Concerns about climate change and rising fuel costs have spurred the development of all kinds of new auto technologies. Today’s hybrids are the most fuel efficient cars ever built, and rising demand makes further refinement and improvements ever more likely.

Now, how about a car that doesn’t use any fossil fuel? None. Not one drop. How about a car that is powered 100 percent by electricity? How about the MINI Electric? 

Today, the MINI Electric (MINI E) is still in the testing and development phase and being produced in small numbers, but its totally unique design and performance are promising—and all MINI.

The MINI E starts on an assembly line in Oxford, England—the same line as the popular and high-performing MINI One, MINI Cooper and MINI Clubman. Where those models are outfitted with conventional engines, either gasoline or diesel, the MINI E comes off the assembly line with no engine at all – just a ticket for shipment to Munich, Germany.

Munich is where a 150 kW, direct-current electric motor is installed. The all-electric powerplant, which MINI says will generate 204 hp, is transversely mounted in the engine compartment and delivers power to the front wheels, just like a conventionally powered MINI.

In place of rear seats, the MINI E is outfitted with three packs of lithium-ion batteries—each one rated at 35-kilowatt hours and together sending 380 volts to the DC motor.

Drivers can charge the MINI E batteries with either standard 120- or 220-volt outlets or with the MINI’s “WallBox,” which enables you to fully charge the batteries in as little as two-and-a-half hours, using as little as 28 kilowatt hours.

To most outward appearances—its overall size, shape and trim—the MINI E looks like a conventional MINI vehicle. Of course, MINI has added some splashy color and graphic combinations to set this unusual car apart from its conventional cousins. How about a bright yellow plug-shaped emblem on the hood and roof?

True to form, the MINI E is expected to deliver a surprisingly zippy ride for an all-electric car, estimated to go from zero-to-60 in 8.5 seconds and get 150 miles on a single charge. Not bad, especially considering that the three battery packs add 600 pounds to the car’s overall weight.

In addition, the MINI E’s regenerative braking system slows the vehicle and converts some of the kinetic energy into a charge for the battery. The slowdown is dramatic when you let off the accelerator. In some cases, as much as 75 percent of deceleration can take place without the driver ever touching the brake pedal.

The MINI E is currently being tested and performance-evaluated in limited numbers on both the east and west coasts of this country by special lease arrangement only. Stay tuned. Pending driver reviews and test results, and given the high-and-growing demand for super fuel efficiency, MINI seems likely to refine the MINI E for wider release in the foreseeable future.