Mini E Records First EV Lap Time at Nürburgring Mini E Records First EV Lap Time at Nürburgring ? Automotive News & Car Rumors at Automobile Magazine ....Modifications to the car were rather limited. Along with adding a roll cage beefing up the Mini E's suspension, brakes, and tires, engineers tweaked the powertrain controller programming, and revised the gearing to maximize performance. Apart from that, the car was stock -- a 150-kW (204 horsepower) electric motor drives the front wheels, and is powered by a massive lithium ion battery pack placed where the rear seats would normally lie. To set the result, BMW placed Thomas Jäger -- a former DTM racer and the 2006 Mini Challenge champion -- behind the wheel. According to the automaker, the Mini EV lapped the Nordschleife circuit in 9:51:45, ultimately reaching a top speed of 116 mph on the 12.9-mile loop. A respectable time, but given the extremely wet and foggy conditions, we imagine Jäger can eke out an improvement..... ....