The original Mini was a popular platform for electric powertrain conversions. The home-made example in Norway is very special because it is a rare pickup version of the small vehicle.
Unfortunately, this little truck isn’t very useful as the battery takes up most of the bed. The module comes from the Volkswagen e-Up and offers a capacity of 17.1 kilowatt-hours. The filling port is where you usually fill your car with gasoline.
Under the hood, Think EV donated its drivetrain components to get this Mini moving. All the parts look neat there. Even with the battery, this EV powertrain conversion only makes the car weigh 88 pounds (40 kilograms) more than stock.
Inside, the drive selector and HVAC system are from Think. The original circular speedometer is still around, but its main instrument is now on what looks like an old iPhone.
Mini trucks don’t have much silencer, so passengers can hear everything. Coolant pump and brake booster gurgled. Plus, there is the sound of the electric motor.
Unfortunately, the host of this video doesn’t show the performance of this Mini truck on the road. He never went faster than 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers per hour). Plus, there are lots of speed bumps that interfere with the driving experience.
The Mini Pickup debuted in 1960 along with the van variant. Based on BMW site about them, this truck has a wheelbase of 9.8 inches (25 centimeters) longer than the standard Mini. It could carry 699 pounds (317 kilograms) of cargo. Production ended in 1981, and the company made about 58,000 of them.
In 2018, Mini built a one-off electric Cooper. The company doesn’t give a lot of powertrain specs, but the car looks great.
In 2022, Recharged Heritage began taking orders for electric Mini conversions. It offers two models both of which come with a 19-kilowatt-hour battery. The Pure version has 75 horsepower (56 kilowatts) and 99 pound-feet (125 Newton-meters) of torque. The Sport Class has 97 hp (72 kW) and 111 lb-ft (150 Nm). Both have an estimated driving range of 103 miles (166 kilometers) in the WLTP test.
We even saw a Mini EV convertible packing a Tesla electric motor produces about 300 hp (224 kW). The result is a very fast little car.
