Oxford-based EV conversion company Electrogenic has partnered with tour firm smallcarBIGCITY to convert its fleet of classic Minis to run on zero emission, all-electric power.
Electrogenic specialises in retrofit technology and car conversions, taking classic cars and converting them to electric power using its proprietary EV technology.
Today [02 February], Electrogenic has introduced ‘Rosie’, the first Mini in the smallcarBIGCITY fleet to undergo an electric conversion.
With a full collection of classic Minis soon to follow, ‘Rosie’ is intended to become the first ever 100% electric converted classic private hire vehicle in London. The next step is Transport for London (TfL) compliance testing before Rosie can carry members of the public.
The Mini is tailor-made to smallcarBIGCITY’s specifications, with its original 51bhp petrol engine replaced with a zero-emission Hyper 9 electric motor which is coupled with a five-speed gearbox. This is permanently restricted to mimic the power of the original engine, as part of TFL’s compliance requirements.
This conversion has a 21kWh battery, giving a range of 80-100 miles. The partnership said it aimed to minimise the build costs to match smallcarBIGCITY’s tour requirements and also maximising luggage space. Electrogenic has battery options that can more than double this range.
Furthermore, the Mini design is visually unchanged inside and out, with the original dashboard restored, with a repurposed fuel gauge showing the battery state of charge. A polished aluminium charging port replaces the original fuel filler cap. The manual gearbox gives the tour driver the option to fully recreate the classic Mini driving experience, or keep it in a single gear for easier urban driving.
Steve Drummond, director and co-founder of Electrogenic, said: “All our conversions are bespoke and this classic Mini is no different. It’s a small car, so fitting in the batteries and the Hyper 9 motor was all about using space efficiently and optimising weight distribution to maintain the Mini’s famous driving characteristics.”
The partnership is a part of smallcarBIGCITY’s sustainability pledge, the company said it aims to offer tours of London in classic vehicles without negatively affecting the planet.
“The next decade is going to be critical in the fight to combat climate change and I firmly believe that everyone has a responsibility to play their part in the recovery,” added Robert Welch, founder and CEO of smallcarBIGCITY.
“London is one of the most progressive and innovative cities in the world, leading the way in sustainable architecture, transport and green spaces. I was inspired by the mayor’s commitment to improving air quality in the capital and wanted to take action in my own business. We’ve already been working for a number of years to offset the carbon we produce, but our aim is to actually be carbon negative by 2023 by converting the fleet to electric, and really focusing on sustainable tourism.”
