Motorcycles

Mini MINI – the Scooter E concept

Mini MINI – the Scooter E concept
MINI Scooter E concept
MINI Scooter E concept
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MINI Scooter E concept
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How do you get more mini than a MINI? Try the MINI Scooter E, a new concept to be shown at the Paris Motor Show which takes the design language of MINI's current line-up and adds a healthy dose of retro styling to create an all-electric two wheeler – a first for the brand. The Scooter E uses an in-hub motor at the rear wheel powered by a lithium-ion battery which is recharged via a conventional socket using an on-board cable. Conventional keys are discarded in favor of a smartphone, which also becomes the display panel when slotted into the integrated dock.

The use of a smartphone also extends to the navigation and infotainment system, with a Bluetooth link to a MINI helmet providing access to your tunes – and phone calls – while on the move. A wraparound speedometer surrounds the smartphone dock along with a charge indicator.

Other notable design elements include 11-inch rims, lashings of chrome trim, two upright tail lights flanking the MINI logo and a distinctive large headlight derived from the MINI Countryman.

Also taken from the MINI Countryman is the mounting rail which runs from inside the windshield down to the foot rest. This rail accommodates various clip-on holders for helmets, sunglasses, umbrellas and the like. There's also two compartments on the inside of the windshield for carrying personal items and at the rear, a storage space is provided for the five meter long charging cable (complete with spring-loaded mechanism for simple retraction).

Three versions of the E Scooter were unveiled last week at a function in London. Two of these – a single seater and a twin-seater version – will be on display at the Paris Motor Show where we'll have a chance to get a closer look.

“The MINI Scooter E Concept represents an electric vision of the future as urban mobility takes a new direction by MINI," says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design."The MINI Scooter E Concept is true to our brand values of distinctive design, intelligent functionality and customization and builds further on these characteristics by combining driving pleasure with sustainable technology into the first two-wheel concept of its kind for MINI.”

A sign of the times

MINI's interest in the two wheeled space seems to make sense given the ongoing push towards greener, leaner ways to get from A to B and the need for smaller vehicle footprints in urban areas. Daimler clearly agrees, having also announced that it will show a two wheeled smart escooter concept concept in Paris. We wonder what the big motorcycle manufacturers make of this new direction.

Via MINI.

Adrian van Hooydonk discusses the E Scooter concept in the MINI video below:

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6 comments
6 comments
Lupoi Alexandru-Nicolae
Must everything be iPhone-ized? It\'s not even that good of a phone... Well, to each his own
waltinseattle
such a concept, calling the scooter to start up and get ready to---purrr..well, yes, everthing does have to I phone, its an app world out there. Keys are no longer reliable solid state devices, they are relics. (What happens in the rain? phone goes, just like mine goes dead in bad weather and its still in my pocket. Bic Bic Bic world too, they can\'t make them robust, but they can sell a pocket protector.
Ratzmandious
The other thing is how often a mobile device gets updated. For the outlay of what one of these would cost, I would expect to own it for four or five years. Your average smartphone gets upgraded to a new model every 12 to 18 months, usually with a completely different shape which wouldn\'t fit into this carefully moulded dock.
And we\'re not even getting into the iPhone vs Android vs Win7 vs Blackberry debate here... which would it support? Which would dock? Would a glitch on the phone software cause the bike to misbehave?
Luddite
No smartphone, no go, no way! Keys don\'t have batteries that go dead. Especially at the rate smartphone batteries last.
Nimi
Nice styling, but what kind of innovation is he talking about ? This is innovative: Portable E-scooter www.mygreenmiles.com
Photon
A great concept from a cool company, especially in utilizing existing parts off the MINI which should help reduce start-up production costs. Which is critical here, because the soon to explode demand for electric bicycles, scooters and motorcycles are going to be led by folks who not only care about the environment, but who also demand a good deal.
If Mini can distribute this jewel of a scooter through their existing dealer network for under $4K in the U.S. and 3.2K euros in Europe, I think that in addition to the \"green\" market, they will sell a significant number to existing MINI owners just because of the novelty of it looking so, well, MINI.
MINI and Daimler have such a great concept here, I wonder why dominant scooter manufacturers like Honda, Yamaha, Kymco and Piaggio appear to be dragging their kickstands towards this new market?