According to Mike Peyton, one of the senior managers of Mini USA, being a ‘hot hatchback’ does not necessitate having a gas engine.
Speaking in an interview, he pointed out that performance, handling, and driving enjoyment are the key factors that make up the whole impression. As such, the Mini John Cooper Works may go all-electric someday in the distant future.
Why distant? According to the engineering department of Mini, the currently adopted battery tech is too large and heavy to squeeze into a compact car. For now, the company is going to continue building ICE cars while keeping an eye out for technological progress.
The Mini product range already includes a few hybrids and one purely electric vehicle, the Mini Cooper SE (see the gallery and the video). Propelled forward by 184 hp (137 kW) of electric power, it needs 7.3 seconds to get from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph). The maximum speed is clamped at 150 km/h (93 mph), and a single charge can get you as far as 270 km (167 miles).