2022 Mini SE - In Focus: Range!

[Domenick]

@Tom Moloughney had a Mini Cooper SE on loan last week and performed our 70-MPH highway range test with it. This is a loop style test that attempts to balance out wind and elevation changes as much as possible. It was meant to be a winter test, but the day he did it, it actually warmed up quite a bit for a New Jersey February day. Here's the write up. Video below.

 

[teslarati97]

@Tom Moloughney had a Mini Cooper SE on loan last week and performed our 70-MPH highway range test with it.

Tom forgot to include the air curtain vents to reduce wheel drag in the Cooper SE 2022 front lip revision. There are no BMS or powertrain efficiency changes that I am aware of. Highway efficiency will be more favorable to sleek aerodynamic vehicles. Other than that, great video!

 

[GvilleGuy]

It was nice to hear Tom mention the speedometer reading fast! (as many of us have noted with our SEs) Thanks for posting the video, @Domenick . I enjoyed it. I'm glad he did not get stranded on the highway.

 

[Domenick]

Tom forgot to include the air curtain vents to reduce wheel drag in the Cooper SE 2022 front lip revision. There are no BMS or powertrain efficiency changes that I am aware of. Highway efficiency will be more favorable to sleek aerodynamic vehicles. Other than that, great video!

Ah, that's a good point about the air curtain vents. Have passed along to Tom.

 

[Puppethead]

New total range for me today, 161 miles! I did nothing special driving-wise, drove my regular commute in mid mode. There's a lot of road construction, so it was less sustained highway speeds. I swear my 2021 SE is getting better with age.

***********************************
Jun 9, 2022 at 17:45 ** 78.8°F ** Wind: 8.078 mph from W ** Humidity: 27% ** Driven: 79.1 Mi ** Start-Batt: 100% ** End-Batt: 51% ** Mi / kWh: 5.59 ** GOM Reading: 52 Mi ** Range Left: 82.39 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 161.49 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 161.551 Mi

 

[Quiet Mini]

After 10,000 miles this car just gets better all the time. After 70 miles today I still had the EPA range left.


Driven: 70.6 Mi
Start-Batt: 100%
End-Batt: 62%
Mi/kWh: 6.43
Total Range (From 100% charge): 185.81 Mi
Total Range (From 100% charge): 185.827 Mi
You ESTIMATED RANGE REMAINING: 115.21 Mi

 

[teslarati97]

Wow 6.43mi/kWh! Was that city driving?

 

[Quiet Mini]

Canyon driving from 5,000 ft to 7,500 feet elevation and back down.

 

[Puppethead]

Canyon driving from 5,000 ft to 7,500 feet elevation and back down.

Impressive! But you got quite the gravity assist. And one benefit of EVs is you don't have to worry about a drop in performance at high altitudes like you do with ICE cars.

 

[Quiet Mini]

I spend a lot of time in the mountains. It always amazes me how the regen advantage more than makes up for the uphill losses. You are correct, the zero power loss at altitude is amazing. There may even be an aero advantage with less air density as well.

 

[CuriousGeorge]

I spend a lot of time in the mountains. It always amazes me how the regen advantage more than makes up for the uphill losses.

If only.

 

[Quiet Mini]

I beat 180 again today!!

Driven: 142 Mi ** Start-Batt: 100% ** End-Batt: 22% ** Mi / kWh: 6.3 ** Range Left: 40.06 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 182.06 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 182.07 Mi

 

[SameGuy]

Whoa. Well done! Another 4.4 miles and you’ll breach the mythical 300 km of range.

 

[insightman]

I beat 180 again today!!

Driven: 142 Mi ** Start-Batt: 100% ** End-Batt: 22% ** Mi / kWh: 6.3 ** Range Left: 40.06 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 182.06 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 182.07 Mi

Based on these results, do you have enough confidence to drive 180 miles before stopping to charge? Despite 20 years of hypermiling experience in my gen-1 Honda Insights, I've been too chicken to attempt such a feat with my SE.

 

[Quiet Mini]

I’m getting more confident but not yet. Today was a big out and back mountain pass with no chargers or phone service so confidence is building but I still turned around earlier than I knew I needed to. I never even think about exceeding the published (laughable) 114 mile range but getting below 10% is something I don’t often do.

 

[Jim In Tucson]

I beat 180 again today!!

Driven: 142 Mi ** Start-Batt: 100% ** End-Batt: 22% ** Mi / kWh: 6.3 ** Range Left: 40.06 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 182.06 Mi ** Total Range (From 100% charge): 182.07 Mi

That’s tremendous.

Every time I read one of these very excellent range reports it helps build my confidence in the SE.

Do you recall what your average speed was?




Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs

 

[Quiet Mini]

Some was 55-65mph. 75% or so was in canyon climbing to a mountain pass so it was a winding 35-45mph.

 

[Jude McHardie]

This is all really impressive.
I've been trying what I can to get efficiency as high as possible... inflating the tyres to the max load pressure, using green+, removing any unnecessary luggage, driving smoothly, and sticking below 90kmh/55mph when I can. Car's lifetime consumption is around 15KWh/100km, I got it to 9.2KWh/100km today.
Do you guys have any other recommendations for maximising range?

 

[SameGuy]

 

[insightman]

This is all really impressive.
I've been trying what I can to get efficiency as high as possible... inflating the tyres to the max load pressure, using green+, removing any unnecessary luggage, driving smoothly, and sticking below 90kmh/55mph when I can. Car's lifetime consumption is around 15KWh/100km, I got it to 9.2KWh/100km today.
Do you guys have any other recommendations for maximising range?

For 20 years, the large bar graph that displayed efficiency on my gen-1 Honda Insight's instrument panel ruled my life. "Go Slow" was my motto. You, too, understand the speed vs efficiency trade-off.

However, everything changed when my MINI Cooper SE arrived 2 years ago. Its intoxicating acceleration and cornering ability has clouded my mind and turned me back into a boy racer. I'm smiling a lot more now than when I tried to get my driving pleasure by satisfying a bar graph.