Any outlook for large batteries (more range) for future Mini's?

Yes, on this forum one should always be specific: "Mini" vs "MINI"

 

I was referring to the first generation MINI (R50/52/53). Prior Minis were obviously even smaller.

IOW, the MINI has grown significantly larger under BMW's 21 y stewardship, with this SE prototype apparently being an attempt to reverse this trend.

 

My SE is the largest car I've owned since my 1978 Mazda RX-7. I'm OK with the SE's current size or a newer, smaller size, but I won't switch unless MINI adds lightness and doesn't subtract power.

 

Ideally, power:weight remains unchanged. But, we each have our needs/wants/desires (I'd like 150 mi range under worst-case conditions, so I could visit my kid at college w/o having to recharge).

 

If the new one has the same amount of battery, shouldn't it be lighter than the SE with the elimination of all that front end frame? I don't know how MINI is shrinking down the electric motor and heat pump for the smaller space, though. If they drop the heat pump that would be a dealbreaker for me, since I live in the far north.

 

I would want interior to stay the same - and I'd be okay with the exterior shrinking only if crash protection ratings would remain adequate.

 

BMW's new i4 M50 is interesting, maybe foreshadowing the future for MINI? In particular, motor and battery improvement.

"The [drive] units are compact and have a 50 percent higher power density than the drive unit in the i3. Being electrically excited, they eschew the use of rare earth materials in their construction. BMW says the motors have an efficiency of 93 percent."

"The 4.3-inch (110-mm)-tall prismatic cells supplied by CATL and Samsung SDI have a 40 percent higher volumetric energy density than the cells in the outgoing BMW i3."

 

Apparently even the original Morris Mini was too big for some. Not sure how much battery something like this could hold...

 

Reviewing this thread, I'm disappointed that no one seems to have caught my pun.