Mini launched the Cooper SE - the Mini Electric - in 2019, starting the move towards electrification. The question of increased performance was always hanging in the background, with Mini having put some hotter hatches on the road in the past.

To answer that demand, Mini has shared details of a John Cooper Works concept, taking the sporty Mini into the electric era too. Not much has been said about it - there's no performance figures - but it does show off a slightly more styled design.

The biggest thing you'll notice is the wing on the trailing edge, while the wheel arches also appear to have some more detail for a more aggressive look. The car is camouflaged, but it's pretty clear what it looks like and how it relates to the current JCW and Mini Electric models.

It's going to be in performance where any John Cooper Works EV would be judged: the current Mini Electric aligns closely with the Cooper S in terms of performance and driving feel, although the range is the biggest downside. It doesn't have a huge battery, but for a small car, that might not matter.

Mini spins out a John Cooper Works Electric concept to excite EV fans photo 2

One of the inherent benefits of electric powertrains is the performance. The instant torque and off the line speed have instant appeal, but driving an EV hard soon drains the battery. Still, Mini succeeded in keeping that gokart feeling on the Cooper SE, so we suspect the Electric JCW will be a blast to drive too.

What's going to be missing, however is the option for a manual box, but we suspect that the JCW's 0-62mph speed of 6.1 seconds will be pretty easy to achieve - and there's nothing to stop Mini making it faster to try and ram home that message that electric is the future. The current Mini only offers 50kW charging too, and with increasing higher rate chargers available, this is also an easy area for a speed boost too.

We'd expect to see the price notched up in line with the how the JCW sits above the regular Hatch - but the thing we really want to keep an eye on is the internals. While the Mini is a comfortable car, we think the interior needs a lift, and the infotainment system needs a redesign to make better use of the space on offer.

Exactly when we'll see a new electric Mini model launch we don't know, but showing off this concept suggests that it could be fairly early in 2021.