MINI MINImalism

News

MINI MINImalism

What is MINIMALISM?

It’s impossible to read a newspaper or browse through a website these days without coming across an article about environmental issues. With demands on the world’s energy resources rising every day, finding ways to reduce environmental impact is high up on the agenda of companies and individuals alike. It’s all about our carbon footprint – and keeping this to a minimum.

MINIMALISM, the MINI environmental philosophy, is about using only what you need – it’s based on the simple principle of ‘less is more’. At the heart of this is the car – we aim to lower emissions and improve fuel economy whilst at the same time retaining the characteristic go-kart handling and punchy performance that’s standard across the MINI range.

All model variants of new MINI Hatchbacks and MINI Clubmans (with the exception of the John Cooper Works models) are now supplied as standard with ingenious technology, providing exceptional economy and minimal emissions without compromising the MINI driving experience.

The key elements of MINIMALISM are; the Auto Start-Stop Function, the Shift Point Display, the Brake Energy Regeneration System and Reduced Rolling Resistance Tyres.

The Auto Start-Stop Function, which comes as standard on manual transmission cars, automatically switches the engine off when the vehicle is stationary and the driver puts the car into neutral. To restart, the driver only needs to engage the clutch again before pulling away as normal. The benefit of this is reduced fuel consumption and lower emissions achieved effectively by using only enough fuel for your needs at that moment. The system can be de-activated at the touch of a button.

The Shift Point Display aids drivers of manual transmission MINIs in selecting the most economical gear in which to drive. The engine management system analyses speed, road situation, load and accelerator pedal position and based on this data it calculates optimum gearing. The ideal gear is then displayed by number in the cockpit display. Again, this reduces fuel consumption for the driver and reduces CO2 emissions.

Brake Energy Regeneration works by using an Intelligent Alternator Control (IAC) and an Absorbent Glass Mat battery to recycle previously lost energy, which saves fuel. The IAC reduces drag on the engine by only engaging when required to charge the battery, whereas a traditional alternator is always pulling power from the engine. Additionally, the energy generated by the engine on over-run (under braking or coasting) was previously wasted. Now this lost energy is used by the IAC to charge the battery.

MINI uses Reduced Rolling Resistance Tyres that are made of specialised materials in the tread and side walls. These materials offer significant reductions in fuel consumption by reducing the tyre deformation and rolling resistance.

To find out more or to arrange a test drive why not give us a call on 01792 651505 or drop in to our Carmarthen Road showroom, our MINI team will be happy to help.

 

Page created on 20th October 2009

<< Back to main news