Plug in version of Mini to go on sale in Britain

A plug in version of the Mini could be seen on the streets of some of Britain's cities by the end of the year.

By David Millward, Transport Editor Last Updated: 5:40PM GMT 04 Mar 2009

Despite Britain being the home of the Mini, the first tests of the plug in car are being carried out in Germany and the United States
Mini's parent company, BMW, is in talks with the Government over a scheme, which would see the UK participating in an international trial programme.
It is also speaking to local authorities and at least one development agency over establishing a network of charging points.
But despite Britain being the home of the Mini, the first tests of the plug in car are being carried out in Germany and the United States.
They have been allocated 600 cars between them, all of which have been made in Oxford - although the battery itself has been manufactured in Germany.
Should the trials be successful an electric Mini could be put on sale by the middle of the next decade, said Thomas Becker, BMW's head of Government relations.
However unless the car is mass-produced it could carry a price tag of over £30,000.
The US trials, which are taking place in New York and Los Angeles, are due to start within the next few weeks. The German studies will be held in Berlin and Munich in the spring.
"At the end of last year, the UK Government launched a competition for electric car demonstration projects," Mr Becker said. "These talks are still ongoing."
The plug-in Mini - or Mini E - has a top speed of 94 mph and can go 155 miles on a single charge as well as going from 0 to 62 mph in 8.5 seconds.
It is part of a larger BMW programme, known as Project I, to develop fuel-efficient urban cars with minimal carbon emissions.
At the same time BMW is drawing up plans for two hybrid cars of its own, which would see versions of its larger models being equipped with both petrol and electric engines.