MINI Electric Production at MINI Plant Oxford. MINI Electric Production at MINI Plant Oxford. Subscribe.
The new MINI Cooper SE is produced in the brand’s home country. It comes off the production line at the MINI plant in Oxford along with the conventionally powered versions of the model. Its drive technology comes from the BMW Group competence centres for electromobility in Dingolfing and Landshut.
Instead of a petrol or diesel engine, there is an electric motor under the bonnet of the new MINI Cooper SE. The compact unit with integrated power electronics and transmission is positioned in the front section of the support frame by means of a solid tube structure. The high-voltage battery with model-specific configuration is made up of lithium-ions cells subdivided into 12 modules. They form a T-shaped unit positioned in the vehicle floor, providing a gross energy content of 32.6 kWh.
The electric motor is not just smaller but also significantly lighter than a combustion engine, thereby contributing to the outstandingly harmonious axle load distribution of the new MINI Cooper SE. Along with the lower centre of gravity, this gives the electrically powered model agile handling, making it supreme and easy to control even when cornering at high speed. The new MINI Cooper SE also offers extremely secure road-holding, not least due to the position of its high-voltage battery. It is placed deep in the vehicle floor between the front seats and below the rear seats. As a result of this arrangement there are no limits whatsoever to the use of the luggage compartment space as compared to the conventionally powered model versions. As in the MINI 3 Door with combustion engine, the luggage volume under the tailgate is 211 litres, expanding to 731 litres when the rear backrests are folded down. The only measurable difference: in order to ensure the relevant ground clearance for the high-voltage battery installed in the vehicle floor, the body of the new MINI Cooper SE is positioned some 18 millimetres higher than in the conventionally powered model.
All components of the electric drive are protected by means of model-specific structural features and immediately switched off in the event of a collision. The safety concept for the new MINI Cooper SE is thus in line with the high standards of the BMW Group, which go well beyond legal requirements. The power electronics are shielded by the reinforced bumper support and the motor support frame, while the high-voltage battery is protected by a solid base plate. With an unladen DIN weight of 1 365 kilograms, the electric model is only some 145 kilograms heavier than the MINI Cooper S 3 Door with Steptronic transmission.
