Image: BMW
Mini has been at this EV thing longer than most would give it credit for, dating back to the limited-edition Mini E in 2010. The Mini Cooper SE – or the Mini Electric to our transatlantic friends – was its first big battery. electric car. But even then, the SE was built on the existing internal combustion engine Mini platform, taking some technologies from the BMW i3. The Aceman concept unveiled on Wednesday signals a more ambitious future for the brand.
First of all, yes – it’s a crossover. Not quite as tall as the Countryman, which is about 10 inches longer, but similar in every other dimension, the Aceman looks like a mini for the EV age. The wheels are pushed out to the very edges of the body, the trim that surrounds them is boxy and matte black, and the hips and cut lines have a geometric theme that builds on what came before but conveys a more futuristic aesthetic.
Image: BMW
The Aceman is actually pretty good looking, although it’s still annoying because it reminds us that BMW Group Design can build snazzy looking cars when it feels like it. This is Mini’s “charismatic simplicity” language at work that might as well be marketing for “defender-ish but cute.”
Inside, I can’t really talk about what’s going on with the “knitted, recycled textile” seats. Mini appears to have liquefied containers of Tokidoki figures and infused their radioactive essence into the padding. Honestly, this is where the Aceman kind of loses me because it’s very striking, “How are you with other millennials?” I’m poor and can’t afford what that costs, thanks for asking.
Image: BMW
The classic mini circular display is located in the center of the dashboard. It’s amusing to imagine that this used to be primarily a speedometer; It’s now an OLED screen with an infotainment system running on Android. The mix of pastel-colored words and shapes visible on the dashboard actually came from an overhead projector. Mini appears to be very proud of this system, dedicating several paragraphs in the brand’s own press release to how it can be customized, although it’s hard to imagine anything so distracting making it to later production Aceman.
Image: BMW
The big question surrounding the Aceman, and indeed all all-electric minis, is range and performance. The Cooper SE’s 115-ish miles on a full charge is simply a non-starter for the vast majority of American drivers, who would probably expect at least twice that from an EV. But minis are what they say on the tin – compact – and solving the range problem with lots of batteries will surely destroy the agility the brand is known and loved for.
Image: BMW
Mini will be able to mitigate this with special EV underpinnings and perhaps a clever move in the goalposts; After all, high-riding crossovers are inherently more sluggish than city-hopping hatchbacks. The manufacturer has not yet given specific figures, but it has teased up to 400 kilometers – that’s 248 miles – for the next-gen Cooper SE on Europe’s fairly generous WLTP emissions test cycle. That would be a big improvement, and perhaps by the time we see a production Aceman in 2024, Mini will finally present a compelling option for entry-level EV buyers.