Our tool for managing your permission to our use of cookies is temporarily offline. Therefore some functionality is missing.
PEOPLE.
MINI COOPER SE.
LISBON hosts a buzzing start-up scene in the quaint streets of its old town. The Portuguese capital is going all out for a green future,so far successfully, with many e-vehicle charging stations now installed acrossthe city and promis- ing modern mobility. In their search for urban sustainability, influencers Nuria Val and Coke Bartrina explore Europe’s 2020 Green Capital in the new MINI Cooper SE, stopping off at eight places alive with the spirit of the future. This gorgeous place is where Michelin-starred chef José Avillez serves up his radical new take on Portuguese cuisine: fish that smacks of wide-open spaces, farm-fresh organic pork belly and orange sorbet that tastes like those first summer kisses by the pool.
CHARGE UP AND DRIVE OFF.
The Gulbenkian Museum introduces young visitors to old masters. Monet’s Still Life with Melon has reputedly given many a young start-upper the idea for a new superfood. The building, a monument to Brutalism and flooded with natural light, could as easily be a co-working space as the museum it is. Take along a picnic to enjoy among the inspirational sculptures and in the lovely garden. gulbenkian.pt
The Ponte 25 de Abril suspension bridge connects Lisbon’s old town with the Algarve coast. Tall, orange-red and imposing, and very much a lookalike for the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, it is a veritable Lisbon landmark – as well as an uninterrupted 2278-metre stretch of road for the MINI Cooper SE to sail along. What do electric cars and suspension bridges have in common? Cables, of course! One type provides power, the other strength. A true innovation, the Ponte 25 de Abril, which was built in 1966, was the first bridge in Europe featuring two sets of main cables.
WISE UP.
Not just fascinating for drivers of electric cars, the MAAT – the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology housed in a former power station – hosts brilliant exhibitions on all aspects of renewable energy! maat.pt
Good for the environment, good for quality of life – with some 500 charging stations, Lisbon has one of the tightest supply networks for electric vehicles.
THE E-ABC
Electric cars are full of technical refinements. Here is an explanation for some of the most important terms in the electric-vehicle alphabet.
A — EXHAUST FUMES
In electric vehicles like the MINI COOPER SE, no direct exhaust fumes are produced. Nothing could be cleaner than their emission-free movement through the streets.
B — BATTERY
An electric car battery needs to be recharged from a mains supply. Cars with a combustion engine also have a battery, but its main purpose is to get the car started; it could never propel an electric car.
C — CHARGE CAPACITY
Multiply the electric current (amperes) and the voltage (volts) to determine the battery’s charge capacity, which is given in kilowatts (kW).
I — IONS
At present, lithium-ion batteries can store the largest amount of energy per kilogram. An ion is an electrically charged particle.
R — ROAD TAX
Electric cars are very clean. That’s a good thing, and also why most countries impose a much lower road tax on electric cars.
T — TEMPERATURE
When it’s freezing out, the MINI Cooper SE stays toasty warm with an auxiliary heating system that’s a standard feature and an energy saver, too.
SLOW DOWN AND ENJOY.
Breaking beneath the canopy of the MAAT, Lisbon’s Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, the waves of the River Tagus create a soft echo only visitors will hear. The futuristic wave shape that makes the building one of Europe’s most impressive was the brainchild of British architect Amanda Levete. maat.pt2
At Figaro’s salon, the best barbers in town keep an old craft alive. Digital decision makers take time out from the fast lane as they wait their turn, while the MINI Cooper SE recharges around the next corner. figaroslisboa.com
ROLL UP AND WIND DOWN.
Although it appears to be floating majestically on a hilltop, the five-star Memmo Príncipe Real hotel is actually right at the heart of Lisbon’s trendiest district. Classic design meets contemporary here in an atnosphere that’s cosmopolitan, yet regal. The Memmo Príncipe Real is the best starting point for an exploratory tour of Lisbon in the MINI Cooper SE – thanks also to the charging station on the doorstep. memmohotels.com
SEE THE SEA.
It’s about a 45-minute drive from Lisbon to the picturesque village of Colares, nestling into a hillside in the Serra de Sintra beside the Atlantic Ocean. From the terrace of the Casa das Arribas hotel, the sunsets are just gorgeous – and it’s the perfect spot to ponder what it means to be green. outpost.pt
SUSTAINABLE.
For MINI, it’s important to produce sustainable cars. Here are some examples of the Group’s efforts to protect the environment. All of the BMW Group’s European factories have been powered exclusively by green electricity since 2017. The largest photovoltaic installation in Great Britain, comprising 11,500 modules, is on the roof of the MINI production plant in Oxford, where the MINI Cooper SE is also produced. The solar cells reduce the factory’s carbon emissions by 1500 tons per year. Since 2014, the BMW Group has been ensuring compliance with environmental and social standards in the supply chain for battery raw materials, such as lithium, graphite and nickel, by following the process steps set out in the OECD due diligence guidelines for responsible business conduct. In addi- tion to fair working conditions for suppliers employees, clean recycling and disposal are key. In the interests of fair, ecologically sounder production along the entire aluminium supply chain, the BMW Group became the first carmaker to join the Aluminium Stewardship Initiativein 2012. When charged with a conventional energymix, the carbon footprint of a MINI Cooper SE is neutralised after 30,000 kilometres, unlike that of a petrol-fuelled MINI Cooper S model. When the charging energy comes from renewable sources, neutralisation occurs after just 19,000 kilometres. In the course of a MINI Cooper SE’s service life, its carbon emissions are up to 70% lower than those of a conventional model.
RIVE RIGHT TO THE DOOR.
This gorgeous place is where Michelin starred chef José Avillez serves up his radical new take on Portuguese cuisine: fish that smacks of wide-open spaces, farm-fresh organic pork belly and orange sorbet that tastes like those first summer kisses by the pool. belcanto.pt