min-e.

@Gus Johnson you are right about roller skates(or cycles or walking for that matter). But, for time/efforts and other convenience factor EVs(including electric cars, motorcycles and cycles) are the most optimum alternatives we have in comparison to fossil vehicles. It's about getting better from what we have and not reach the ideal/perfect solution overnight. People are at different levels of being there because we can't tell all of 7.5 billion people to reject fossil cars and start walking, EVs are the middle ground.

@Gus Johnson Can you imagion that all those things are the same for fossil fuel cars that than are going to pollute the local evironment they drive in? Bollocks!

mine . dont they either blow up or get dug out ?

@Gus Johnson lithium cobalt were the first gen of lithium batteries . the ones used in phone batteries and the such like . most car batteries are lithium ion now . so no child miners involved . everything you buy other than those items manufactured in your own country tend to be transported around the world in huge fucking ships . you sound like an old stuck record .

Shame about the “regenerative breaking” though!

Except of course Tesla don't make a car like this, or the Zoe, or the e-Up/Mii/Citigo or even the Smart EQ. Don't get me wrong; I love Tesla & everything the're achieving, but let's face it, despite all the tech and the Mini's backward underpinnings,Tesla are years away from making a car like this. I'm not complaining, making small cars is difficult - BMW had to buy Rover group to learn how to do it (remember how awful the first 1 series was) Tesla will do it (or buy someone who does) and will excel here also, but let's not pretend they're automotive Jesus - They may have turned water into wine but even Tesla don't have that many fish in their basket. :-)

@@garyallsopp6369 And don't forget the disturbing lack of qc in Teslas.

That is EXACTLY what I thought...

70km or about 45 miles, compared to model S's 2 miles, model 3's 1 mile and supposedly 100 meters or 110 yards for the model Y. "Standing still is the fastest way of moving backwards in a rapidly changing world."

Wish that translated to more cost effective Tesla’s. :(

@@DownunderGraham It does, but you will not notice a huge difference. The model Y has a couple more features than the 3 (powered lift gate?). If you compare purely on dollars/euros per range, then the model 3 LR is comparable to a Renault Zoe R90 or a Nissan Leaf e+ 62. A Kia e-Niro 64 has a lower price-per-range-distance.

@Gus Johnson I agree that the sound is poorly balanced, but your last sentence is excessive and unnecessary. Totally uncalled for and very inappropriate.

Sounds absolutely fine to me.

@@ghunt1023 he's a not very obvious troll, best not to feed him

@Gus Johnson You mean post-production.

Yep, watching on the main floor while my wife is sleeping in upstairs and had to adjust the volume constantly so that I could hear Robert but not wake her up during the interludes. Definitely needs attention to leveling out the audio during post production. I've noticed this in a few other Fully Charged videos as well. :-(

I have driving a Mini Clubman before and i would imagion that this electric version drives really, really well.

mgammeren Yes it does . I tried this one pedal driving that everyone keeps talking about . On the higher regeneration I never touched the brake pedal . Coming in to a hard bend I just eased off the accelerator and then powered around it . Kind of like the feeling of driving with a manual gearbox but without the gear change . Great fun !!

@@seanwhelan9715 That's fun indeed! I have driven the Zoe, EQC, E-tron, Model S, Leaf and last weekend the MG ZS. I would love to buy one for ourselves but need som funds for that. Think for our family the MG ZS will be one of the best in price range and bootspace. We need that with two small children.

And not even the latest revision of the i3's package.

Justin Evans it is EXACTLY the latest guts from an i3, with a different battery form factor. There have been loads of electronic improvements in i3 (my 2014 now has latest electronics and s/w). It just looks the same.

Wasn't a MINI testbed around that time used to sort out the running gear for what became the i3? The battery pack took up the rear seats..

A low, heavy i3

and the i3 is faster, rwd, lighter and turns loads more heads and the lease deals are loads cheaper then the mini e too. Very poor half effort car.

Other 'proper' car channels will do that, Robert is the one that has a more relevant perspective on the car as an electric car, in function of other cars and the EV transition as a whole.

@@davidsommen1324 I know, there is a great value in that kind of a video. I just think there's a balance to be struck somewhere between autocar and coverage like this.

@@matthewwatt2295 You're right and I think there that after Jonny Smith's departure they are looking for someone else (a car guy) to do that stuff.

@@davidsommen1324 Or you just watch my review?

@@davidsommen1324 Just watch Jonny Smiths review on his own channel ...

Yeah but he was too much of a pussy to admit it. Pretty sure he got a great swag bag.

@@jocelyndeguise He could have said 'I hate it' but that would not comport to the reality that it (probably - I obviously haven't driven it) is a nice car. There are very few things that actually make it a bad car, apart from the range perhaps. But it is obvious that Robert doesn't like it on an emotional level. He did acknowledge that in some way I think, could have been clearer but is it that relevant for people who ARE attached to the Mini brand and might consider switching to EV because of it?

Kevin Gill - I loved it when he said, “I find the car to be extremely adequate.”

Jocelyn Deguise - So he “damned it with faint praise”, which accomplished the same thing without unduly pissing somebody off, which means Mini management will WANT him to drive the car when Mini finally puts out a reasonable EV with 249 m/400 km of range & a 0-60 time that’s comparable to a Tesla Model 3 SR+.

He's only aloud to say he hates an ev if its a Tesla because they don't give fully charged any hand outs. Talk bad about any of the legacy and bye bye press pass, bye bye flight paid for to exotic locations to stay in a nice hotel while they drive the new vehicle

@Gus Johnson If you want some facts surrounding this very issue, I recommend reading the publication "Cleaner Cars from Cradle to Grave" by the Union of Concerned Scientists: www.ucsusa.org/resources/cleaner-cars-cradle-grave

@Gus Johnson nobody is perfect. All we can do is to do our little bit. Of course nothing is energy-free but to say because an EV is not completely carbon or resource-free it's just a big scam is pretty ridiculous. It is better, maybe just a bit, but it is better. If we all made small changes it adds up to something big and meaningful

@Gus take away littles boy’s toys then little boy cry cry. Gus feels threatened by EVs and green technology

@Gus Johnson Damn; all those scientist & engineers have been wasting their time - If only they'd come to you! You are my hero!

And that is why I can't recommend anyone buying a electric vehicle from a stubborn old car manufacturing that can't get with the times.

Or is it to keep the price lower? Most mini drivers probably do 6,000 miles a year

@@jamesx2703 the price isn't even that low! You can get better range (although worse trim/luxury) in the citigo/mii/up! for much less money.

M W range is overrated: I do not need more range, I definitely prefer this range-price-weight balance

nope to save money on the r&D costs mate works in their head office they refussed to fully re-design the floor pan hence the crap range

This is exactly the wrong way to go about designing electric cars and is why Tesla and other start ups are so far ahead.

They've built it like that so they don't have to build a new production line. Current ICE car sales will pay for the R&D for future electric vehicles.

I agree that it's a legacy plan for the car but it's a safe, familiar design for many - the MINI and Mini is an icon and so it going electric will get a lot of the cars on the road. That is demand which will help get more charging infrastructure and push local and national governments to move in the direction we want them to go. I'll bet the next gen Mini-E will be quite different - BMW have evolved the Mini design over the 30 years (I'm counting the 90s when they took over Rover) and they will continue to.

Gus Johnson you seem like a charming(!) individual. If you don’t like the content produced here go somewhere else.

People who buy this car are not EV fans. They're mini fans buying a new car that runs on electric.

It does limit the thing to urban centres, which is kind of a shame.

Totally agree. Especially when mini's are made to have fun and not drive everywhere in Eco mode. A few quick starts, sporty driving, heating or A/C will probably see range dip to 100 miles (it was showing 91 miles of range left at 90% charge). I think they missed a trick by not giving it 200 miles to start with.

1000 !!! Wow. Would give me a Smile while entering the Workspace. Everyday.

I tried to convey the notion that the range on the Mini is isn't the problem, but public perception, the notion that you need 400 miles range on one charge or it's totally useless is annoyingly real. That was more my worry

@@fullychargedshow Sorry for nitpicking. Just getting sentimental for the romantic days of yore. Nowadays your program is a well established force to be reckoned with. Deservedly so. But I always liked when things creak and squeak as they go under the radar. It's just esthetics.

I believe BMW moved the factory to make their MINI.

Yeah, same. Unfortunately they'll price it way out there. Mini's are lovely to drive though.

@Crazy Toad Gas is around 7-8 bucks a gallon. That's one reason. Also, it's inevitable. There never was nor ever will be any point to ICE vehicles. Just absurd technology driven by pure greed and disregard for everything, like nature or anyone's health.

@Crazy Toad Bike is also old tech and very inefficient as ICE's are. Better than a car as a whole though, usually also driven less. I have one too, I just don't do 150 mph on it, nor am I in a hurry. Ever. That said, I do like cars though, it's just gotten really old as you age and see what kinda corruption runs with it and how pointless all of it really is. No current technology is the be-all and end-all. It's always evolving, so of course there will be more efficient, energy-dense and probably solar-powered EV's in the future. They've already moved to vegan and recycled interiors material wise in a few years etc. For now, these are still way way more efficient than ICE's. There's just no contest no matter how much green wash you use on ICE's like e85 or biodiesel. It helps, but not a lot in comparison. So if you're making moves and getting a new car, it's worth a consideration if they fit your habits. Ain't nobody forcing them on you, yet. ICE's will be banned from city centers within a few years though. Local tailpipe emissions matter.

@Crazy Toad I'm in the same boat too, only drove 2k miles last year, since I work remotely. Bound to change though, so need to keep that in mind. Used to spend $500+ on gas for commuting alone, so not really looking forward to doing that ever again. The way the climate seems to be going, we're getting a 365 autumn here, still no snow. I think this might be the warmest winter since the 1800s. Might just stick to a bike all year round...

I was disappointed we didn't get to see the battery more clearly. It's doesn't use the same cells as the i3, the MINI Cooper SE's cells are made by CATL. When cells improve, I hope the car gets lighter because sportiness, not long-range, is this car's mission.

It's cheaper than the petrol-powered "S" and it certainly shakes the trees for those of us looking for a sporty, compact BEV. No other BEV in its price class can match the MINI Cooper SE's acceleration and cornering. It's in a niche all by itself.

@@insightman Granted that the basic version, including government grant, and priced at £24,400 makes it a reasonable EV, but... for £500 more you can have a much newer design, the Peugeot 208, also with fine handling and performance. And it goes a lot further per charge. Just giving some perspective there. I guess I'm slightly underwhelmed by the Mini E.

Spec and performance wise it's comparable to the standard Cooper S I think that's why.

David K 👍

David K totally agree, even though I’ll still be watching.

They've gone different directions. Johnny doesn't want to let go of ICE completely, and wants to do more with modding and retrofitting stuff. Fully Charged is a 100% EV channel, more into mainstream consumer offers. It's just not going to work out.

I like car reviews by both guys. Johnny did very good “car” reviews. Roberts are more whimsical. Hope they find some else to replace him.

MrGonzonator Yes, that’s what’s happened. But I do hope they can still join forces from time to time. They have great chemistry.

What did you want my friend? Please be specific?

A Gentleman what are you talking about? That old i3 drivetrain, "the electrical machine" as it is called leaves M3 's standing 0 to 40.

@@seanm.collins9888 Similar range as Zoe and 100kW charger

@@uktechie8013 what benefits will hipster wife or hipster hairdresser have with Zoe range and 100kw if she/he drives 40 km a day and have a homecharger?

@@seanm.collins9888 None, so suitable for that type of scenario.

He mentions that in the video when he talks about battery size.

And back seats.

@@TheLateBrakeShow high bar for a decade Johnny. I wanted to love this thing *so much*

“There are no customer requests for BEVs. None,” BMW’s director of development, Klaus Frölich, told a shocked round-table interview in Munich on Tuesday. “There are regulator requests for BEVs, but no customer requests. If we have a big offer, a big incentive, we could flood Europe and sell a million (BEV) cars but Europeans won’t buy these things,” Frölich insisted. www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltaylor/2019/06/27/bmw-says-european-customers-arent-demanding-evs/#6e8e6931141b "However, our four- and six-cylinder diesels will remain for at least another 20 years and our gasoline units for at least 30 years." europe.autonews.com/automakers/bmw-rd-chief-sees-rising-demand-diverse-multifunctional-powertrains That's from the guy who's responsible for BMW's future.

@@wermagst Agree. Making compromised EV like the Mini will stop people requesting. It's a self fulfilling prophesy! Look how well MG are selling with the MG EZS. Even though it's built on the ICE ZS platform it's done with an EV in mind and priced to sell.

Only for some, got I-PACE for longer journeys, Mini perfect for my wife’s 3 mile commute. Way cooler than any other small EV

It depends on where you live. I've had one now for a while, and my winter range is around 140 miles. I will say that my winter is like your summer :)

​@@js-hl5hv That's awesome I hope you're loving it! Wow, must be warm where you live. Sorry I should have clarified, British winter. I'm a big fan of minis (we have a 6yr old petrol one and it's great) but the shortened range in our cold months here is just too limiting for me to consider one personally.

This is a city car for short distances.....with an ice-mini u would also not drive more than 200 miles on a daily basis......next year BMW brings out the I4 which will not be a compromise.......

Better half arsed, than no arsed - This is an OK car which is stylish & well built; it will sell well and introduce a lot of people to EVs. Overall it's "Meh", but "Meh will do for most especially as a second car, which many Mini's are. We have a Smart EQ which does 80 miles at best. Like most EVs it's a compromise but we love it anyway.

and yet the fully tested and ready to go 3 series ev is held up and up till all their diesel and petrol and hybrid models have to sold

It still has a fucking tunnel. *Flips table and walks away*

Not at all convinced . A True efficient EV should be designed from the ground up . It can't be about wedging in an electric drive train ,battery etc. into an existing frame originally designed to accommodate internal combustion engine and its components.

Yeah, just like KIA and Hyundai, no clue at all, totally useless ICE to electric conversions...

@@17addidas Compare the Honda e's clean-sheet design. It's slower, costs more, no frunk, and goes about as far on a charge. The e does look amazing.

@@someoneelse7629 At least the Niro/Kona are actually useful cars with good ranges that can fit easily into people's lives (though they're quite pricey). The MINI seems about 3-5 years out of date.

On average people do 50 miles a day or less so it makes the perfect second car....can always get a cheap gas guzzler for long Journeys

@Gus Johnson same as oil refining that consumes even more cobalt than electric cars.

@Gus Johnson because that isn't the same for oil and ice cars? Use your brain before making stupid remarks mate 👍

Surely it's exceedingly obvious that its about costs?

Dan Riches it’s more of a match cut if you wanna get technical

Not that big a drawback for some - Our Smart EQ (2nd Car) does 80 miles max - we charge it 2 -3 times a week. They'll only sell this for a short time and they don't need (or want) to sell many. It's a primer for the next model.

So you think it is pathetic to carry thousands of dollars you don't need almost ever of batteries around because you don't have additional thousands of dollars a batteries in there? In this video the shocking fact is claimed the BMW i3 cars are being dismantled at a scale that allows for aggregating battery like those car ferries did years ago insanely. You don't need to take your car with you when you cross the channel you can park it and get on the fucking boat and when you get to the other side of the channel use the car that's already over there we do this in Hawaii in the United States people take their cars from the mainland and then they ship them back to the mainland and Uncle Sam picks up the tab it exceeds of course the soldiers wages basically he don't the discretionary portion of the wages no Soldier would refuse to accept half of the cost of shipping their car to and from Hawaii in cash instead of shipping a car to Hawaii and back doesn't increase the value of the card have been to Hawaii it only reduces the money that is available to pay for actually license and medical doctors may be medical doctors who were able to get into medical school instead of doctors who are not able to get into medical school but just borrow hundreds of thousands of dollars that they never pay back because they're one-percenters and they don't need patients when they're in medical school they don't need to have the kind of character to get a title of doctor in the United States or even in your I guess as far as I know this scam of having the Rich dumb kids get the high wages committee malpractice on the children and even the parents of the poor. So you know what a wonder is do you have a 6 month supply of underwear or maybe you like wash your laundry every week or something in terms of what the optimal number of pairs of socks is you know I would say that boring some disruptive sock technology she probably only enough socks to fill up the washing machine and have an efficient load where are you take special attention for your socks. Most washing machines don't have a stock setting unfortunately. I think that the criticism in the show that this thirty-some kilowatt hour battery is not excessively large but it is almost sufficient is more than bizarre and contradict the contention made in an earlier video about having even larger batteries but those batteries being too large. The porridge what is optimal at 12 kilowatt hours. The host of this episode talks about I wish he had this concept of having storage at the charger location and that's kind of like saying I wish we had the concept of a better world of battery-swapping and we're getting into this Arena now our we can have the 12 kilowatt hour swappable battery module so you don't spend time at the charger maybe you don't even have to come to a. There's a drive-thru and he slowed down just enough for the machines that are underneath the drive-through driveway to catch up to you and swap out your battery that means it's like there's a special battery swapping Lane on the highway where you drive over that lane and you get a fresh 12 kilowatt-hours charged or better technology for storing the energy frankly then an electron tank. The other Madness of this insatiable appetite not being present in consumers but only claimed to be present in the car buying public by the companies that by and large want to sell that's just more batteries but want to sell petroleum is explained by how do you get these electric cars off the road this guy says this 37 kilowatt hour battery is going to outlast the car well you know what that's not a good thing. Until now people have observed that electric cars are going to be able to be reused or going to be able to be rescued by families after the first family buys one and continue to transport people even more than petroleum cars. Now we think that this car is going to wear out before the battery is and that doesn't what it protects market share for the fossil fuel industry is what. I don't understand how these BMW I3 have been destroyed. In the United States they still cost five figures cash no matter how many miles are on them and how old they are so that exceeds the salvage value of the batteries but if you were to increase the battery size yeah that would be less than the demand for the batteries perhaps and those beautiful carbon fiber cars that are costing Opex so much money would be crushed. although 12 kilowatt-hours was plenty for a battery for a car years ago when the now 2nd generation honda car has been reviewed by the car forever when the first generation was out when the Mitsubishi car was out you know what that was not too much. It was only sold in Japan promar in the United States in the case of the Honda. All of those California sold on those were destroyed. The only second generation location for the Honda I think is in Spain. we have reached the aeronaut of the triple-digit kilowatt-hour pack but now of the single-digit kilowatt-hour pack we have a history here of what I said electric cars with full Highway certification air conditioning air bags Etc that are in the low single-digit kilowatt hour battery capacity and so having maybe an eighth kilowatt-hour Toshiba lithium titanate car maybe even an SUV that is the pendant yes on destination charging but you know that's not a problem for almost everybody. You can charge 8 kilowatt hours very quickly if you have a 300 kilowatt-hours charger and yes that's so she buy batteries do not need to be a hundred kilowatt-hour packs to take 300 kilowatt-hours of charging nor do they slow down at 80% nor do they deny you the final kilowatt hour or two in that 8 kilowatt hour pack you get to put the third of a million what powers into the tale of you're a kilowatt hour pack and you're done you're like a what is a those Japanese those Australian little bears they makes likes for thrust 5 thrust you can see them when they're trying to rescue them they can know how to do it because it's just.... And I did not say a few X please don't think that's me that said that word or spelled it I had said six thrusts. being able to refill your electric SUV battery at a red light is what planning allows. It also by the way allows you to give notice to all of the cars that you know basically what a knee level or are just spraying carcinogens into our lungs and get them out of the city in months because you can afford to replace all of the internal combustion engines in the city in the. Of month if you use a kilowatt hour sport utility vehicle alternatives. the United Kingdom does not need to be making cars for themselves and for the rest of the world we need to do one city at a time. Not insignificant percentages of car buyers spread across the world but the entire world into manufacturing Vehicles one city at a time all the vehicles need to show up to replace all the gas cars in the designated City so you can have some city in India first get the electric cars, electric cars that all the nations of the world compete against each other in designing building marketing to Indians and then you move on you do whatever City next maybe Euston, if not Portland and Seattle and that causes competition you know what you get competition you get a third competitor you don't have some fuk evil deal duopoly where it's the lesser of the two evils and nobody can figure out which is more evil than the other because they're both so fucking evil we don't have anything that is wholesome or an actual alternative

@John Edwards I didn't.

John Edwards 😂

Arightpest and not even the current gen i3 bits.

I know I'm being "that guy", but "fir" is a tree, and "fur" comes from animals. If you have a fir coat, I don't think that's gonna be very comfortable :)

Nope. Not the i3 Samsung battery. It's a new battery from CATL that can fit without losing the back seat or any trunk space (see MINI E).

jim smith *Excellent contribution. Thanks, Bangkok-Johnnie T H A I L A N D in MG ZS (ZULU SIERRA) EV full-electric drive BKK - Pak Chong* ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nnwi5oxrv7w.html

Jim smith Correct! The car will break if the brakes don’t work 👍

One of Alec's top priorities was affordability. MINI for the win.

@@insightman Sir Alec please. It seems he was the last designer to have any original ideas which others have only copied, including in this case even the body shape!

I fully agree. If this had propper fast charging than you could do a medium length trip with it. 28minutes on 50kWh to get to 80% charge is ok-ish. People need to realise how much they drive a day. And not focus on that once a year vacation 800miles from home because 90% of the year this will be enough. I could use this as my work car and be fine with it. But it's quite expensive but then Mini never was cheap. I think it will be hard to buy this with e-208/Zoe/Corsa Up! in mind.

In Europe there is more competition but those cars are not premium.........

Rob Ostry Spot on analysis.

@@martin barlow Hello Martin Please reread my comment word for word... It is not about the basic discussion about plug-in hybrid or purely electric. Still, about my experience, which Robert also had, BMW Mini has strong weaknesses in the details, which should not happen to such a "noble brand". I want to repeat, the Mitsubishi, although older, was technically better than my new Mini.

Indeed. They have the technology and the engineering horsepower. Just look at the i3. Incredible. Not sure why their management has completely bungled their electric effects for years and years. Seems like it's a problem of vision and willpower rather than anything else.

Could not agree more, squeeze all the live out of the mini brand and doing it with a half ass job. Its not a cheap car, and knowing a kid could come up with a better layout for a electric car, you will never feel happy or proud owning this car. Luckily there are many more brands in the world were you can spend your money.

Totally agree. Considering the i3, the Mini EV is just a facelift model as the tech and range are static, not an advance. Someone is screwing BMW.

When Tesla buys them, they can make the M3 Model 3 :D

Mediumdave1983 they will be bought by the Chinese.

That's right. And they have kept the battery size down so as to make it an affordable EV. No adaptive cruise control? Who needs it in the city?

I think it was an unfair review. It’s a cheapish way into electric, looks amazing. It’ll suit 99% of the people 99% of the time.

That's what they did with early cars - they were based on horse-carriages, with gigantic wheels.. But they were soon changed to a more logical arrangement.

Yeah, it's a way for them to make an electric quickly and cheaply. It totally makes sense for most car manufacturers to do this at the moment. Then when electrics take off for real, they make them electric from scratch, and that will be better cars. Tesla of course have a head start there. VW isn't far behind. But if other manufacturers started to make an electric from scratch now, with out making this type of intermediary, they would have nothing to offer for a few years.

At least BMW are producing and selling EVs and they should be applauded for that. The i3 has it's fans but it is a very pricey car for what you get. This Mini is a more affordable option and will be a safe way for people to dip their toes into the EV marketplace, via a brand they know (as Robert mentions). The good news for the Industry is they are kicking a ball at an open goal - there is loads and loads of people waiting to buy something, they just have to get on and make them. I am a little concerned about the Mini range though, it is fine as a City car but it also has to be charged daily. If you cannot park on your own drive (and this often isn't the case in the city) then it kind of falls between two stools.

I miss my beloved old Defender. He was a real Englishman. In terms of: is this particular screw metric or imperial? Hmm.. who forgot the 1/2" Nut behind the Doorpanel? Why someone left a Beerbottle-Cap under the Carpet? How can THIS be rusty/leaking/broken??? But a old faithful. Never ever broke down without a good reason and no sight to a pub..