Electric Mini becomes Formula E safety car

The Mini Electric Pacesetter inspired by John Cooper Works is the new safety car for the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race series which includes Kiwis Mitch Evans and Nick Cassidy.

It’s based on the Mini Electric Hatch but has enhanced performance and less weight and is collaboration between Mini Design, BMW Motorsport, FIA and Formula E.

The safety car debuts in Rome on April 10 at the second event (Race 3) of Formula E’s 2021 season, and will be driven by official FIA Formula E safety car driver Bruno Correia.

“Agility, performance, a cool looking car – the Mini Electric Pacesetter Safety Car for the FIA Formula E World Championship has got it all,” Correia says.

“It’s very fun to drive, it feels like karting.”

The Mini Electric Pacesetter inspired by JCW blends the performance character of the John Cooper Works brand with electric mobility, Mini head Bernd Körber says.

“This extreme version of the Mini Electric has been developed as the safety car for Formula E, so is clearly not intended for use on public roads,” he says.

“But it does reveal one of the directions we could take with the electrification of the JCW brand.”

Mini Design head Oliver Heilmer says many design elements have been shaped by technical considerations.

“For example, we worked closely with our colleagues at BMW Motorsport to develop the form of the wheel arches and front and rear aprons, and the optimisation programme for them included weight-saving measures.”

White flashing lights, mandatory equipment for any safety car, are integrated into the bonnet.

Increased-diameter wheels almost entirely fill the wheel arches, while spats and spoilers are 3D printed from recycled carbon fibre in Oxford – including the roof-mounted rear wing which houses the signal light unit.

Only the front seats remain in a stripped back interior which includes a welded-in roll cage.

Removable pads on the sport seat are 3D-printed and have innovative structures that combine comfort, robustness and modularity and can be adapted to the driver.

The safety car weighs about 1230kg – some 130kg lighter than the standard Mini Cooper SE.

The drive system – also based the Mini Cooper SE – produces 135kW power and 280Nm torque, allowing it to sprint to 100km/h in 6.7 seconds.

It’s fitted with four-piston brakes and Michelin Pilot Sport tyres (size 245/40 R18) – the same as those on the front of Formula E race cars.