BMW Group and MINI are official automotive partners of the 2012 London Olympic games. MINI is contributing with 40 MINI E electric cars. Now a new model is being added to the lineup, and it is electric as well, but not the kind you think. The new addition is a radio controlled miniature MINI. It will be used to ferry equipments around in the fields.
While the full-size MINI E’s are being used to shuttle athletes and officials within the Olympic Park and surrounding Games sites, the RC cars will be used on the field of play in the Olympic Stadium to ferry javelins, discuses, hammers and shots back from the field to the throwing area, saving valuable time during competition.
The RC cars are about a quarter scale of the full-sized car and carry the athletic equipment situated inside, accessible through the adapted sunroof. they even feature the full livery as the ‘full-size’ official fleet vehicles.
Three Mini MINIs will be deployed for the job, each set to cover around 6,000 metres per day in four-hour shifts across nine days of Olympic and nine days of Paralympic competition. They are powered by batteries that can sustain 35 minutes of continuous usage with a radio control range of approximately 100 metres and be fully re-charged in 80 minutes, and will carry a load of up to 8kg; a single hammer, discus or shot or two javelins.