Mini, a manufacturer of new electric cars, has announced that they will be producing a range at their Oxford factory. However, the vehicles aren’t exactly “new ‘…”.
The company confirmed that it had launched its “Recharged” project. This is an in-house program that takes an iconic Mini between 1959-2000 and turns it into an electric car with classic styling.
Cowley, where the BMW-Mini was built, will be replacing the car’s original four-cylinder A series engine with a powertrain consisting of an electric motor (121bhp) and a battery. It will reach 62 mph in just 9 seconds and have a range that covers 99 miles. There are no tailpipe emissions.
Mini insists that it will keep the motor and other parts of the original vehicle’s original engine safe and secure so they can be used again.
Mini’s 21st Century Battery Charge: Mini created a division in Oxford to charge original Mini cars. They will strip the engines of the A-series engine and install a battery and an electric motor.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an original – Alec Issigonis-designed – Mini being fully converted to an EV.
This is Money was able to take the Mini’s unique electric adaptation, based on a 1998 Cooper, for a spin in 2018 (read below our impressions).
Bosses claimed that the success of this car was due to positive reactions from the public. The new Recharged program will continue alongside the production of Mini Electric and Mini hatchbacks at the Oxford factory.
British specialists can also convert Minis from a classic to an EV.
This includes Swindon Powertrains stunning Swind E Classic Mini, a run of 100 creations with a starting price of £79,000 – more than you’d pay for a flawless 1959 original car with a low-mileage internal combustion engine under the bonnet.
However, if you already have a donor Mini, the Swindon-based firm will fit a 12kW battery and 107bhp electric motor at a cost of £10,620 including VAT.
Mini’s original 2018 conversion was this one, ahead of the New York Motor Show. The Mini Conversion was inspired by a 1998 mini and maintained its manual transmission, which is not the case with the Recharged Series of conversions.
Built and re-built in Britain: Swindon Powertrains announced in 2019 that it would produce 100 electrified classic Minis, each costing from £79,000
While only 100 of these stunning electrified classics were created, owners of existing Minis can have Swindon Powertrains fit their donor cars with a 12kW battery and 107bhp electric motor at a cost of £10,620 including VAT
Recharged is big because the process is an official one, and is managed by the manufacturer. It is not outsourced.
The project will be led by a separate division of workers at the firm’s Oxford plant and will ‘tell the story of the classic Mini in the 21st century, in a sustainable way’ – though every car that’s completed can be returned to its original factory settings.
Mini states that the Recharged series will be able to make “reversible changes” to the vehicle’s “substance”, and will therefore not require registration as new vehicles.
It added: ‘Careful handling of the car’s historical heritage is an important part of the concept. This allows the Mini classic to be restored to its original condition later.
“During conversion each original engine is identified and kept so that it may be used in future retrofits of the Mini.
The Mini Recharged programme will be led by a separate division of workers at the firm’s Oxford plant and will ‘tell the story of the classic Mini in the 21st century, in a sustainable way’
The range is 99 miles with a minimum charge. Mini claims that the Recharged Conversions can drive 99 miles from the Oxford factory to central London, without stopping – and they will also avoid charges to enter the ULEZ or Congestion Zone.
Mini claims that the Recharged Project will cause’reversible modifications’ to the vehicle’s’substance’. This conversion won’t need to be registered under the new car category.
Original cars will be removed from their 4-speed manual gearboxes to make way for a single-speed transmission that can accompany the electric motor.
The predicted range of 99 miles from a fully-charged battery would be enough to travel from the Oxford factory to Piccadilly Circus without having to stop – or pay the ULEZ or Congestion Charge.
Mini is yet to reveal the exact size of the Recharged battery that will be fitted to the cars. Its limited range, of just 100 miles, and its need to be lightweight in order not to ruin the original’s go-kart-like handling make it likely that the pack will be smaller than the one you get in a Tesla.
The Mini’s owners will have the ability to charge them by simply plugging in to the port underneath the filler cap. (photos here with no flap cover) With a charging speed of up to 6.8kW, the battery can accept fast charging speeds.
Each vehicle’s original engine will be marked so that it can easily be reused for future retrofits of the Mini.
All Mini Recharged Cars will retain their original instrument clusters, but have them redesigned with a new gauge to show the range remaining.
A Recharged Mini will look very similar to an original Mini, except for the Smiths gauge modifications and additional transmissions. It should also be easy to restore the car to its original specs.
Mini owners can charge their minis electrified by connecting to the port below the filler cap. The battery is capable of charging at speeds of up 6.6kW.
Plant Oxford will revise the dials and incorporate new gauge clusters that show remaining range.
Bernd Körber, Head of the Mini brand said: ‘What the project team are developing preserves the character of the classic Mini and enables its fans to enjoy all-electric performance. Mini Recharged connects the past to the future.
Although no price information has yet been released for Recharged, it will soon be.
Recharged series is big because it is an official convert, which is managed and finished by the manufacturer. It is not being outsourced or done to another party.
Red 2018 Mini-electric Conversion (red). It can be distinguished by the modified badge and pinstripe. These features will not be found on a recharged car, so they won’t look as original.
Is it worth the effort to make an original Mini an electric car? Fans and collectors who love the classic Mini will find it difficult to accept the Recharged Program.
How does it feel to drive an electric Mini?
Ray Massey (July 2018, p.
Are you a superbi or a sacrilege? Ray Massey with the Mini Electric that the factory produced in 2018 Below is his opinion about the car’s driving experience shortly after unveiling it.
Plant Oxford’s original Mini electric conversion was our first chance to test it in 2018. The electric Mini conversion was not like the Recharged models. It had a manual gearbox which is something that’s rare in EVs. Ray Massey captured his driving impressions that day.
This bright-red pocket Rocket felt just like an original Mini when it was opened.
Perhaps it was my perceptions of the horsehair and leather filling. Maybe there are residual vapours embedded in the upholstery.
However, I swear that I felt a strong odor of 4-star 95 Octane in the air. Maybe it was my imagination creating subliminal sensory associations.
My first genuine thought wasn’t of the electric motor, but actually of what a genius Issigonis was to cram so much car into so little space. It’s incredibly compact.
I looked all around. Instead of the old slider windows, there were now manual wind up windows. There was also a handle for the door. The pull-wire was used in the early days.
A cleverly-designed swivel-ash-tray to help nicotine addicts during less politically correct days.
Although the original dashboard dials are still in use, some do not function and remain for display.
The only visible change I could see was a small and very discreet electronic monitor which showed the amount of charge and range, though to be honest it was so small I couldn’t read it anyway.
All three normal pedals worked, but I was informed that the clutch was disabled because it wasn’t required. There was only the accelerator and brake to use.
Uncharacteristically for an electric vehicle, there was a functioning four-speed gearbox plus reverse that I had to activate to start the car.
The Mini Cooper’s original 1,275cc 63 horsepower engine has been stripped out and replaced with an electric motor and lithium phosphate batteries
Mini Electrics have a top speed at 75 MPH and an approximate range of 65 miles. That’s 34 more miles than Mini Recharged series.
I was told I didn’t need to start in first gear, but could happily slot it straight into second to pull away – and drive at speeds of up to 30mph.
For speeds higher than that I’d best put it up into third, and then top gear. To disengage the gears, you don’t need to push the clutch.
This was a strange and contradictory experience. I don’t think I’ve ever driven an electric car with manual gear shifts, and doubt whether any other exists. Although I was a bit hesitant at first, once I got out onto the road I soon mastered it.
Start the ignition. Now, slide the longer gear stick into the second and press the accelerator.
There’s no conventional engine noise, but this car is anything but silent.
Pushing the pedal harder will make the motor whine louder. There is no need for you to go faster than driving on the local 30 mph streets.
It was now time to shift up when you get onto country roads, with speed limits of at least 50 MPH.
The whining crescendo was at its height, so I shifted the gear stick to third and continued on. By now I’m really moving – an effect increased by the nearness of one’s posterior to the tarmac below. Each bump does feel.
It’s not the most refined ride. Some of the gasoline version’s go-kart agility has gone. This little beauty can still shift.
You could also put it in reverse and park the car up, or manoeuvre through tight spaces.
Ray Massey drove the Mini Electric on the streets near Mini’s Oxford Factory in July 2018.
While the range isn’t the longest, the charge time of 4 hours is reasonably short for an electric vehicle
Changing down a gear took a little more finesse – remembering not to hit the disabled clutch – and required feeling the car’s speed and deceleration before choosing the right moment to move down. More electricity can be regenerated by letting your car coast, or hitting the brakes.
It feels incredibly spacious, even though it has been removed the 2 rear seats to allow for 30 lithium-phosphate battery pouches.
Like Dr Who’s Tardis. It is bigger inside than what it appears from the outside.
Amazingly, it is still the same weight as the original, despite all of its batteries.
An old petrol cap conceals the charging slot, while a symbol painted on the side alerts you to electric power.
Moritz Burmester, his company Old-Youngtimer and his specialists completed the one-off BMW conversion in less than a week. [2018]New York Motor Show April, where it was shown for the first time.
’It was non-stop work but we finished it just in time,’ he said.