You read it here first…Starting in Sandton, MINI South Africa will launch MINI Sharing with the first all-electric MINI in May 2021. The local MINI Sharing pilot programme is based at BlackBrick in Sandton, a “vertical village” on the centrally located Fredman Drive. The MINI Sharing service is available exclusively to residents of BlackBrick, and members of the BlackBrick Club.

• The service will be available to both MINI and non-MINI drivers who register to use the service at the pilot site.
• Users can register to the MINI Sharing app in a matter of minutes.
• The new MINI Cooper SE accelerates from zero to 60 km/h in 3.9 seconds and from a standstill to 100 km/h in 7.3 seconds.
• Visit www.sandtontimes.co.za for more stories.

The BlackBrick collaboration follows the successful market introduction in September 2020 of the all-electric MINI Cooper SE in South Africa. So how is this all going to work? The South African application of MINI Sharing will be different to the model seen in other countries. A special MINI Sharing app has been developed specifically for use in South Africa – here are the details.

Drivers, after using their iOS or Android-enabled smartphones to download the app, will go through a process to verify their driving licence and credit card details. Once the details have been verified, guest drivers will be able to reserve a timeslot, using the app’s built-in calendar function.

The selected smartphone acts as the car key, and a Bluetooth connection between the smartphone and the MINI makes it possible to open the vehicle doors and start the engine by pressing the start /stop toggle switch. This has the added benefit of making interaction possible between the car and smartphone without an internet connection.

Once the drive is over, the MINI has to be returned to the specified parking area and locked via the smartphone to complete the journey. The MINI Sharing App will generate a report with the travel data required for billing. Where necessary, the fee will be calculated based on a combination of mileage and time, and all prices are inclusive of insurance, electricity, toll fees and other associated costs.

Since 1959, MINI has been the brand designed with the city in mind. With the introduction of the MINI Cooper SE, this authentic urban lifestyle brand is able to play its role in shaping the electrified future of urban mobility with the typical MINI go-kart feeling – now with zero emissions.

// CEO of BMW Group South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, Peter van Binsbergen

Launched in October 2020, the all-electric MINI Cooper SE is emission-free and almost noiseless, with its 135 kW/270Nm electric motor providing instant power delivery. Unlike a routine stop at the petrol station, charging the MINI Cooper SE battery can take 35 minutes for a charge from 0 – 80% using a 50kW fast charger, and 2-and-a-half hours using the 11kW charger, which once fully charged, should keep rolling for a range of 217 kilometres.

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