For a while now, BMW has been saying that its next all-electric vehicle after the i3 is going to be an electric Mini, but instead of unveiling the production vehicle, the German automaker has been unveiling electric Mini concept vehicles one after the other.

This week, it is unveiling the third concept electric Mini vehicle: “the classic Mini Electric.”

An all-electric Mini is probably the most long overdue electric vehicle.

Not only it’s an ideal segment to electrify due to its size and functionalities, but BMW’s early EV program, the Mini-E, BMW’s first EV concept, was based on the Mini.

Back in 2008, they actually converted hundreds of Mini vehicles with all-electric drivetrains. The program led to the BMW i3, but never to an electric Mini for some reason.

Then last year, BMW unveiled another electric Mini concept.

This week, it is topping it off with a third electric Mini concept ahead of the actual production car:

BMW described the idea behind the concept vehicle:

“The classic Mini Electric is the result of an imaginary journey through time, where the story of classic model is extended by a consecutive chapter. The original from the second half of the 20th century becomes a sympathetic ambassador for environmental awareness and a form of sustainable mobility whose future has just begun.”

The actual production electric Mini is instead based on the Mini-3 and it should be launched next year.

The classic Mini Electric will be exposed at the New York International Auto Show this week.

Electrek’s Take

At this point, the electric Mini better ends up being the best electric vehicle out there.

They have been working on electric Mini vehicles for a decade now and they came out with 3 different working concepts without ever bringing a vehicle to production.

It’s getting ridiculous.

A decade ago, the vehicle already offered a range of about 100 miles – better than several electric vehicles on the market just a few years ago.

A decade later, I hope that they bring a range of just over 200 miles with a relatively small battery pack able to charge quickly. If they can deliver that without increasing the price drastically before gas-saving and incentives, I think they could have a market leader in compact urban vehicles.

They should stop working on concept vehicles and deliver that instead.

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