New Mini Gets a Smile from Gordon

The new Mini E, an all-electric, zero emission vehicle built for the urban environment, arrived at Downing Street.

The British Prime Minister has had a hard time recently and needed something to lift the mood. That something seemed to be the arrival of the new Mini E, a fully fledged electric car ready for tests on London’s streets.

Minsters and selected members of the public will be testing around 40 of these new vehicles around our nation’s capital to see how they cope with real world demands.

The Prime Minister was joined by Cabinet colleagues, including the Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, who has been an enthusiastic supporter of electric vehicle development through the Government’s Technology Strategy Board.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown comments, 

“I congratulate BMW and MINI for their ground-breaking electric MINI project and I welcome the extensive user field trial that has now begun.”

The Prime Minister added,

“The low carbon transport industry will not only cut harmful emissions but has the potential to be a major source of jobs and growth. We have already committed £400 million of support to the sector, encouraging its development and take-up, and I am confident that in future years we will see thousands more electric and other low carbon cars on Britain’s roads."

Lord Mandelson elaborates on what they hope to achieve from the test,

“I am delighted that the MINI E is going to be put through its paces by Government ministers for two months. The Government is keen to show that driving electric vehicles is fun. I want the UK to be a world leader in low carbon transport and cars like the UK-built MINI can help us achieve that aim.”

Like the MINI E research projects in North America and Germany, the UK trial is a collaborative effort between the partners in a BMW Group UK-led consortium.

Not only will the cars be emission free but the electricity supplied to them through a recharging infrastructure will be from renewable energy sources in an offsetting scheme by Scottish and Southern Electric.

Additional funding is provided by the Technology Strategy Board as part of a UK-wide programme involving trials of 340 ultra-low carbon vehicles from several manufacturers. This funding enables the monthly lease for MINI pioneers to be reduced from £550 to £330.

E. Dooley

07/01/2010