MINI SE Undercarriage

Subtle changes in the angle at which the rear shocks are mounted, perhaps? (I didn't read the parts list in the outmotoring post to see what other parts might be different.)

Although the SE weighs more than the ICE version, it's not a ton more... like having a super sized American friend sitting in the middle of the back seat.* It therefore might not take much to make sure it "drives like a MINI", especially if you take changes in tires/recommended tire pressures into account.

*Anybody ever calculated the front and rear axle weights of the SE vs. the ICE? I have not, but based on the stated distributions it intuitively seems to me that almost all of the extra mass is carried by the rear wheels.

 

Relying on C&D's stated weight distributions of 58/42 vs 63/37 and assuming that the SE and S weigh 3144 and 2813 lbs, respectively, I calculate that the SE carries only an extra 52 lbs on its front wheels, vs an extra 283 on the back. It therefore makes sense why they choose to mix-and-match existing front and rear ICE suspension components in the SE.

 

Thanks for referring to this video. I'm always looking for SE videos I haven't seen. That said, now I know at least one source for the comments all over the web about the SE's motor being poorly designed and prone to overheating and subsequent automatic 50% power reduction. I suspect it is impossible to overheat the SE's motor in any non-racing scenario. We live in Chandler, AZ. The first two months we owned our SE it hit 100-110 degrees almost daily. We've never experienced the automatic power reduction described in the video, even with extended drives at over 70mph on the freeway with the A/C blasting. I would love to hear the particulars from anyone who's had their SE's motor power down in normal driving.

 

Likewise I have never seen a power reduction in 110 degree weather. I wonder if it would occur on a road trip with multiple fast charge stops? I have no need to test that scenario though. Being aware of the One Lap video I have tried my best to trigger a power reduction in everyday driving on public roads, but couldn't make it happen.

I'm sure they see this as a critical area of improvement for the JCW version.

 

It is interesting how quickly power seems to have been limited. It makes you wonder how many hot laps were performed before that video was shot.

 

That's a good point. The silly skeuomorphic gasoline meter read 50% at the start of the video, which IIRC means somewhere between 37.5-50% SoC?

 

Never had an issue with overheating while driving.

However, our no-A/C garage does gets extremely hot in hot weather with two cars charging. So on hot days I will run a blower fan in front of the SE to assist the battery cooling system. At least it makes me feel better.


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In the summer when it's been over 90 ºF and doing freeway driving for an hour I've never had an issue. The only power reduction I've experienced is in -10 ºF or below. Even then you barely notice the power reduction while driving, it really mostly affects acceleration.

Based on the fact that it happens in extreme cold, and when the SE "overheated" on the track, I'm thinking it's based on the discharge rate of the batteries and not the motor itself.

 

IIRC, there is (was) no fast charger at the track, and the car was driven from NJ (?) to NC (with occasional stops, of course) for testing. The low-ish state-of-charge may therefore not be due to prior hot laps.

On a related note, how many 0-60 pulls did Matt (?) in MI (?) do before his car started slowing down? It seems like it was more than the number of accelerations in this video.

Since you can't turn off the traction control entirely, is it possible that it wasn't the drivetrain overheating but lack of grip that caused the car to reduce power?

 

Perhaps the JCW Electric will have a functional hood scoop?

I'm sad that the current SE has an overheating problem that limits its performance on the race track, but so impressed how my SE performs on the street. The key contributor to my joy is the SE's relatively light weight. How can MINI make the current SE more powerful (larger motor), more track-ready (larger cooling system, stiffer body, wider wheels, and fender flares), while offering the same range (larger battery), without making it weigh a bunch more?

The MINI Electric Pacemaker inspired by JCW safety car for the Formula E racing series is basically an SE (text from linked article):
The Pacesetter is powered by the same electric motor as the standard Cooper SE, with the same 181 hp but also 206 pound-feet of torque—7 lb-ft more than the standard car. Mini also gutted the interior, giving the Pacesetter a 2,711-pound curb weight. That's about 286 pounds less than the Cooper SE, according to Mini.

Nothing about the cooling system, but I assume MINI must have done something to ensure the MINI Electric Pacemaker inspired by JCW doesn't lose power halfway around the Formula E track due to overheating. It's not going to be easy to make a street version of this car that doesn't weigh a ton.

I wish my SE weighed just 2,711 lbs, but not if I have to give up it's luxurious interior or its adequate 110-mile range. IMO MINI hit a difficult performance/range/weight sweet-spot with the SE. Thank you, MINI.

 

Re-watching the video, at just past 3 minutes he mentions "I've noticed this before, I've been driving the car hard already" and then "earlier I was able to get a lap at full power".

 

I don’t think enough experimentation has taken place with the SE. Something as simple as keeping the shutters open during a track event might work wonders. If not, maybe a dry ice pack under the hood would work. There is always a solution. It’s just a matter of finding out what works with the SE. And what is the most cost effective.


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I can get my SE to lose power. All it takes is a few hard accelerations - by hard I mean 100% power up till around 100 kmph. It does seem to be worse when the weather is cold, so as stated earlier it might not be a heating issue.

On long journeys with several charging stops, I haven’t had issues.

It doesn’t affect how I use the car by any means, but for some it’s a shame it can’t be used on a track.

 

A big thank you to Rasmus, Puppethead, and CuriousGeorge. Your posts confirmed for me the SE motor will not power down due to overheating in normal driving. The extreme cold situation is a known issue with all the battery systems in use in EVs as far as I can determine and not related to the motor itself. The battery system will also not charge nearly as fast in very cold weather. They are having the same issues with all the lithium battery systems being installed on many RVs these days.