It takes a certain level of bravery to take to the Nurburgring at all. But one Mini driver has lapped the infamous circuit without even touching the brake pedal. His goal: to test the new electric Mini Cooper SE’s Green Mode regenerative systems.
For clarification, we’re not talking about flat-out driving. Rather, the lap required perfectly measured inputs of throttle to engage the right amount of battery-charging regenerative braking at the right time.
The Green Hell in Green Mode
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What’s the point of driving the Nurburgring if not flat-out? Well, besides the PR kudos that comes with taking your car there, it’s great for testing and calibration.
As with many electric cars, the Mini allows you to select how much retardation and regeneration you get when off the throttle, to the point where you can drive with one pedal. The Mini’s system is two-stage and adjustable with a toggle switch to the left of the start-stop button.
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There’s a whole new challenge in selecting the right amount of regeneration for the coming corner. The softer stage provides 0.11g of deceleration, while the harder setting provides 0.19g.
Mini calls it ‘timely toggling’, to ensure ‘soft recuperation ahead of extended bends and full energy recovery with corresponding deceleration ahead of tight curves’.
The car will let you know which mode you’re in, with recuperation rates displayed, and LED lighting to correspond. The toggle switch also has its own LED that lights up in energy recovery mode.
“The first lap in the ‘Green Hell’ already reveals the extent to which the two-stage recuperation increases driving fun in tandem with efficiency,” said a Mini spokesperson.