Electric Mini.
BMW have today announced that the will build a fully electric Mini at their Cowley plant, in Oxford, here in the UK. Production will begin in 2019.
https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/...75321_mini.jpg BMW says the economic case for building the electric mini in Oxford is compelling, and it's easy to see why. This is not a brand new car, redesigned from the ground up. It's a Mini, a 3-door hatchback, which will in many ways be identical to the cars already being built at the Cowley plant. The drivetrain, which includes the motor, gearbox and battery pack - will be assembled in Germany, and fixed to the rest of the car in the factory. |
Will it have a backseat?
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EV-converting an existing platform is why the legacy manufacturers will never catch Tesla.
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BMW is apparently going to be building a Mini-e in the near future.
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There are significant architectural differences to be reconciled. |
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A platform designed for ICE has to provide space and support for the ICE components and protect the passengers from heat, vibration and engine specific hazards.
Likewise, a platform designed for EV needs to accommodate the batteries, motor and controller and high voltage wiring safely. However the positioning of those components are much more flexible so the batteries end up in the floor and the motor in the back. All components are pretty much at wheel axle height and anything above them can be fully dedicated to passenger and luggage space and crash safety structures. It is way easier to design and build a lightweight efficient platform for an EV than for an ICE powered vehicle. An EV conversion however needs to house the EV components safely in a structure designed to house ICE components. It is compromised twice over. |
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Converting an existing chassis to EV allows you to quickly/cheaply ENTER the EV market.
Developing a dedicated EV chassis allows you to STAY & COMPETE in the EV market. |
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