ELECTRIC DREAMS
FASHION’S FAVOURITE SMALL CAR IS NOW EMISSIONS-FREE, HERALDING AN ALL-NEW WAVE OF “NORMAL”- FEELING EVS
You’ll love the latest electric vehicles – and not just because they reduce your carbon footprint.
every time a new, gamechanging technology, movement or trend lands, it follows a pattern of adoption into the mainstream. First, it grabs the attention of innovators, then, early adaptors, the early majority, late majority and, finally, laggards. Everything from platform sneakers to Pantone’s Color Of The Year follows this bell curve. Despite some countries working to phase out internal combustion engines (ICES) as if they’re 2G networks (most notably the UK, which plans to ban new petrol, diesel and hybrids by 2035), we’re still in the early-adopter stage of local emissionsfree driving. Take Tesla: it may be the original electric vehicle innovator (evolving from geek status to now appearing in rap lyrics), but it’s still perceived as an underdog.
The biggest speed bumps the car industry has encountered when it comes to the adoption of electric vehicles (EVS) is not dissimilar to what the iphone faced when it took away buttons from Blackberry users: averseness to change.
Firstly, there’s the lack of engine noise (something BMW is combating by enlisting Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer to create sounds for its incoming models), then there’s the issue of educating people around range and charge. Finally, as EVS cost more when compared to their ICE counterparts (particularly in Australia, where we have no government incentives to buy eco-friendly EVS), there is also the issue of price.
This year, a handful of vehicles will land in Australia that aim to normalise EVS for the masses. We’ve seen the disruptors, like the BMW i3, Tesla
Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq, but now it’s time for the legacy marques to toss their hats in the ring, with models that limit the futuristic polarisations. Some of the best and most hyped? The Porsche Taycan, Range Rover Evoque PHEV, Audi E-tron and Mercedes-benz EQC – the latter took out the prestigious Wheels Car Of The Year award in January for its sheer ability to feel like a normal SUV. Yet none we’ve tested have managed to hit the bullseye of normalisation, style, nostalgia and affordability like the new Mini Electric, or Mini Cooper SE. It has the nimbleness and feel that we’ve come to love from a regular Mini, with the same amount of space and cityfriendly charm. It will be priced in line with current ICE offerings, making it one of the cheapest EVS on the market. Mini international told ELLE the SE is slated to sit between the Cooper and the Cooper S, landing it at around
$37,000-$45,000. The differences? Optional neon yellow accents, graphic alloy wheels, a new digital dash, 145kg of extra weight (compared to the Cooper S) and a 100 per cent reduction in carbon. The Mini Cooper SE is manufactured in the same historic Oxford plant as its siblings and shares the brilliant
135kw electric engine of its cousin, the BMW i3. Designed for urban life, a full charge offers a modest 235-270km of range, but can be topped up to
80 per cent on the road at a public
50kw DC supercharger in 35 minutes. If you install a wall box charger at home, a full charge can be achieved in around two-and-a-half hours.
With the incoming tide of Evs-that-don’t-feel-like-evs, the electric car, particularly the utterly enchanting Mini Cooper SE, lands in a curious spot, one yet to be seen in the EV space: a mainstream no-brainer.