SEAT Mii Electric Hatchback: The Complete Guide For India

Electric Cars: The Basics

For those of you new to zero-emission electric driving, we recommend a read of the following articles:

• The History Of Electric Cars and Vehicles
• Different Types Of Electric Cars: A Short Guide
• Electric Cars and Vehicles: Pros, Cons And Myths
• What Is Regenerative Braking In Electric Cars

The All-Electric SEAT Mii Hatchback

SEAT S.A. is Spain’s first family car manufacturer. The automotive company was founded in 1950 and is headquartered in Martorell, Spain. In 1986, SEAT was sold to the German automotive group, Volkswagen A.G.

SEAT offers a range of zero-emission electric mobility products, to include, the SEAT MO eScooter, SEAT MO eKickScooter and four-wheel electric vehicles. The company offers battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). The company’s EV portfolio includes:

• Leon e-HYBRID Hatchback
• Leon e-HYBRID Estate 
• Tarraca e-HYBRID SUV 
• Mii electric hatchback

The SEAT Mii electric is the first all-electric car from the Spanish automotive company. The pure electric car is targeted at the urban consumer, seeking affordable and clean zero-emission electric driving. The electric vehicle (EV) is suitable for individuals and small families seeking an affordable electric car.

The WLTP electric range is over 155 miles. The compact electric hatchback is easy to drive and park in congested city centres. The EV is also suitable for day trips! The city electric car can be charged using both DC (40kW) and AC (7.2kW) charging, making it convenient to charge at home and on the road.

The Mii electric car features the SEAT CONNECT, allowing the remote access and management of the vehicle to include, Driving Data, Parking Position, Vehicle Status (incl. doors and lights), e-Manager and Remote Climatisation. The Mii BEV also features Climatronic, Traffic Signal Reminder, Lane Assist, Bluetooth, USB and Smartphone integration with holder and SEAT DriveMii App.

Driving an electric vehicle (EV) is cheaper than driving a petrol or diesel vehicle. As an example, in India, filling a full tank of fuel for the internal combustion engine (ICE) Tata Nexon SUV will cost up to Rs 5,000 (assuming an average cost per litre of Rs 100. The Tata Nexon has a fuel tank capacity of 44 L).

In comparison, the Tata Nexon Pure Electric SUV will cost less than Rs 300 for a full EV battery charge (EV Battery size: 30.2 kWh). In India, the average cost for residential electricity is between Rs 5 to Rs 10 per kWh(unit). Therefore the cost to drive per km (or mile) in a pure electric vehicle is substantially lower than a petrol or diesel vehicle.

At an average one can expect a cost per km of Rs 1 for a zero-emission EV, while for an equivalent petrol or diesel vehicle, the cost per km could be up to Rs 7 per km. The annual cost savings achieved by switching to electric driving is significant!

• Note 1: SoC: state of charge

History Of Electric Cars: Quick Facts

• An electric vehicle (EV), also referred to as a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) is not a new invention or even an invention of modern times. Indeed, EVs were first developed more than a 100 years ago in the 19^th century. Put another way, Mahatma Gandhi was yet to be born, when inventors from various countries, to include European countries and the United States were already investing electric motors and batteries.  

• The first practical electric cars were built in the second half of the nineteenth century, with the first US electric car introduced in 1890. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi had just turned 21! 

• Electric vehicles came into prominence in the early 1900’s, a time when horse-drawn carriages were the primary mode of transportation. Archived black and white photographs from that period show famous avenues like Madison Avenue in New York city filled with horse-drawn carriages. In stark contrast, a similar photograph taken a decade later of Madison Avenue showed not a single horse-drawn carriage. Instead the avenue  was filled with motor vehicles, a new invention. It was the beginning of man’s love affair with cars that has lasted more than a century and still going strong. 

• However, the uptake of electric vehicles in the early 20^th century was short-lived, as gasoline powered vehicles propelled by internal combustion engines (ICE) become the preferred mode of transportation.  

• Bottom-line, manufactures chose internal combustion engines over electric cars in the early 1900s for various reasons, to include, the costs and production volumes.  

• It is not definitive as to where EVs were invented or to credit a single inventor. However, one known electric motor (small-scale) was created in 1828 by Anyos Jedlik, a Hungarian inventor, engineer, physicist and Benedictine priest. Hungarians and Slovaks still consider him to be the unsung hero of the electric motor.  

• Shortly after, between 1832 and 1839, a Scottish inventor Robert Anderson created a large electric motor to drive a carriage, powered by non-rechargeable primary power cells. Through the 19^th century a number of inventors were inspired to develop electric motors to include, Thomas Davenport, an American from Vermont credited with building the first DC electric motor in America (1834). Unlike many of his contemporaries and other trying to build electric motors, Davenport did not have a background in either engineering or physics.  In fact, he was a blacksmith. 

• Move forward a few decades and at the end of the 19^th century, William Morrison created what is believed to be the first practical electric vehicle. Morrison, another American from Des Moines, Iowa, was a chemist who became interested in electricity. He build the first electric vehicle in 1887 in a carriage built by the Des Moines Buggy Co.  His first attempt was not a great success. In 1890, he attempted again, with more success. 12 EVs were built using a carriage built by the Shaver Carriage Company.

• The batteries were designed and developed by William Morrison. The vehicle had 24 batteries with an output of 112 amperes at 58 volts that took 10 hours to recharge. Available horsepower just under 4 horsepower. The vehicle could accommodate 6 individuals and had a top speed of 14 mph (22.50 km/h).

• Morrison’s success led to others also developing large-scale practical electric cars.  At the turn of the century cities like New York had 60 electric taxis. The first decade witnessed strong popularity for electric vehicles. However the popularity was short-lived as internal combustion engine (ICE) gasoline powered vehicles replaced the early electric vehicles. Henry Ford’s success with the then ubiquitous Ford Model T was the ‘beginning of the end’ for electric vehicles. The Model T was cheaper than the prevailing electric cars (US$ 650 Vs US$ 1,750) and could be manufactured at scale. As they say — the rest is history.