First Mini EV lands in Brisbane

A Queensland man has become the first person in Australia to take delivery of the new Mini Electric, the latest all-electric model to land in Australia.

Brisbane’s Mini Garage became the first dealership in the country to hand over the keys of an electric Mini – painted in classic British racing green – to Jeff Shaw (pictured), a Brisbane electrical engineer with a passion for Mini and all things electric.

“I’ve always loved Minis, and being an electrical engineer, I also love electric cars,” Mr Shaw said.

“I tested pretty much every EV available in Australia, but never really liked any of them enough to get one. When I heard about the Mini getting electrified, I knew for a fact it would be the car for me.”

Mini took the opportunity of delivering its first EV to also announce a new ownership plan, the Dynamic Mobility Package, which the company believes will help tempt buyers into EV ownership.

The package bundles peripheral hardware and owner benefits into a four-year finance offering, with the option for owners to hand back their car after two years.

The Dynamic Mobility Package includes a Mini wallbox charging system for faster home charging and cables for charging the vehicle at public stations.

This contrasts with Mercedes-Benz, which charges customers an upfront fee of $1250 for its wall box. Mini says the wallbox can deliver an 80% charge of the hatch’s 32.6kWh lithium-ion battery in less than four hours.

The Dynamic Mobility Package also includes five years servicing and roadside assistance, plus an annually renewable option to swap the EV for a petrol- or diesel-powered Mini Countryman to provide long-haul capability for a weekend away.

Owners also have the option to hand back the vehicle at each 24-month checkpoint at no additional cost, while a flexible payment plan provides reduced monthly payments on the second 24-month window.

The payment plan requires a $3000 deposit, followed by weekly installments of $275 for the first 24 months, falling to $98 for the second 24 months, which Mini says is comparable to a 4.99% P.A. rate.

The electric Mini is priced at $59,900 (MRLP) and features a 135kW/270Nm electric motor driving the front wheels and delivering 0-100km/h performance of 7.3 seconds.

That’s around 0.6 seconds quicker than a base Mini Cooper, powered by a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo petrol, but a half- second slower than a Cooper S with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine.

The Mini Electric utilises a 32.6kWh lithium-ion battery that provides a 233km range between charges, using the WLTP measurement standards.

The battery can be charged to 80% in just 35 minutes when using a 50kW DC public charger, says Mini.

Stylistically, the Mini Electric features the same three-door design as its internal combustion powered stable mates, but with unique exterior accents.