Those who wish to enter the program must live in a triangular geographical area between Andover, Oxford and West London. They must also own a private garage, car port or driveway, so that a wall mounted high power charging unit (240V/32 amp) can be installed. This offers a full charging time of only 4.5 hours, while the low capacity (13 amp socket) charging system (also to be supplied) needs 10 hours to provide a complete charge.
Through their daily driving, they will allow the BMW-led consortium that has initiated the project to evaluate the technical and social aspects of using an all-electrical vehicle.
The chosen drivers will be able to lease the two-seater hatchbacks for six months, starting from September. Each of them will have a free charging point installed at home and will be able to use the public charging points. The BMW UK “flying doctors” will handle the maintenance, servicing and technical assistance for the EVs.
The monthly lease fee for the MINI E vehicles will be 330 pounds. The consortium says that this is 220 pounds less than the standard monthly lease for this type of car, thanks to a 35 million pounds subsidies fund awarded by the British Government’s Technology Strategy Board. The drivers will also have to pay for the electricity used, but will benefit from tax exemptions like a zero congestion charge in London.
"We were overwhelmed by the level of interest in the first phase of the trial, and we are confident that we will attract a similar level of applicants for the second phase. We would love to hear from people who have the enthusiasm and curiosity required to take part in a ‘real world’ research study. Their experiences and the feedback that they provide will ultimately help in the development of the BMW Group’s zero emissions mega city vehicle due for production mid this decade as well as UK infrastructure and policy development for electric vehicles.” said Suzanne Gray, Project Manager for MINI E.
If you feel like you'd like to share your life with the MINI E for a while, you can fill out an online application here.
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