Mini accelerates electric dreams with new Cooper models

Two compacts to be released in November, with a range of up to 400km and a grip like a go-kart

Mini Cooper Electric offers maximum style points and range. Photo: Mini

Mini has released images and information about its new Cooper Electric, the fifth-generation of the three-door model since its revamp under the watchful eye of BMW.

And, as fans of the brand have come to expect, the manufacturer promises the upgrade will remain true to its ethos of producing a vehicle that drives as close as possible to a go-kart.

Mini says it has achieved this by installing the battery (always a heavy element in an electric car) into the floor of the new model, thereby maximising grip.

Even with the new car being decked out in dazzling skin, the new model retains all the classic Mini styling.

The Cooper Electric will be available to choose from two power levels, with the E model producing 135kW and the SE upping the ante to 160kW.

Speed and acceleration figures have yet to be announced, but the manufacturer says the car should be able to travel between 300 and 400km between charges.

The modern Mini was reinterpreted by the BMW Group a decade ago after the manufacture of the UK original ceased a few years earlier.

The all-electric version made its first appearance in 2020.

Last month, the BMW Group celebrated the production of the one millionth Mini since the compact’s reintroduction a decade earlier.

There has been no announcement about how much the Cooper Electric will cost, but the car will be available from November.

Next year, the Mini Aceman, presented a year ago as a futuristic electric vehicle, will complete the range.

Scroll the gallery below to see more of the Mini Aceman model