BMW-owned British car marque Mini has introduced its first-ever, all-electric model – the Cooper SE. It has three doors; a 211-litre boot which can be expanded to 731 litres by folding the rear seats down; and is built in Mini’s Oxford plant alongside the conventionally-powered models. The Mini Cooper SE has a zero-emissions powertrain. To accommodate that, it had to undergo some changes and, in that process, it has gained 145kg over the Mini Cooper S 3-Door with automatic transmission.

Powering the Mini Cooper SE is a single electric motor which puts out 184PS/270Nm at the front wheels only. The motor is mated to a single-stage transmission and an integrated differential. The company claims a 0-100kmph time of 7.3 seconds and an electronically-limited top speed of 150kmph.

Electricity is stored in a 34.6kWh battery, which is staked in a ‘T’ formation in the car’s floor. When fed through an 11kW AC charger, the battery can charge from zero to 80 per cent in two and a half hours, and 100 per cent in three and a half hours. However, when a 50kW DC charger is connected, the zero to 80 per cent charging time goes down to 35 minutes.

Obviously, there are some bespoke features that the Cooper SE gets over its conventionally-powered siblings. One of them is energy recuperation, which can be set in two different levels. Another one is a different set of multi-drive modes – Sport, MID, Green and Green+. As their names suggest, the latter two have been devised to harness maximum efficiency. The list of standard features also includes two-zone climate control, an instrument cluster with a 5.5-inch colour screen, electric parking brake and a 6.5-inch touchscreen Navigation system with Mini Connected services and support for Apple CarPlay.

Being a Mini, there are a host of optional extras available inside and out. The list includes an 8.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, leather upholstery, alloy wheels, cabin trims and exterior finishes. Currently, there’s no word on the market launch or the pricing. But the Mini Cooper SE will begin its innings from Europe and then extend its reach to other important markets.