The Next Generation Mini EV Will Adopt Back Rollers, Here's The Advantage

JAKARTA - British automotive brand Mini confirmed the next generation model will have a rear-wheel drive configuration by adopting the latest platform from the BMW Group or leaving out the front wheels that have been adopted for several years.

Launching from Autocar, Tuesday, February 25, the platform is the latest Gen6 800V which is claimed to make drastic progress compared to the current generation of electric vehicle technology.

The claimed progress includes increasing the range and speed of charging, as well as reducing car manufacturing costs.

The technology will be first adapted to BMW iX3 which will launch in September. After that, the system will be present in all ranks of BMW, Rolls-Royce, and Mini electric vehicle brands.

Cooper and Aceman are currently moving forward but are using a dedicated architecture developed in partnership with Chinese manufacturer Great Wall Motor (GWM). The parent company has not disclosed the release of the latest platform.

This new platform configuration means a single-engine car can only be owned with a powertrain in the back doubles. This is because the main electric synchronous motor (EESM) is the only one offered by the BMW Group with an integrated gearbox, and it is placed exclusively between the rear wheels.

According to BMW Group, the company has no plans to develop an EESM to use on the front doubles and only use the latest small asynchronous (ASM) drivers installed up front.

This decision was taken because rear wheel drive arrangements are considered better for driving dynamics. Thus, this platform can only support rear wheel drive settings and all wheels in single, dual, tri, and quad motorcycle configurations.