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Mini may not build electric cars in England due to Brexit

BMW will decide whether to build its new electric Mini in Britain or elsewhere by the end of September, its board member for sales told Reuters, in a test of the country's ability to continue to attract investment as it leaves the EU. Mini makes around 70 percent of its approximately 360,000 compact cars at its Oxford plant in southern England but the car industry is concerned about the effect any loss of unfettered access to the EU, its largest export market, could have on plants after Brexit. BMW is deciding between its English site, a plant in the Netherlands where it has built more of its conventional line-up in recent years, and its Germany plants at Leipzig and Regensburg for the new low-emissions variant. The firm's board member for sales told Reuters that the electric Mini investment, likely to be worth tens of millions of pounds, would come in the next three months and the board was currently considering a number of factors including Brexit. "One of the elements is what is the likelihood of a tax regime and if there's a tax regime, how would it apply," Ian Robertson said during an interview at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in southern England. "If you made the motor in a German plant and you then assembled the car in a British plant, and you took the cars back to the German market, then the duty that you would pay would be reclaimed," he said, in an example of the options companies are examining to plan for any duties or tariffs. The automaker is also looking into where the uptake of greener models is strongest and where the best supply chains are, he said. Britain could approve its first major electric battery hub in the next few weeks after officials in central England submitted proposals to ministers in May. But last month, the car industry issued its strongest warning yet on the need for politicians to strike a transitional Brexit deal after two-year talks to ensure unfettered trade is maintained. Uncertainty has also been heightened after a snap June 8 election which left Prime Minister Theresa May without a majority and has led to ministers in her administration hinting at different versions of Britain's likely post-Brexit future. Last year, May's administration helped secure two new models at Japanese carmaker Nissan's plant in the north of England after what a source said was a government promise of extra support to counter any loss of competitiveness caused by Brexit.

BMW is ready for our inevitable EV future  

Is "rolling lithium" a thing, yet? Because BMW is trying to make this — the opposite of " rolling coal" — happen at this year's Los Angeles Auto Show. The Bavarian vehicular group is showing five all-new electric-powered concepts or production models in L.A. These include the C-Evolution, a 99-mile range scooter from BMW Motorcycles; the 150-mile range, two-door hardtop Electric Concept from Mini; and three vehicles from its advanced i sub-brand: the i3S, a sportier and more potent version of the brand's electric commuter nodule; the i Vision Dynamics four-door coupe concept, featuring a sporty four-second 0-60 time and a professed 373 mile range; and the long-promised roadster version of the i8 supercar, with just two seats, a bikini top, and an enhanced power pack providing 18 miles of range. The unveiling of these vehicles in Los Angeles makes perfect sense to us. California is one of the world's largest markets for luxury automobiles. It is also America's biggest market for electric-powered vehicles. Studies show that the state's combination of fiscal incentives, trendsetting cultural positioning, legislative requirements and massive population contributed to the purchase of half of the country's EVs and hybrids this decade. "The customers for the brand are mainly on the West and East Coasts, and the California customer especially is interested in sustainability and environmental protection," said Robert Irlinger, head of BMW's advanced i sub-brand. The bigger question revolves around BMW's larger EV strategy. Given the current global regulatory environment, with its rightful pressures on increasing efficiency and decreasing emissions to help soothe our warming planet and save all life on it, luxury automakers seem to be making a push toward developing a range of battery-powered vehicles to be available around or after the start of the next decade. It seems BMW, with its varied subsidiaries — from lightweight scooters to ultra-luxury barges — is uniquely poised to provide an array of such vehicles. "In the first stage of i back in 2013, we brought what you could call 'bookmark' cars to the market — the i3 commuter and i8 sports car — to show the range of what an electric vehicle could be," said Irlinger. "Now, we are seeing growing interest from customers to bring electrification to the heart of the brand, even to a sport sedan like our i Vision Dynamics four-door coupe.

How to charge up your BMW i3 with a Honda

Behold a cheaper version of BMW's range extender for its i3 plug-in. And it's brought to you by ... Honda? Sort of, if you take the approach that Gadget Review took when it looked for an alternative to ponying up the $4,000 or so for the gas-powered i3 range extender that comes from the factory. What was procured was a Honda portable generator for Home Depot for the experiment, which involved gassing the generator up in a parking lot, plugging in the i3 and going out for a cup of coffee. The result was that, after about a half-hour of charging, the i3 picked up about four miles of driving range. Not exactly revolutionary but it least a bit instructive. And given that Honda generators start at about $800, the idea, while clunky, is potentially cash-saving. Gadget Review briefly took the experiment one-step further by trying to run the generator inside the back of the car and plugging in, complete with a rigged-up ventilation system, but the host thought better of it once he realized that there'd be suffocation involved. Why this was never tried on the Nissan Leaf, we'll never know. Check out Gadget Review's five-minute video below.