If you like your urban mobility solution electric, smart, and with some personality, this is good news. Two major brands, each with considerable weight in their respective fields, are joining forces to bring to market just that.
Earlier this year, French bike specialist Angell Mobility announced it had been picked by BMW Group's MINI for MINI’s foray into the electric micro-mobility market. Angell, which has often been compared to the now-insolvent VanMoof, is well-known on the European market for its sleek, tech-packed, and lightweight e-bikes. MINI is… well, MINI. It doesn't really need an introduction.
Like most car companies, MINI is slowly turning to electrification, both because it's the most sensible thing to do right now for the planet and because demand for MINIs hasn't been exactly impressive in recent years. It's no coincidence then that, shortly after the debut of the MINI electric, a MINI e-bike is here.
The partnership was revealed earlier this year but with few specifics other than the mention that it would last five years and see several releases in the e-bike sector. So this is the first entry in a longer line of two-wheelers, which should put MINI on par with other carmakers that have already branched out into urban mobility as part of their electrification efforts.
Photo: Angell
This is the MINI e-Bike 1, which is essentially an Angell bike but with some MINI flair to it, exclusively of the aesthetic kind. This means it's lightweight and tech-packed, intuitive, and designed as an everyday companion, but painted in two iconic colors of the MINI, Ocean Wave Green and Vibrant Silver.
Either model is offered in two size frames, S and M, one a mid-step-through and the other a step-over with a rather odd (but Angell-recognizable) geometry. The S tips the scales at 17 kg (37.5 lbs), while the M is slightly heavier at 17.5 kg (38.6 lbs), thanks to a lightweight, seamless aluminum frame and carbon fork. Both bikes are powered by a rear hub 250W motor that assists pedaling up to 25 kph (15.5 mph), which is standard in EU countries.
Even though the delivery date for the MINI e-Bike 1 is November 2023, and pre-orders are underway, there's no mention of the battery capacity or the make of the motor, so there's no estimating the total range.
Photo: Angell
As a reference, the S/Rapide, one of the most popular Angell models, offers an estimated range of 50 km (31 miles) per charge, with a full charge achievable in two hours. The same model has three riding modes (Free Ride, Navigation, Sport) and four PAS (pedal-assist) levels: Fly Free, Fly Eco, Fly Dry, and Fly Fast.
The fact that it's so lightweight means that it can be ridden just as easily without motor if and when you run out of battery. Speaking of the battery, it's hiding in plain sight, masquerading as a rear cargo rack and integrating the taillights. The location isn't random, though: it's meant to make swapping batteries easier so riders can keep moving without delay.
Some of the reasons why Angell has drawn comparisons to VanMoof (*RIP, for now) include the sleek, distinctive styling and heavy reliance on tech, so it was only natural for these to transfer to the MINI bike.
Photo: Angell
With the MINI e-Bike 1, you get a centrally-mounted color display with excellent visibility and very detailed stats, app connectivity, turning lights embedded into the handles, and remote control and unlocking, either via app on the phone, Apple Watch or a PIN code.
Geolocation and GPS navigation are available and meant to make ownership and the riding experience less stressful. Geolocation would come in handy in case of theft, while GPS comes with a vibrating feature that tells the rider a turn is coming without having to look down at the screen – and maybe get distracted in traffic.
The MINI e-Bike 1 rides on 27.5-inch wheels and comes standard with a kickstand, front and rear lights (which are integrated into the bike, so you couldn't have it otherwise), steel spokes, and an injected-thermoplastic chain guard.
Photo: Angell
Angell and MINI are hoping all these features and the two color-blocking paintjobs are enough to get you to spend your hard-earned money on such a bike. It'll be a lot of it, too. The MINI e-Bike 1 retails for €3,490, or approximately $3,716 at the current exchange rate, with 10% of that amount required as a refundable deposit to pre-order.
It'll be a limited edition, which is probably meant to make it more appealing, especially for this kind of money: only 1,959 units, numbered accordingly, will be sold worldwide. That's the year when the MINI was born, so it's no coincidence.
Whether all these, the Angell touch and the MINI association will be enough to get riders interested in a premium bike is a matter of "time will tell," as it usually is with these things. The e-bike bubble has burst, but at least these two companies are convinced there's still room for one more product.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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