Mini E Research Project United Kingdom

The proposed MINI E Research Project UK will test and demonstrate 40 electric passenger cars in diverse contexts involving a wide range of private and corporate users. The future success of ultra-low carbon vehicles will require close collaboration between automobile manufacturers, utility companies, local authorities, regional development agencies and academic institutions. BMW Group is therefore leading a balanced consortium of appropriate stakeholders with complementary challenges, expertise, aspirations and objectives (App.A.1). The location of the vehicle trial will focus primarily on Oxford and South-East England and will enable the evaluation and high-visibility demonstration of usage scenarios in both urban and commuting environments. Within the consortium, BMW Group will be responsible for the development, production, service and technical support of the vehicles. The MINI E is a zero-emission vehicle with sufficient range to enable a wide spectrum of usage scenarios to be tested. The demonstration vehicles will be equipped with data loggers, allowing continuous tracking of vehicle usage and customer behaviour. This objective data will be supplemented by qualitative data gained through customer research activities that will include focus groups and interviews. Oxford Brookes University will conduct this research process with responsibility for methodology, data collection and data analysis. Of equal importance to electric vehicles is the viability of electric infrastructure. Scottish & Southern Energy will play the critical role of developing and providing a suitable domestic and public charging infrastructure for participants of the MINI E field trial.