We have been testing a series of EV cars over the past 3 months and clocked over 400km each trip. Here’s what we observed in that time.
1. There are tonnes of chargers around Klang Valley
When we first searched for a DC charger back in 2022 when we had the Volvo XC40 EV, it was really hard to find one. Now though you have tonnes of DC chargers hosted by loads of EV dealerships all around the Klang Valley. You can find a vacant one on a weekday within a 15km range.
2. Charging rates impacts running cost significantly
Unless you’re 100% dependent on a home based wall charger, the prices at public DC chargers will have a major influence in your running cost. Higher the output, lesser the charging time, but higher the cost, with prices hovering between RM1.20 – RM1.60 per kW. You could spend about RM20 extra opting for a faster charge rate, which over the course of the month could total up to an extra RM80 per month. But your charge time can increase by 15 mins per session with the slower chargers.
3. You have to plan your activities around the charging session
Fuelling up a petrol or diesel powered vehicle for daily usage in the Klang Valley does not require too much planning. Even if your range shows 0km, you can still choose which petrol station you want to visit and be in and out within 5 minutes. Charging an EV car is not like that. You will spend a bare minimum of 15 mins to have any significant amount of charge. A fair bit of forward planning is required if your sole daily ride is an EV.
4. Therefore range is the prized commodity in an EV car
With all those above in mind, the range is the most important commodity in an EV car. Flashing 0-100kph times and torque figures in an EV car can be impressive, but its useless. We will elaborate in future content. Since you need to plan your charging session around your daily routine, extending the gap between charges is a welcomed convenience. So range is priority.
5. EV’s love traffic
Ultimately, it’s in traffic that the EV’s provide their best consumption. Unlike internal combustion engines which would have to run continuously, EV’s are running still with only cabin comfort functions drawing its battery. When the traffic is cruising on a steady pace though, that’s where the EV’s efficiency really shines. But there’s another caveat here, which we will discuss in an upcoming content.
In Conclusion
EV usability in Malaysia has come a long way in Klang Valley, but there’s still a long way to go outside it. The biggest ‘dictating’ feature of an EV car in our experience, has to be the amount of KM’s you can get per charge time. Means it must hold enough charge for a long range, while having a reasonably efficient consumption rate.
Because ultimately, as wonderful as EV cars are, when you are on the run, a petrol, diesel or even hybrid car will require a maximum of 10 minutes for a fuel stop. Where else a pure EV car would require you to commit at least 15 minutes for a reasonable amount of range. This may work for a select few at this point in time, but its still far from a complete replacement to internal combustion vehicles.