Do you need help? Please contact our support team from 9 to 17 CET via support.pressclub@bmwgroup.com.

PressClub United Kingdom · Article.

PIONEERING DRIVERS REQUIRED TO PLUG INTO PHASE TWO OF MINI E TRIAL

The search is on for 20 drivers to take part in phase two of a pioneering trial to test the UK’s first ever electric MINIs. Phase one of the trial is currently underway, the first 20 MINI E pioneers took ownership of their electric MINIs in December 2009 and are due to hand them back in June.

Technology
·
MINI Electric
·
MINI
·
Corporate

Press Contact.

Sarah Heaney
BMW Group

Tel: +44-1344-480-110
Fax: +44-1344-480-306

send an e-mail

PIONEERING DRIVERS REQUIRED TO PLUG INTO PHASE TWO OF MINI E TRIAL

The search is on for 20 drivers to take part in phase two of a pioneering trial to test the UK’s first ever electric MINIs. Phase one of the trial is currently underway, the first 20 MINI E pioneers took ownership of their electric MINIs in December 2009 and are due to hand them back in June.

People living in a triangular geographical area between Andover, Oxford and West London will be able to take part in the ground-breaking project and so interested drivers are being urged to fill out the online application form at www.electricMINI.co.uk.

The Government-backed trial, run by a BMW Group-led consortium including Southern Electric and regional development agency SEEDA, will evaluate the technical and social aspects of living with an all-electric car in every day life.

The drivers chosen will be able to lease the two-seater cars from September 2010 for six months. Southern Electric will install a free home charging point for each car, as well as a network of public charging points, so the cars can be ‘topped up’ whilst drivers are out and about.  The car can also be charged from a standard three pin socket.    

The monthly lease fee will be £330 a month, including VAT, insurance* and maintenance (*subject to conditions).  Thanks to the consortium being awarded part of a £25m fund by the British Government’s Technology Strategy Board, this is £220 less than the standard monthly lease for this type of high tech car. The MINI E driver only pays for the electricity used – and obviously has no petrol costs. In addition MINI E drivers are eligible for other benefits like zero congestion charges in London.

 

The MINI E has all the good looks of a standard MINI Hatch, with the performance close to that of the MINI John Cooper Works and MINI’s renowned go-kart handling. The space normally taken by rear passengers is reserved for the powerful lithium-ion battery.

 

Maintenance, servicing and technical assistance will be provided by dedicated BMW Group UK ‘flying doctors’. These technicians will be supported by selected MINI dealers within the MINI E research area.

Suzanne Gray, Project Manager for MINI E, said: “We were overwhelmed by the level of interest in the first phase of the trial, and we are confident that we will attract a similar level of applicants for the second phase. We would love to hear from people who have the enthusiasm and curiosity required to take part in a ‘real world’ research study.  Their experiences and the feedback that they provide will ultimately help in the development of the BMW Group’s zero emissions mega city vehicle due for production mid this decade as well as UK infrastructure and policy development for electric vehicles.” 

In addition to living in the set geographical area**, MINI E test drivers must also have a private garage, car port or driveway, so a wall-mounted high power charging unit can be installed by Southern Electric. The 240V/32 amp supply provided by the unit can fully charge the MINI E’s lithium-ion battery pack in just 4.5 hours. An adaptor for use with an ordinary 13 amp socket will also be supplied for occasional use.  The lower capacity charge takes just over 10 hours to provide a full charge. Therefore it is only appropriate for occasional use.

Southern Electric will be responsible for the electricity infrastructure in the research area and are committed to supplying ‘green energy’*** to all drivers of the MINI E. The region in which Southern Electric owns the electricity network is behind the decision to work with a research sample in South East England.

Oxford Brookes University’s Sustainable Vehicle Engineering Centre will manage the collation of qualitative and quantitative research throughout the UK project. This will include analysis of driver experiences with the MINI E, as well as reviewing the technical information provided by the data-logging units fitted to every MINI E.

Additionally, the consortium is strengthened by public sector organisations including the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council.  Each will support the establishment of a technical infrastructure in their local areas, through a common objective to be at the forefront of sustainable transport initiatives.  These organisations will also test MINI E’s in a fleet environment.

Ends.

 

 

Notes to Editors: ** Drivers living in the Oxford, Newbury, Andover, Reading, Basingstoke, Maidenhead, Bracknell, Slough and West London areas are eligible to take part.

*** Southern Electric (part of the Scottish and Southern Energy Group) guarantees that for every unit of electricity that’s used by MINI E UK it will put a unit of 100% cleaner, greener hydro electricity back into the national grid.

 

 

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 24 production facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

The BMW Group achieved a global sales volume of approximately 1.29 million automobiles and over 87,000 motorcycles for the 2009 financial year. The pre-tax profit for 2009 was euro 413 million, revenues totalled euro 50.68 billion. At 31 December 2009, the company employed a global workforce of approximately 96,000 associates.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last five years.

 

For further information or to arrange interview with a current MINI E pioneer please contact:

Sarah Heaney, Media Relations Manager, MINI

Tel: 01344 480 110 / 07824 417597  Email: sarah.heaney@mini.co.uk 

 

Wieland Bruch, Corporate Communication Manager, MINI UK

Tel: 01344 480 113           Email: Wieland.bruch@bmw.co.uk

 

Graham Biggs, Corporate Communications Director

Tel: 01344 480 109           Email: graham.biggs@bmw.co.uk

 

 

www.press.bmwgroup.co.uk

Article Offline Attachments.

My.PressClub Login
 

BMW Group Streaming

ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2024.

Munich. Here you can see the on demand webcast of the BMW Group Annual Conference 2024, with the world premiere of the next BMW vision vehicle on the "Road to Neue Klasse".

Open Streaming Page

CO2 emission information.

The values for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and energy consumption shown were determined in a standardised test cycle according to the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 in the version currently applicable. The figures refer to a vehicle with basic configuration in Germany and the range shown considers transmission (automatic or manual) and the different wheels and tyres available on the selected model and may vary during the configuration.

The values of the vehicles labelled with (*), are already based on the test cycle according to the new WLTP regulation and are translated back into NEDC-equivalent values in order to allow a comparison between vehicles. More information on the transition from NEDC to WLTP test procedures can be found here.

These figures are intended for comparison purposes and may not be representative of what a user achieves under usual driving conditions. For plug-in hybrid vehicles and battery electric vehicles the figures have been obtained using a combination of battery power and petrol fuel after the battery had been fully charged. Plug-in hybrid vehicles and battery electric vehicles require mains electricity for charging. The CO2 emissions labels are determined according to Directive 1999/94/EC and the Passenger Car (Fuel consumption and CO2 Emissions Information) Regulations 2001, as amended. They are based on the fuel consumption, CO2 values and energy consumptions according to the NEDC cycle.

A guide on fuel economy and CO2 emissions which contains data for all new passenger car models is available at any point of sale free of charge. For further information you can also visit this link.

Add your filter tags.

Press Release
Press Kit
Speech
Fact & Figures
Updates
Top-Topic
Submit filter
Clear all
 
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
 
Login