Mini Aceman EV Charging Cable

The charge time Mini publishes is not the one you will get

Mini UK lists home charging for the Aceman as nought to one hundred per cent in four hours fifteen minutes at 11 kW. That is a three phase figure, and almost no British house has three phases.

The 7.4 kW ceiling is the house, not the cable: three phase ratings only mean something where three phases arrive. Which is exactly what a 32A single phase lead delivers, so that is the one to own and the three phase version adds nothing at a house. The German technical catalogue publishes both cases side by side, which settles it: 405 minutes to full on a single phase 7.4 kW wall box against 255 minutes on three phases at 11 kW for the Aceman E, and 540 against 330 for the SE. So the honest home figures are about six and three quarter hours and nine hours respectively, not four and a quarter and five and a half.

A heavier lead makes no difference, because nothing downstream of the onboard charger sets the pace. None of which is a fault in the car. It simply means the number to plan around is the single phase one.

Two batteries, and Mini quotes the net figure

The Aceman E has 42.5 kWh gross with 38.5 kWh usable and 189 to 192 miles WLTP; the Aceman SE has 54.2 kWh gross with 49.2 usable and 249 miles on Mini technical data, or 238 to 252 on its performance page. DC charging is 75 kW on the E with eighty per cent in 28 minutes, and 95 kW on the SE with ten to eighty per cent in 31.

Worth knowing when you compare cars: the figure Mini prints as "battery capacity" is the NET one. Most manufacturers print the gross figure, so a Mini looks smaller on paper than a rival quoting the same real capacity a different way.

How long a full charge takes

Those times come from dividing the pack by the delivered power and adding 13 per cent for losses, then rounding to the quarter hour. Miles per hour is worked at 3.5 miles per kWh, a figure that survives a cold morning. Columns are the Aceman E at 38.5 kWh usable and the SE at 49.2. Our figures sit close to the published single phase times of 405 and 540 minutes.

Seven hours on the E and nine on the SE from genuinely empty, which in both cases means one overnight window. At 7.4 kW either car gains about 26 miles an hour, so the usual pattern is a couple of nights a week rather than nightly charging.

Which length for an Aceman

The socket is on the offside rear quarter, which is the family arrangement for every battery electric Mini. The Aceman is 4.08 metres, short enough that a rear socket is not a serious obstacle.

Five metres works if you reverse in with the charge point on the right or if it sits near the rear of the bay. Ten metres is the safer general choice, and fifteen suits a long driveway. Choose on the real distance from inlet to charge point, not the distance on the drawing, and never buy it tight.

How these cables are built

The lead is an IEC 62196-2 design, CE marked, IP55 sealed against a British winter and rated from -30C to +50C.

Three pin construction follows IEC 62752, CE marked, IP67 rated, usable from -30C to +60C. Two years of manufacturer warranty, free next working day shipping anywhere in the UK, and a month to change your mind.

Looking at another Mini? Start with the Mini Countryman EV Charging Cable, or browse every model in Mini charging cables. For a wall box or public post the lead is the Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable.

Mini Aceman charging cable questions

Why does my Aceman not charge in four and a quarter hours?

Because that figure needs three phases. On a British single phase supply the car takes 7.4 kW, which the published single phase time puts at 405 minutes on the Aceman E.

What cable does an Aceman need?

A 32A single phase Type 2 to Type 2 cable, on both the E and the SE.

How big are the batteries?

Aceman E 42.5 kWh gross and 38.5 usable; Aceman SE 54.2 gross and 49.2 usable. Note Mini quotes the net figure as its headline battery capacity.

Where is the charge socket?

Offside rear quarter panel, as on every battery electric Mini.