Electric MINI for just £330 per month

MINI is bringing a limited number of its electric MINI E to the UK and is offering everyone the chance to partake in the research project, with the monthly lease costing £330.

Just 20 examples of the 201bhp electric MINI will be available for lease, for a period of six months from this December, with a further 20 in a second round of applications later in 2010.

Before you rush down to your MINI dealer with credit card in hand, you'll need to know that the applicants will have to meet certain criteria, including their geographical location and the use of a suitable car parking space.

As the project is being run in conjunction with the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA), Oxford City Council and Oxfordshire County Council, applicants must live in South East England, within a triangular geographical area joining Andover, Oxford and West London.

A suitable place to park the MINI is primarily required so that Southern Electric may install a high power charging that comes with every car. Using this, the MINI E's lithium ion battery pack can be charged in 4.5 hours from empty.

Although MINI had initially set the leasing price at £550 per month, the Technology Strategy Board - the Government-backed organisation that promotes technology innovation across the UK - awarded part of a £25m fund to the project, reducing the price to £330 per month. That price includes VAT, insurance and maintenance. Re-charging the car fully should cost between £1.50 and £4.00.

When MINI invited members of the public to apply to be part of a similar scheme in the USA, the project was significantly oversubscribed and we expect the same to happen in Britain. Go to www.electricmini.co.uk for full details and to apply - you have until the end of September.