BMW to Include the UK in MINI E Global Trial

Following the United Kingdom's announcement that it plans to provide up to 5,000 pounds worth incentives to fully-electric car buyers, BMW today announced that it intends to include the country in its MINI E global trial that is currently available to Germany and the USA. Furthermore, the German automaker has already established some details regarding the future trial, as it follows:

• Scottish and Southern Energy will provide private and public charging points for recharging the MINI E vehicles
• Sustainable Vehicle Engineering Centre at Oxford Brookes University will provide academic support and analyze the data collected by the testers

"We believe the MINI E is an excellent vehicle for trialling this alternative form of sustainable mobility. And what better time to do this than in the year we celebrate the 50th birthday of MINI. We look forward to extending our German and American trials to the UK," Ian Robertson, Sales and Marketing Director of BMW Group AG, said in a release.

“Such a trial cannot be conducted by any single organisation on its own, as it goes far beyond the simple test of a prototype electric MINI. To make electric mobility a reality, organisations in both the private and public sectors will need to think differently and act together.”

MINI E is an electric car designed by BMW's MINI brand that is capable of traveling up to 150 miles on a single charge, with performance figures of 8.5 seconds for the 0-100 km/h acceleration and 95 mph (152 km/h) for the top speed. The car is powered by an 150 kilowatt (201 hp) electric engine plus a rechargeable lithium-ion battery.