Electric Mini scooter launched
1 min read
The iconic British brand Mini has moved to two wheels with the unveiling of the Mini Scooter E Concept today (23 September) in London. While it is currently just a design study, the Mini design team has applied its expertise to the challenges for mobility in major urban areas, and met them with the Mini Scooter E Concept the unveiling of which comes almost ten years to the day since the new BMW Mini was first shown at the Paris Motor Show.
There are three interpretations of the Mini Scooter E Concept conceived by Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design: two of which will be shown at the Paris Motor Show next week, while the third concept, inspired by the swinging sixties, the hey day of classic Mini is being shown exclusively in London.
BMW says it's not just a two-wheeler in Mini design, but a scooter that meets the needs of the young urban generation: "Spontaneous, flexible, CO2-free mobility". Using a smart phone as the ignition key, the concept integrates infotainment, communication and navigation systems. It is powered by an electric motor which can be recharged at any conventional power socket using an on-board charging cable.
van Hooydonk says: "The Mini Scooter E Concept represents an electric vision of the future as urban mobility takes a new direction by Mini. The Mini Scooter E Concept is true to our brand values of distinctive design, intelligent functionality and customisation and builds further on these characteristics by combining driving pleasure with sustainable technology into the first two-wheel concept of its kind for Mini."
The design concepts differ in the number of passengers they carry. The first is a two-seater variant developed for 'the fun of driving for two'. It mirrors the colour scheme of the current Mini E hatch prototype, 40 of which are currently on trial on UK roads – with body paintwork in matt charcoal, a yellow seat and yellow-painted mirror caps – and emphasizes the particularly intense aspect of zero-emission driving.
The second concept is a single-seater and the sportiest of the new concepts. Features include a classic combination of an upholstered seat in dark brown leather, paintwork in British Racing Green and silver mirror caps reminiscent of iconic racing cars.
The third and more design-progressive model – being shown exclusively in London – takes inspiration from the popular culture of the 1960s, a decade synonymous with the classic Mini, drawing on the distinctive graphics of the Mod era in particular. The white body colour on this two-seater variant is decorated with numerous applications and stickers, with the left hand mirror cap featuring a Mini logo and the right hand one featuring the red, white and blue cockade of the Royal Air Force. The piece de resistance is a perforated leather seat through which the Union Jack shines.
