Mini set to plug in

They are not toys. And the batteries are included.

The Mini E is the first solid sign that the BMW Group is getting serious about electric motoring, promising a workable battery-powered range of more than 200 kilometres and running costs of less than five cents a kilometre.

A full fleet of 500 cars will be ready for action early next year, and will be sold into key US cities including LA and New York.

The Mini E loses its conventional petrol or diesel engine in favour of a high-tech Lithium-Ion battery pack which powers a 150 kiloWatt electric motor.

It is claimed to have a top speed of 150km/h, 0-100km/h time of 8.5 seconds and a re-charge time of less than three hours.

The Mini move comes quickly after American officialdom demanded a percentage of each carmaker's fleet must be zero-emission by 2012, but not as quickly as Mercedes-Benz or Mitsubishi.

Benz already has a 100-strong fleet of Smart electric cars under test in London and Mitsubishi plans to have its i-Miev electric minicar in full-scale production in 2009.

The Mini E is being introduced as a test vehicle with government departments and a small number of private owners on a least system.

There are no plans yet to bring the car to Australia, although Mercedes and Mitsubishi are both committed to local sales of their plug-ins and the i-Miev should be on the road locally in 2009.