British carmaker Mini has officially announced some of the technical details of the upcoming 2024 Cooper Electric three-door hatchback.
With this being said, the specs aren’t exactly breaking news, as the company’s boss, Stefanie Wurst, already spilled the beans during an interview with the British publication Autocar in March, and spy photographers even caught a completely undisguised prototype in Los Angeles, which prompted the BMW-owned brand to offer some official pictures of the upcoming Mini Cooper Electric sans camouflage.
Now, the Oxford-based car manufacturer felt it was necessary to offer the specs in a standalone press release, accompanied by a set of photos showing a camouflaged vehicle (which feels a bit unnecessary at this point).
In any case, the next generation of the Mini lineup is being launched with the new 2024 Mini Cooper Electric, which is “geared towards electric driving fun” and is available in two power versions, both sold as three-door hatchbacks.
The entry-level Cooper E comes with a single, front-mounted 135-kilowatt (181 horsepower) electric motor which draws energy from a floor-mounted 40.7-kilowatt-hour battery pack that should enable an estimated driving range of 186 miles (300 kilometers) on a full charge.
Next in line is the performance-oriented Mini Cooper SE, which features a 160 kW (181 hp) motor on the front axle and a bigger, 54.2 kWh battery pack which should result in a maximum range of 249 miles (400 km).
Mini’s chief previously said that the minimum range will be 240 miles (386 km), but now the carmaker has clarified that only the Cooper SE will pass the 200-mile mark, whereas the entry-level variant will offer less. Nevertheless, it’s still much better than the previous generation’s 145 miles (233 km) WLTP.
With three doors and space for four people inside, the upcoming all-electric Mini Cooper sits on an all-new EV platform called Spotlight which has been co-developed with BMW Group’s joint venture partner, Great Wall Motor. It’s expected to go into production in China in November 2023, roughly at the same time as the new Mini Countryman will start rolling off the assembly lines in Leipzig, Germany.
Then, the all-new Aceman (which is smaller than the new Countryman) will complete the British brand’s renewed lineup, with an expected launch date sometime at the beginning of 2024.