If you’ve ever thought the original Mini would make for a brilliant electric car, then good news: Mini is launching a new official conversion that can turn everyone’s favourite small car into a zero-emission runaround.
The new Mini Recharged project has been developed by a dedicated team at Mini’s Oxford plant – where current versions of the reimagined hatch are now built – and parent firm BMW believes it can showcase a sustainable future for classic cars that follows 'circular economy' principles.
Swapping the Mini's classic four-cylinder A-series engine for an electric motor might seem like sacrilege to some, but it arguably fits the ethos behind the car's invention: it was created by Sir Alec Issigonis in 1959 in direct response to fuel rationing due to the Suez Crisis. With demand for large cars slumping as a result, Issigonis designed the mini to be lightweight, economical and efficient.
Sixty or so years later, sustainability and environmental issues are helping to drive the take-up of electric cars and has also fuelled the growing market for electromods - classic cars fitted with electric engines. That has already included a number of EV conversion kits for Minis – but this is the first official project.
The Mini Recharged project builds on a one-off classic Mini Electric that was shown at the New York motor show in 2018. Mini says the positive reaction to that car prompted it to set up a team to develop a commercial kit for classic Mini owners.
The service is open to any owner of an original-shape Mini, which was produced under various titles from 1959 until 2000. The Mini's combustion engine is switched for a 90kW (121bhp) electric motor, with the four-speed gearbox switched for a single-speed unit. The unit can propel the Mini from 0-62mph in nine seconds – quicker than any version of the original's engine.
Mini has not specified the size of the battery, but says that it will offer a range of 99 miles. It can be charged at speeds of 6.6kW.
Inside, the Mini Recharged models will feature a new central instrument cluster, which matches the design of the original but adds drive temperature, selected gear, range and speed.
Crucially, every step of the conversion is reversible, and the original engine will be marked and stored so that it can be used in a future retrofit of the machine. The conversion does not require the vehicle to be re-registered.
Mini boss Bernd Korber said: "The Mini Recharged project means a vehicle's life can be extended in a sustainable way. A classic Mini can now be given a new lease of life, accompanying its owner into the future, whilst maintaining its much-loved heritage."
The conversion – or bespoke up styling, to use Mini's phrase for it – will be carried out in the UK, and each Mini Recharged model will be given an individual number.
Mini has yet to give pricing for the Mini Recharged project, or full details on when it will be launched.
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