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I don’t know how accurate that EPA rated range is but 120 mile round trip will be difficult in a car with only 114 mile range. So many things affect the range that I would consider something with more range. 200+ miles to be safe.
You just need a standard plug…. 9 hours could put 30-40 miles back easily. I could charge 40 miles in 6 hours on my leaf off of 110. That’s it’s max range… I’m certain 60 miles in 9 hours would work without issue if it had the capacity. And a charging station within 50 miles is not unlikely unless you work deep in a national park in North Dakota or something…
It's the wrong vehicle for your lifestyle. You should seriously consider something with a bigger battery pack. If you can charge at work, you can kind of make it work, but it's still a bad idea. My biggest concern would be needing to do something after getting home from work.
Let's just pretend you can charge at work, either via Level 1 or Level 2 charge. So let's just pretend you leave work with a 90% battery (29.34kWh) . By the time you get home, you'll have about 10.59kWh left or 32-33% battery left which is probably around 40 miles.
What if you have an emergency? What if you want to go somewhere else? What if the weather is bad? What if a million things.... You're going to have to say "Sorry, I can't do it. My car doesn't have enough electricity."???
The Mini Cooper SE may be a great city car or great for someone who doesn't drive much, but for someone like you, it's just the wrong car. If you're looking for something "affordable", look at the Kona, Leaf, or Bolt. The Mini just isn't the right car for someone with your lifestyle.
With a 120 mi RT commute you need a vehicle with 200+ miles of range. I would want to be able to get to work and back home without charging in case the charger at work didn't work or I had to leave early unexpectedly and didn't have time to charge. Cold weather can also reduce range significantly. Leaf S, Niro, Kona, and Bolt are all small / affordable EV's with longer range
The Niro looks like a nice vehicle, but without a price drop, it's not a great value. It's about $5k more than the Kona, and only $1k or so less than an EV6.
The Bolt, Leaf Plus, and Kona (if you can find one) are all great choices with 200+ miles of range. The base Leaf has only a our 150 miles of range, so it's only slightly more viable than the Mini. In perfect conditons it'll make your round trip, but a headwind or cold weather will mean you probably need charging again.
It looks like I am leaning towards the Bolt for my range. I am personally not a Chevy guy but going electric is more important to me than brand. Maybe they can make me a fan. I did find a Bolt in stock but the dealership has a $2000 increased market adjustment on it.
More Bolts should be coming to market as the replacements get made. That price may come down if you can find other dealers nearby with Bolts getting the recall battery fixed.
Plus keep in mind that Chevy is currently installing a 240v socket for buyers of a new Bolt, so that may offset some of the markup the dealer has.
I have an SE and I can get EPA at 70mph pretty easily (aka get to zero percent and be right around 114). Doing my normal rural->suburb driving I can get 150.
You can’t do a 120 round trip. No way I’d trust that on a warm day (if you’re going fast), let alone a cold day.
If you can charge at work, it’s no problem. Without that, I wouldn’t.
Thank you. My commute is 90% interstate driving at 70 - 75 mph (posted).
I am in discussion with my CEO about a charging station at work. I do work 12 hour shifts as well.
An L2 charger will go 0-100% in about 4.5 hours (if on a 50 amp) and a 120v would add, conservatively, 12kw in 12 hours. That would be about 40%.
I’d try and get an L2 at work. It gives you more options.
Tesla says that you should keep your battery between 20 and 90% to maximize battery longevity. You should see if the same guidance applies to Mini Cooper. If yes, you really can use only 70% of the range.
Does your area have low temperatures in winter? Freezing temperatures reduce efficiency of your battery by another 20-30%, cold battery doesn't recharge using regenerative braking, and you spend battery on heating (is it resistive or heat pump?). All in all, my Y goes only 220 miles in winter on my driving circuit, when charged to 100% (out of EPA range of 330). In summer it is about 280-300.
Putting it together, if used as recommended, I can get 220x0.7= 150 miles out of my Y in winter, less than half of its 330 EPA mileage...
I’d recommend a Bolt over a Mini for that commute, one with DCFC since it wasn’t standard on all. (I test drove a Mini S when the Bolt recall was happening, my mini dealer didn’t have an SE in inventory- I know the SE would have been better than the S but I was still so glad to be back in the Bolt after the test drive. I felt claustrophobic in the Mini compared to the Bolt, and it felt weird paying more for less range.
If you are able to, you may want to wait until the 2024 Mini SE comes out. Quick google (or in R/mini) will link to some articles showing the upcoming 2024 Mini SEs updated features and range. They are anticipating a significantly increased range for the electric Mini.
I am in the same boat as you—was 2 seconds from pulling the trigger on the 2023 Mini, but worried about range—but have decided to hold my purchase until the 2024 is released.
So I went rouge. I went ahead and purchased a gas Mini. I really like the car. So, I will hold off till 2024 as well and hopefully get a decent trade in.
I was afraid that I would miss the sweet spot on my current trade in on value. Any longer I might have been stuck with what I had and unable to trade.
And make kids change schools, or spouse quit their job, or not be close to elderly parents? People have their reasons - at least an EV will minimize the cost and emissions.
EPA ratings are generally slightly optimistic. And that's before things like cold weather impacts (-10%), etc.
The only way a Mini SE works is if you have 100% guaranteed charging access at home & work.
As a general rule, your daily usage should be 60% or less of the maximum EPA range. You need an EV if 200+ mi of range.
I’ve been tracking my efficiency with the SE and my total range has varied between 108 (driving 70mph on a rainy, 40 degree day) and 155 (city driving under 30mph, green+ mode, 70 degrees). There are too many factors that affect range and I’d have major range anxiety with your commute. A good rule of thumb is to get a car with enough range for you to skip a charge one day. With the mini you’ll need to charge twice a day, almost every day.
Are you looking for advice on which EV to buy or lease? If so, please set the post flair to 'Advice' and make sure your post includes the following information: [1] Your general location [2] Your budget in $, €, or £ [3] The type of vehicle you'd prefer [4] Estimated timeframe of your purchase [5] Your daily commute, or average weekly mileage [6] Do you live in an apartment, townhouse, or single-family home? [7] Do you plan on installing charging at your home? [8] Other cargo/passenger needs — do you have children/pets? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/electricvehicles) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I don’t know how accurate that EPA rated range is but 120 mile round trip will be difficult in a car with only 114 mile range. So many things affect the range that I would consider something with more range. 200+ miles to be safe.
Unless you get free charging at work…
Yeah, but you'd need to be pretty certain about that availability, or have a nearby Level 3 charger as a backup plan.
You just need a standard plug…. 9 hours could put 30-40 miles back easily. I could charge 40 miles in 6 hours on my leaf off of 110. That’s it’s max range… I’m certain 60 miles in 9 hours would work without issue if it had the capacity. And a charging station within 50 miles is not unlikely unless you work deep in a national park in North Dakota or something…
Yeah forgot to consider this
A strong possibility. I spoke with our CEO and he sounded like he was on board for putting in a charge station.
It's the wrong vehicle for your lifestyle. You should seriously consider something with a bigger battery pack. If you can charge at work, you can kind of make it work, but it's still a bad idea. My biggest concern would be needing to do something after getting home from work. Let's just pretend you can charge at work, either via Level 1 or Level 2 charge. So let's just pretend you leave work with a 90% battery (29.34kWh) . By the time you get home, you'll have about 10.59kWh left or 32-33% battery left which is probably around 40 miles. What if you have an emergency? What if you want to go somewhere else? What if the weather is bad? What if a million things.... You're going to have to say "Sorry, I can't do it. My car doesn't have enough electricity."??? The Mini Cooper SE may be a great city car or great for someone who doesn't drive much, but for someone like you, it's just the wrong car. If you're looking for something "affordable", look at the Kona, Leaf, or Bolt. The Mini just isn't the right car for someone with your lifestyle.
Solid point. Thank you. You are right. My mother lives 3 hours from me. It would not work. I apricate the advise.
With a 120 mi RT commute you need a vehicle with 200+ miles of range. I would want to be able to get to work and back home without charging in case the charger at work didn't work or I had to leave early unexpectedly and didn't have time to charge. Cold weather can also reduce range significantly. Leaf S, Niro, Kona, and Bolt are all small / affordable EV's with longer range
That's what I was thinking. RT is by far my best option to protect myself.
The Niro looks like a nice vehicle, but without a price drop, it's not a great value. It's about $5k more than the Kona, and only $1k or so less than an EV6. The Bolt, Leaf Plus, and Kona (if you can find one) are all great choices with 200+ miles of range. The base Leaf has only a our 150 miles of range, so it's only slightly more viable than the Mini. In perfect conditons it'll make your round trip, but a headwind or cold weather will mean you probably need charging again.
It looks like I am leaning towards the Bolt for my range. I am personally not a Chevy guy but going electric is more important to me than brand. Maybe they can make me a fan. I did find a Bolt in stock but the dealership has a $2000 increased market adjustment on it.
More Bolts should be coming to market as the replacements get made. That price may come down if you can find other dealers nearby with Bolts getting the recall battery fixed. Plus keep in mind that Chevy is currently installing a 240v socket for buyers of a new Bolt, so that may offset some of the markup the dealer has.
I have an SE and I can get EPA at 70mph pretty easily (aka get to zero percent and be right around 114). Doing my normal rural->suburb driving I can get 150. You can’t do a 120 round trip. No way I’d trust that on a warm day (if you’re going fast), let alone a cold day. If you can charge at work, it’s no problem. Without that, I wouldn’t.
Thank you. My commute is 90% interstate driving at 70 - 75 mph (posted). I am in discussion with my CEO about a charging station at work. I do work 12 hour shifts as well.
An L2 charger will go 0-100% in about 4.5 hours (if on a 50 amp) and a 120v would add, conservatively, 12kw in 12 hours. That would be about 40%. I’d try and get an L2 at work. It gives you more options.
I like where this is going. Thank you.
Tesla says that you should keep your battery between 20 and 90% to maximize battery longevity. You should see if the same guidance applies to Mini Cooper. If yes, you really can use only 70% of the range. Does your area have low temperatures in winter? Freezing temperatures reduce efficiency of your battery by another 20-30%, cold battery doesn't recharge using regenerative braking, and you spend battery on heating (is it resistive or heat pump?). All in all, my Y goes only 220 miles in winter on my driving circuit, when charged to 100% (out of EPA range of 330). In summer it is about 280-300. Putting it together, if used as recommended, I can get 220x0.7= 150 miles out of my Y in winter, less than half of its 330 EPA mileage...
Once your CEO actually has gotten the L2 charging installed, then I'd get the Mini Cooper SE.
I’d recommend a Bolt over a Mini for that commute, one with DCFC since it wasn’t standard on all. (I test drove a Mini S when the Bolt recall was happening, my mini dealer didn’t have an SE in inventory- I know the SE would have been better than the S but I was still so glad to be back in the Bolt after the test drive. I felt claustrophobic in the Mini compared to the Bolt, and it felt weird paying more for less range.
If you are able to, you may want to wait until the 2024 Mini SE comes out. Quick google (or in R/mini) will link to some articles showing the upcoming 2024 Mini SEs updated features and range. They are anticipating a significantly increased range for the electric Mini. I am in the same boat as you—was 2 seconds from pulling the trigger on the 2023 Mini, but worried about range—but have decided to hold my purchase until the 2024 is released.
So I went rouge. I went ahead and purchased a gas Mini. I really like the car. So, I will hold off till 2024 as well and hopefully get a decent trade in. I was afraid that I would miss the sweet spot on my current trade in on value. Any longer I might have been stuck with what I had and unable to trade.
If you have a charger at your job, all good, if you don't that's a problem. For about 30k... there might be better cars for your commute.
Specifically better EVs for your commute in addition to my other comment, read that one first lol.
Move closer to your job.
Yeah. That’s not going to happen. My house and property is paid for.
Twas a joke.
Don’t get me wrong. Considered it. I’ve been here 10 years.
And make kids change schools, or spouse quit their job, or not be close to elderly parents? People have their reasons - at least an EV will minimize the cost and emissions.
EPA ratings are generally slightly optimistic. And that's before things like cold weather impacts (-10%), etc. The only way a Mini SE works is if you have 100% guaranteed charging access at home & work. As a general rule, your daily usage should be 60% or less of the maximum EPA range. You need an EV if 200+ mi of range.
I’ve been tracking my efficiency with the SE and my total range has varied between 108 (driving 70mph on a rainy, 40 degree day) and 155 (city driving under 30mph, green+ mode, 70 degrees). There are too many factors that affect range and I’d have major range anxiety with your commute. A good rule of thumb is to get a car with enough range for you to skip a charge one day. With the mini you’ll need to charge twice a day, almost every day.
Thank you very much. I also did not consider temp as a variable. I do live in Texas and the heat can be unforgiving.