Think about it. You're paying $10,200 a whole year only to give it back afterwards. What a sweet deal that is. In fact, BMW are getting their potential future model tested and you, the good Samaritan, are paying a considerable amount of money to do the job. You have to give it to the Germans for the ingenuity.
The aforementioned source says that they were four times the applicants compared to the number of available cars. That's 1800 Earth loving people.
“I’ve got to take my kids to school, so the car makes no sense for me from a practical point of view. But I kinda want to be part of this,” Mario Soto, a 45-year- old graphic designer, father of three and applicant, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
These people must be real tree huggers as a conventional Mini costs $250 a month to lease for three years after a $2,100 down payment.
But enough with the rant, let's review some technical aspects of the electric Mini Cooper. As we previously reported, MINI E's technology consists of an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery which took the backseat's place, transforming the little bugger into a two-seater.
The electric engine gives the MINI E a Cooper S-beating-power-output of 204 HP and 162 lb-ft of torque. Because of the 3,230 lbs weight, the 0-62 mph acceleration doesn't top the Cooper S at “only” 8.5 seconds, but it's good enough.
The battery can be charged from a regular power outlet in approximately eight hours, providing the future customers won't buy a wallbox, which can reduce the charging times to approximately two and a half hours.
If you want to see more images of the Mini E, check out the gallery here.
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