2009 Mini-E Delayed Due To Overwhelming Customer Demand

So popular is the upcoming Mini-E plug-in electric vehicle that BMW now has the task of informing some 1350 people that they won’t be getting one. Approximately 1800 eager applicants have put their hand up, which is a great show of support, but there are only 450 cars available.

To even be considered a worthy recipient, applicants must live near Los Angeles, New York, or New Jersey and must not require a range greater than the Mini can provide.

The battery powered Mini should be good for around 240km before needing more juice, but this figure can fluctuate depending on how much energy is recaptured through regenerative braking.

In addition to range restrictions, buyers must also provide a lockable garage to house both the car and its charging station, and be willing to shell out over AUD$1200 a month for the honour of holding a one year lease.

For the money, applicants will receive a full-electric Mini with around 150kW and 220Nm of torque on tap. The lithium-ion battery cells should be capable of pushing the charged up go-kart from 0-100km/h in the around 8 seconds while top speed is electronically limited to around 155km/h.

Due to the number of applications, delivery has been delayed while BMW sorts out the logistics of who gets what. Initially, the 450 Mini-E units were expected to meet their owners at the beginning of this year, but BMW now expects to begin deliveries around April.