The Mini Cooper SE Electric Goes Topless

• Powered soft-top opens and closes within 18 seconds and can be operated at speeds up to 30kmph.

• Is largely identical to the hard-top Cooper SE in looks and features.

• Retains the 186PS electric motor and 32.6kWh battery pack from its hard-top counterpart.

• Offers a WLTP-claimed 230km range on a single charge.

• Is a one-off model, but could preview an optional version for the upcoming next-gen Cooper.

The Mini Cooper SE already holds an important place in the carmaker’s history as being their first ever electric model. Now they’ve decided to make it topless. By that, we mean they have revealed the Cooper SE Convertible. Sure, it's just a one-off model, but it is a working model, and the first electric hatch to get an open top.

 

The main hallmark of the Mini Cooper SE is obviously on the roof, or more so, the disappearing roof in this case. The soft top is electronically operated and can be opened and closed in 18 seconds. Of course it can only be operated at speeds up to 30kmph.

 

Aside from that, the Cooper SE Convertible is pretty much identical to its hard-top counterpart, with the likes of circular LED headlights, the mustache-like front grille surround, 17-inch alloy wheels, yellow accents in the ORVMs, and the Union Jack tail lights all retained. Heck, it's even dimensionally identical to the hard-top Cooper SE, measuring 3863 mm long, 1727mm wide, 2495mm tall with a wheelbase of 2495mm. 

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Under the hood, it has the standard Cooper SE’s 32.6kWh battery pack and 184PS electric motor. It manages to do the 0-100kmph sprint in 7.7-seconds compared to the 7.3 seconds of the standard model. As for range, it manages a WLTP-claimed 230km range on a single charge, just 3km shy of the standard model’s 233km claimed range.

While the Mini Cooper SE Convertible is just a one-off model, it could be a preview of what Mini could offer with the next-gen Cooper SE EV, which is expected to debut in 2023. In the Indian market, bookings for the hard-top model have reopened for a batch of 40 units. While it's now priced at Rs 50.90 lakh (ex-showroom), there’s a host of new active safety features as well as heated sports seats.