Click for hi-res image
Would you be interested in a Proton Persona powered by 100% electric power for about RM80k? That could be a genuine question sometime in the future, thanks to Detroit Electric. The team from Detroit Electric is in KL this week with their fleet of prototype electric cars built on existing models. A few cars were available at the media event today including a Lotus Elise, a Proton Persona, and a Proton Savvy. All were powered by Detroit Electric’s electric powertrains with various power ratings.
We took the Lotus Elise for a spin around Proton’s oval test track at its Shah Alam plant. Read our experience as well as more on Dutch-based Detroit Electric after the jump.
Click for hi-res image
When I nestled myself into the cockpit, it was all calm and serene. The car felt like wasn’t even turned on. It was extremely quiet which is good in a way but for sports cars like the Elise, you would want to hear the rumbling engine sound.
Getting into first gear was a snap, as I did it without kicking the clutch pedal. You just have to slot it into first and go. The clutch is only used for the rest of the gear selection while driving. You don’t need any synchros and clutches to get the car moving from a standstill as the electric motor is perfectly happy idling at 0 rpm. It’s basically an engine that never stalls because an incorrect engine speed just does not exist.
Since I was eager to find out how much of a kick the electric motor can give, I gunned the throttle in anticipation. The acceleration was excellent as I made my up to third gear to reach 150km/h towards the end of the back straight. To put it into perspective, the power felt much alike a second generation Audi TT powered by the 2.0 litre TFSI engine.
As I eased off the throttle and dropped the gear to second to tackle the banking curve, the car really felt stable, as though the Elise was part of the tarmac. Through out the curve, I did push it a little harder, and I felt a good kick up my bottom when I shifted to third, and subsequently to forth gear right before slowing down on the main straight. I really wished I could have gone for more laps. Power wise, the only thing was missing from a high revving and high torque conventional engine was the sound, and thats it.
With the electric motor, you are never in the wrong gear as all the torque is available at all times. This will make an electric sports car so much easier to drive and I have a feeling its also easier to clock quick times on the track compared to one powered a conventional combustion engine.
Click for hi-res image
I also got the chance to become a passenger in a Proton Persona which was fitted with a lower powered prototype electric motor. There are no issues with auxiliaries that are usually powered by belts as these days there are electric power steering systems. The Persona was also complete with a must have feature for our climate, an air conditioning system that runs perfectly well. It really felt like I was sitting in a standard CamPro-powered Persona, everything was normal but very quiet, so quiet that tyre roll became so much more prominent.
The boot space in the Persona was pretty much completely taken up by the lithium ion batteries, but according to DE that is because this is a prototype that was quickly developed for the media preview. In a production car the batteries would be hidden better in a not so intrusive way.
The electric Lotus Elise had a 150kW (200hp) electric motor that can take it up to 100km/h in 4.3 seconds, and goes up to a top speed of 220km/h. It has a range of 325km and can be charged using a 240v 10A power source in 6.5 hours. A 240v 35A power source will do that in 3.5 hours while a quick charger with 240v 100A can charge it up to 80% in 10 to 15 minutes. A typical passenger car motor would have 75kW or 100hp and will do the 100km/h sprint in 8.5 seconds. Range and charge time is similiar to the Elise.
Click for hi-res image
Detroit Electric’s CEO Albert Lam said the running costs for a Proton Persona powered by an electric motor could cost about 3 sen per km based on current electricity tariffs. This is despite a typical 1,000kg car having an additional 200kg of weight added thanks to the electric motor and batteries. This means a Persona that weighs between 1,170kg to 1,240kg could end up weighting nearly 1,500kg. It sounds like an interesting proposition and the savings in monthly fuel expenses could justify for the higher initial cost.
A typical electric car can go between 200 to 300km on a full charge which should pose no problems for city driving but the problem would be inter-state trips which would definitely extend beyond the range. Using the air conditioning everyday uses about 8% of the battery life per day.
As for maintenance, Detroit Electric compared maintaining an electric motor to a “gearbox”, and that costs and maintenance procedures are similiar. The electric motor is developed in-house and is claimed to be revolutionary in the sense that it can produce 5kW per kg of weight compared to a normal motor’s 0.25kW per kg of weight. Thus the motor is supposed to be more compact and lighter than most of its competitors. The battery is expected to have a lifespan of 200,000km but it was not mentioned whether capacity would also slowly dwindle down to unusable amounts nearing the end of its lifespan.
Click for hi-res image
Charging the battery with a conventional wall socket takes between nearly 7 hours, but there is a quick charger that can charge the car up in less than half an hour. Even so, I don’t think this quick charger will be very portable otherwise it would have been integrated into the car anyway. You can’t be expected to park somewhere and plug the car in for 7 hours straight.
One solution would be a network of quick charge stations around the country. It’s a chicken and egg thing and our NGV refueling stations never really went anywhere in terms of nationwide coverage, but I believe with the right people pushing it (a sad fact for Malaysia), it could happen.
Even once a quick charging infrastructure around the country is up and running, half an hour of charging will need some getting used to compared to the refueling process of a few minutes that we are currently used to. Charging stations will also have to be huge with many charging points as these cars will be parked there hogging the charge stations. Still, I believe if 3 sen per km is achievable people will have no qualms about waiting.
Click for hi-res image
Electric Protons powered by Detroit Electric technology could be a reality in the future if talks go well. Detroit Electric says they are currently in talks with three manufacturers, one of which is Proton. The other two are an American company and a German company. The company’s talks with Proton revolves around the possibility of Detroit Electric buying various Proton chassis to develop their electric cars, and Proton selling Detroit Electric motors in a specific region which would be the ASEAN region for us, naturally.
All talks are still too preliminary at the current point of time and neither Detroit Electric or Proton would comment on how talks have progressed. But DE intends to have its first cars on the road in about 18 months time so we should be hearing something soon.
If things go well we could also see Detroit Electric setting up an overseas R&D center here in Malaysia. If that happens, we could see a total of RM1.02 billion invested in Malaysia over the first 5 years.
Story by Harvinder Singh Sidhu and Paul Tan
Click for hi-res image
Click for hi-res image
Click for hi-res image
Click for hi-res image
Click for hi-res image
Click for hi-res image
Click for hi-res image
very interesting thing.. proton seems to have been very busy lately.. but infrastructure issues will definitely play a big part in electric cars, as with NGV…
this is good… i’ll definitely put my money on if it’s really going to be priced around 80k…
electric proton’s? made in detroit? damn if its not made by panasonic im not going anywhere near it…
Dear ALPINA BMW,
it’s “Dutch-based Detroit Electric”.
I think it is Chinese onwed, Dutch-based, American named, Malaysian chasis, Detroit Electric
how long is the battery gonna cost and how long it will require a replacement are another significant factors. u may spend 3 sen per km BUT what is there If the battery last for 2 yrs and cost more than 30K? BUT, whatever it is, this new tech IF successful for mass market will definitely bring down gas price. we should really welcome this new healthy competition to gas.
Now this is definitely good news/move, hoping for more to come.
ALPINA BMW, should do some research, or actually “read” the article before you comment the next time.
detroit electric as a brand is a 100 years old, and produced a production electric car way back in 1907.. i suppose it will come as a surprise to many that electric cars are not new at all.
the brand was revived in 2007, and features tested and proven technology from the netherlands.
I believed that this could happen
a bit of work needed in compacting the batteries, sort out the efficiency of the electrics and pumps, weight distributions (batteries placement).
the batteries can be put into the engine compartment, i see a lot of space there, also, a bit of chassis modification, such as modifying the fuel tank space would enhance the space occupied.
the use of better batteries and motor should be implemented as well.
a matter of the G, to make it happen.
So now it is the same Detroit Electric thingy feature in the website with some pictures of Savvy and Gen.2 electrics.
kucau said,
September 2, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
how long is the battery gonna cost and how long it will require a replacement are another significant factors. u may spend 3 sen per km BUT what is there If the battery last for 2 yrs and cost more than 30K? BUT, whatever it is, this new tech IF successful for mass market will definitely bring down gas price. we should really welcome this new healthy competition to gas.
————————————————————-
I agree with Kucau. proton should consider also electricity charging when the car is driven long distance. Where can the car “dock”? How economical are the batteries? Are they durable? Will the batteries be disposed properly when expired? Any facilities to support the disposal? hopefuly not in the “Cintai sungai kita”. Plenty of consideration to think about.
batteries of this sort usually last 10yrs depends on heat n weather condition. and pls dont put li-ion battery in engine bay, its flamable stuff, u dont1 a crash will make your car burst into flame like internal combustion dont u? hehe i believe they provide a portable charger when its on sale like tesla’s roadster. for 10yrs of lifespan, u would hv to worry about which is your next car u wan2 change rather than changing batteries…u guys should search online for more info before worrying about that tho. electric vehicle or EV isnt new in this world, its just some stupid organization put out false research to make ppl fear of using it to protect their petrol investment!
those portable charger usually let u charge 80% in like 15~20mins, u guys can search for ecomodder in google, u’ll find that forum and see what you can do to your old car to get over 50mpg…u’ll be amaze how resourceful are those ppl, n pls, learn from them…rather than whining…
It is such a cool thing.
One problem, like you mention is the refeuling time. 30 mins is a long long time for cars to get refueled. It must be lower than that. 5-10 mins ok. 30 mins, then backlog at petrol stations. Also people would be put off if they need to do nothing in 30 mins. Looks like ProJet concept petrol stations would work here. Another problem is the cost. From fossil fuel one kind to another kind. Electricity bills will go up, more electricity would need to be generated for this to work. I still cannot say Malaysia is ready or want this yet. I think Hybrid is the only way to go. Or we can get Honda FCX clarity and put hydrogen pump stations everywhere.
mystvearn, if u notice how malaysian thinks…anything new will never be ready and wanted anyway! its not malaysia ready or not, its who is going to push it! its never was the case of ready for inovation to works, its who to initiate it n push it to publics. electricity can be generated in many ways! u guys really need to search for how to generate your own electric n go off grid! tats the future, dont rely too much on other ppl pls…malaysian really needs to use their resource! e.g. internet and astro! dont just watch drama la! check out channel 551, 553, 554! for ch551, look for invention nation, u’ll know how much u dont know that you could do to be really independent n get your freedom!
malaysian just used to comfort and whining…cause we are spoon fed by gov too much for too long
i bet some1 will not agree with my statement, too afraid to leave their comfort zone to see other possibilities, failure to do that is the 1st step to stay stone age guys…consider what i said pls, i dont1 a malaysia that do not embrace new possibilities(which equals to limited creativity)
if you watch the movie Who Killed the Electric Car, you’d know that the technology was around over 10 years ago with those GM EV1s. The only problem is that oil is still around and the rich oil companies are bent as hell to see it not hit the roads
Detroit Electric is a division of ZAP Youngman partnership. Albert Lam was CEO of Lotus Engineering. He was involved with the Lotus Youngman ZAP negotiations. He left Lotus to work for ZAP.
I met Albert to discuss a plan (Google: Motorsport University Malaysia) I have. At the time he was working for Lotus. Albert is very much the professional businessman.
His Lotus connection explains his access to Proton. It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Proton have said repeatedly that they are open mutually beneficial partnerships.
Time will tell.
hi fastcx,
i did`nt find any info that this batt will last for 10 yrs. maybe u can point me the URL. one URL tell me the batt durability is up to 100000 miles or 5 yrs. thats clearly not 10 yrs. remember this is manufacturer claim and it is usually less than that. and what happen when the car let say reach 80000 miles? i believe the batt performance will deteriorate.
One cool fact is the battery price which is freaking USD 20000
have a look here fastcx : http://tinyurl.com/6h839j
and yes fastcx, google is my best fren b4 i write somethin
Starting to confuse what’s Proton direction now.~
However, it’s still a great job.. But don’t make us felt like nutS~ after praising for sometimes~
I’m think,I wanted to buy a Persona SE Detroit Electric..
the range of these cars will decrease exponentially as they “mature” and no one will want a second hand car with old batteries. haha
hybrid is the start of electric powered car future. remember how we used to have to charge our handphone for 5-6 hours for nearly 1 days of usage?
This all could be happening soon for electrics car.
Hybrid can’t last long, as the fuel will slowly drain up. If the oil still has not drain since, it is still the global cause of green house gases. Usage of electric power is the way to go.
For the price of electric tariff going up issue, there’s always nuclear power reactor to be built to replace a coal powered reactor. While nuclear is a safe and environmental friendly energy source, still a lots of people caught up with the Chernobyl phobia.
Well, u guys got internet access, get up ur lazy bum and start googling and get the clear picture of nuclear power reactor. Where the 90+% of the waste is reusable by the reactor while some 5% is reused in medical?
Don let Malaysia left out in the nuclear race. The western hype up the nuclear accident so we still have to buy oil and coal from them.
oh forgot..
Proton should really consider this partnership as a big jump for Proton in the electric car race. Step in the market first. As Nissan-Renault and GM is also considering electric car now, Proton can be one of the key player if they step in now.
Hybrid is a short lived technology. Hydrogen Fuel is good but still very expensive and since Honda is quite ready with its FCX, most Malaysian wont be buying a hydrogen fuel car from Proton even if Proton manage to convince Malaysia government to start hydrogen fueling station network.
btw, think of the saving from oil filter, airfilter, engine oil, bla bla bla.. save money from that to buy new battery in 5 years time, Oh well, maybe it would be like a hand phone, 3-4 years a new one. until NEC came up with a platinum, a long week powered car.
good words kerelbort! i agree with u in some point, but i just dont like a nuclear reactor near my place! :P solar power still usable, wind as well, more important is the landfill! there r lots of energy wasted/dumped there! ppl just talk about recycling, but not really doing it…they say they dont know…but mostly just lazy to know…rather than sitting infront of comp watching drama and msn, use some of that bandwidth for more useful purpose pls!
Roti Naan said,
September 2, 2008 @ 7:12 pm
kucau said,
September 2, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
how long is the battery gonna cost and how long it will require a replacement are another significant factors. u may spend 3 sen per km BUT what is there If the battery last for 2 yrs and cost more than 30K? BUT, whatever it is, this new tech IF successful for mass market will definitely bring down gas price. we should really welcome this new healthy competition to gas.
————————————————————-
I agree with Kucau. proton should consider also electricity charging when the car is driven long distance. Where can the car “dock”? How economical are the batteries? Are they durable? Will the batteries be disposed properly when expired? Any facilities to support the disposal? hopefuly not in the “Cintai sungai kita”. Plenty of consideration to think about.
————————————————————–
I am an engineer, and talking as one, I should.
batteries technologies are getting better, years for years. I strongly believe, that batteries are here today better than years ago, or even a decade ago.
lithium-ion batteries might find it’s way into one of our industry if this is to happen. and this might spell the end of high-cost batteries nationwide.
durability, as good as your handset’s. durable it is, it is the same type anyway.
the way proton must look into is how to benefit of this project – hybrid application and also full-fledged electric cars that uses this kind of batteries.
disposal? piece of cake, just recycle, just what we are doing with our handset’s, again. batteries can be reprocessed.
who killed electric car? definitely not the batteries, it is good enuff today. low range? for a city car, it is not a problem. for longer miles? we can insert range extender, much like what Renault did with their Electrique Kangoo and what GM is doing with their to be launched Volts.
You guys are short sighted and worry too much.
1) Jam up at Petrol stations?
There won’t be a need for petrol station. You can charge you car when you park it at a car park while you work or shop. Long range driving? Maybe after 300 km of driving, you should take a rest by the R&R to have a cup of teh tarik while you charge up your car.
2) With mass production, maybe the car can drop to somewhere between 60 to 70 k. And with economic of scale, they can reduce the price of the batt and at the same time develop a better batt.
3) The engine is so quite and powerful, it’s even better compare to a V6.
4) Environmental issue? You know how ppl dispose of your engine oil meh? Petrol burning don’t harm the environment me?
5) If all your complain is really troublesome, very soon we will be out of petrol and if you don’t have car to drive; it will be much more troublesome. Lol, then no matter how troublesome or expensive the batt is, you still have to buy electric cars. haha
really good to see some malaysian that have knowledge, rather than blind bashing! :) good improvement for paul’s blog!
wow.. couldn’t wait for this to be available commercially in msia. i think the best way to hav network of chargers set up will be to integrate chargers to parking bays/parking lots. so instead of jus paying for the parking fees, i think they could add another slot where u could jus pop in some coins, plug it into ur car and then go shopping. by the time you come back, ur car is charged and u are good to go. Just like the concept of having a car wash in a shopping mall.
anyway, couldn’t wait for something like this to be available in msia. then we could rid ourself of paying HIGH FUEL prices as the electric car has a more efficient energy usage.
With our petrol prices going to uncertainty rates,I gladly welcomed this idea….I believe that this tech is getting better.I also believe in helping to keep our planet green.
All these years we have been waiting for a environmentally friendly and clean,I guess,this is it.The Gov should give this a serious thought,since PROTON is, in it’s own right, a “government owned” by itself…
The price,for RM80K++…I’ll take it.
Now they really talk like a businessman. Detroit Electric own by China company if I’m not mistaken. The same company who brought Europstar RCR a.k.a. Gen-2 in China. They should source out the development of electric + hybrid car to cut cost. This is good news for our country. K-economy is coming near. Maybe the recent G announcment on 100% duty of hybrid car has something to do with this. When will we get a cheaper Civic hybrid. it looks like our g want to be the hybrid + alternative powered car hub in the world. The downside is, the crude oil just fell to USD104 yesterday. Do we have to wait for another election for Pak lah to announce another price slash. Whatever, the damaged has been done. 8.5% inflation in August cannot be reverse. Even a roti canai cost RM1 and roti telur RM1.80 nowadays.
fastcx said,
September 2, 2008 @ 8:22 pm
mystvearn, if u notice how malaysian thinks…anything new will never be ready and wanted anyway! its not malaysia ready or not, its who is going to push it! its never was the case of ready for inovation to works, its who to initiate it n push it to publics. electricity can be generated in many ways! u guys really need to search for how to generate your own electric n go off grid! tats the future, dont rely too much on other ppl pls…malaysian really needs to use their resource! e.g. internet and astro! dont just watch drama la! check out channel 551, 553, 554! for ch551, look for invention nation, u’ll know how much u dont know that you could do to be really independent n get your freedom!
—————————————————————-
Since you’re in paultan.org, why don’t you add in ch734 as well?
Back to the topic, If there is a good planning on the infrastructure of recharging, and all of the cars are priced right, people might just accept it.
While I agree that the near future will polarize into full electric and bio diesel vehicles, the issues with full electric cars is still the battery longevity and replacement costs.
Even standard lead acid batteries will cost a bomb. For instance, we have electric forklifts in service and thier lead acid packs cost about 12k to replace. Granted this is heavy duty and heavyly used units, and the general lifetime of the battery packs are about 2 years before they need replacement. You will need to factor that in as part of your TCO.
LiON batteries will give more power density/weight and probably would be the more logical choice, but these cost even more.
These are not meant for cross country driving.
RM80k for a electric Persona with 300km range, one please!
These are just prototypes, the technology is there, the rest is just designing issues:
– at the empty hood space, we can fit it a 2nd small generator as a range extender.
– the huge piece of battery can be integrated in between the floor and below the seats.
– expensive solar panel on the roof?
And then 100% recycling program for old batteries.
Maintaining a gear box? Change oil every 50k km, omg, or is there any oil to change at all?
Whao, 240V 100A, we certainly need a recharge station connected directly to the high voltage grid.
battery life span = 200,000 km, that is more or less equal to a combustion engine life span, minus all the oil change, oil seal, etc.
<<>>
40 times oil change(mineral oil) = 75 x 40 = 3,000
Overhaul every 100k km = 1000 x 2 = 2,000
new engine cost = 10,000
Running cost (RM0.25 per km at current petrol price) = RM50,000
TOTAL ——————– RM65,000
Note: all the cost above are more likely to increase over time when petroleum price climb.
Note: Global warming, pollution, petroleum peaks, etc.
<<>>
Battery cost according to wikipedia* = RM65,000
Running cost (RM0.03/km at current electric tarrif) = RM6,000
TOTAL ——————– RM71,000
Note: all the cost likely to decrease due to mass production.
Note: high efficiency, near zero emission, possible way to utilize clean energy.
See the potential?
*Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster#Battery_system
I think a 300km range is reasonable.
Seriously, how many people drive that much in a day?
Keep in mind you’ll be pluggin it in at the end of each day when you go home.
This could be the break Proton needs. If proton could forego its sense of pride, then the deal could go this way – Market the cars as Proton in Asean and Oceania regions (possibly India too). In China the cars are to be known as YoungMan (or Europestar). In the Americas they are now Detroit Electric and in Europe as Zap (or whatever that Dutch Co. name is). There it goes. Truly international cars with regional flavors!
Zap however, wasn’t really a profitable company to begin with. Proton and Youngman aren’t exactly rich either. So, besides technology (battery lifespan) and infrastructure (charging points), financing could be another stumbling blocks. Project like this requires massive funding to be truly successful.
So, keep ur finger crossed.
Dear ALPINA BMW,
it’s “Dutch-based Detroit Electric”.
I think it is Chinese onwed, Dutch-based, American named, Malaysian chasis, Detroit Electric
made by philips? malaysian chasis??a real nighmare
i like the idea of electric car.
but under these circumstances only:
*electric is obtained from renewable energy only (hydroelectric, solar,wind).<< it is not eco-friendly to get electricity from coal-fired powerstation, keep aside nuclear powerstation for its waste storage problem.
*battery replacement is affordable, charging amenities is well-provided & waste form battery recycling process is monitored.<<if it is entended to save the world, then full resposbilities should be taken, buat sungguh2, jgn bagai melepaskan batok di tangga!
*car will drive well like their ICE’s sibling.<<car engineers should tackle the change in weight distribution & handling dynamic due to the new electric motor & cells installation.
err..if rm80k e-persona, it’s ok,
but rm80k e-savvy..hm..better stick to fossil fuel la :p
battery life span = 200,000 km, that is more or less equal to a combustion engine life span, minus all the oil change, oil seal, etc.
<<>>
40 times oil change(mineral oil) = 75 x 40 = 3,000
Overhaul every 100k km = 1000 x 2 = 2,000
new engine cost = 10,000
Running cost (RM0.25 per km at current petrol price) = RM50,000
TOTAL ——————– RM65,000
Note: all the cost above are more likely to increase over time when petroleum price climb.
Note: Global warming, pollution, petroleum peaks, etc.
<<>>
Battery cost according to wikipedia* = RM65,000
Running cost (RM0.03/km at current electric tarrif) = RM6,000
TOTAL ——————– RM71,000
Note: all the cost likely to decrease due to mass production.
Note: high efficiency, near zero emission, possible way to utilize clean energy.
See the potential?
*Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster#Battery_system
*************************************************************
Talk about environmental issue
– running on electric just give us the flexibility to utilize a wider range of energy source: petroleum fossil, coal, natural gas, biomass, renewable, nuclear, fitness first…
– controling pollution on a centralized area is easier then controlling the emission of millions of vehicle.
– recycling one battery pack is suppose to be easier then recycling 100s of litres of spent engine oil.
Talk about convinience:
– Charge at your home plug is much easier then visiting Petronas
– 300km is more then enough, a typical worker who stay in Klang and work in KL only need about 2 full charge per week.
– range extender option is possible
i hope our government realize the enormous potential of this project and avoid political influence in making decisions (which i think is impossible by the way..)
JEANLOO IS A TRUE MERDEKA CITIZEN…
LOTS OF CORRECT AND POSITIVE STATEMENTS
I think DE or P1 can create macam dynamo for bicycle. Put on the car wheel. So every time running..can automatic recharge that battery…
proton
buy tat Detriot Electric~~
ask money from G to buy~~
if balik kampung not enuf range
we can always opt for purchasing spare battery
just like phone’s
Salamz and Hello to forumers,
First and foremost, selamat berpuasa,
Proton move towards researching electric and hybrid car is a very good move. Now the main issue is not about people’s acceptance, in fact majority car users (Malaysia and the rest of the world) would like the idea of having alternative energy other than fossil fuel (gasoline, gas and diesel). Now, we just have to see whether the Government is clever enough to catch this new hype and bring in a motion that will accelerate the growth of hybrid and electric cars in Malaysia. Of course, I have to agree, a through study will be needed on how to implement a proper infrastructure to cater these cars. As for now, I can only see Hybrid car is more applicable to our current infrastructure because it still uses either Gas or Gasoline as primary fuel and electric motor as its secondary-support engine.
As for fully-electric powered-by-battery car (by Detroit or others), unfortunately the much needed infrastructure/tech is still not there;
What we are lack of:
1) Charging for 7 hours is rather long and the instance 30 minutes charge I believe is meant for short distance driving. One of the comments up there says about installing solar panels on the car’s roof which I must say a very brilliant recommendation. This means the car can actually use and recharge at least some of the energy it uses.
2) Furthermore the Government will have to prepare a lot of car-battery-charging facilities not just along the main highways but even in the main cities. We need to consider that the car’s battery life span will be affected by heavy traffic jam as well. We do not want to worsen the jam by having a lot of stall electric cars along the roads.
3) I’m not sure whether the electric car design allows it to cross partially flooded roads (I hope it doesn’t fry the circuit, the batteries and the car occupants!) considering our beloved Malaysian roads are always flooded during heavy rain.
4) The Government will need to do an EIA study with our electricity providers (TNB and SEB) whether our national grid can cater sudden energy demand when electric cars become a reality. Nuclear powered plant is a sensitive issue, everybody says its safe but its funny, and nobody wants it to be built at near their backyard/city/kampung. Not to mention, we will have to sacrifice some portion of our land to use as nuclear waste storage facility. If this is not properly conduct by nuclear professionals (scientist, engineers) another Chernobyl is bound to happen.
5) Electric car and even some hybrids are very quiet cars. In fact some countries in Europe and US set a minimum ‘noise’ an electric car should be producing. Its just plain dangerous to pedestrians having these cars moving fast while not making the usual rumble sound.
6) And the list of problems goes on. Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of having electric powered car as soon as possible. Its just, we need to be reminded, improper planning of these “grand master plan” can be disastrous (improper use of public funds? Cronyism? Faulty in the electric car design because of “nak untung cepat scheme” Etc.). As an engineer myself I could only say this, everybody could be a hero or an idealist (just plain talking) but in reality, you will still need scientists, engineers, and technical people to run the show. Proper study and planning will be needed. Just add in more ideas! I’m eager to see what future has stored for us…
It’s good to see some more news on these vehicles. Interesting test drive report, did they mention at all if they had re-engineered the Persona to be able to handle 200bhp? i.e. gearbox, driveshafts etc as it probably wasn’t designed to handle that power originally.
There are ways around the charging time issue, basically you own the car & lease the battery. Charging stations can hold a stock of batteries which they could slot in & out to replace on the spot instead of waiting for a recharge. This means one company owns the batteries & charging infrastructure, and can upgrade the whole fleet through time too.
This is already happening around the world by the way – take a look at project Better Place, there is a link to a good article in Wired mag which is worth a read. If Proton / DE can get vehicles on the market to sell into the better place infrastructure, then they will be ahead of the game & do well.
http://www.betterplace.com/
I’m proud that our country can produce such a great technology..
can wait to get one…
ALBERT LAM is here again, this time as the boss for Detroit Electric.
Last time he was here as the boss of Lotus Engineering Malaysia.
After screwing Proton’s money on the Gen2 & Satria Neo project, he is back again to suck the money of our “just recently making money” PROTON.
ALBERT LAM’s M.O. , this is what we will be expecting. He will setup a Detroit Electric branch here in Malaysia, employ an overpaid HR manager to source out overpaid Whiteman friends( which are no longer wanted in their countries) or Korean or might even be Indian , off course here the Whiteman will be overpaid (like 5 figures USD/month) which eventually be charged to Proton and if there are local engineers that will join this local company, they will be paid peanuts ( most probably) guys from his previous company in Malaysia or guys from Perodua or might even be Proton.
Whatever it is, he is here again and if Proton is not carefully enough, millions will be lost to this guy.
So, wait and see….
Hi all,
Firstly, I just hope Proton will develop after-market parts to adopt into their current models…that will help a lot coz current economic situation is not very encouraging to buy new cars…& i don’t think ppl will buy a 2nd hand proton?
Anyways…I just hope things goes well coz our environment is in very bad shape…need to stop somewhere. Although our electricity are 80% from diesel/coal fired power plants…these huge power plants are more efficient & produce much cleaner burn than a car’s engine. They’ll help…meanwhile we source for renewable energy for electricity.
Hope to see this come to pass.
let me correct myself…80% from diesel, coal & lpg.
There are ways around the charging time issue, basically you own the car & lease the battery. Charging stations can hold a stock of batteries which they could slot in & out to replace on the spot instead of waiting for a recharge. This means one company owns the batteries & charging infrastructure, and can upgrade the whole fleet through time too
——————————————-
interesting point dangermouse. if proton buy this detroit , i hope big G can execute this plan. proton will generate continues revenue from this plan and the rakyat will enjoy cheap n clean new tech
electric cars should look like the elise, not that stupid proton, i hope volkswagen buys over lotus
IMHO the ball is in Govt’s court, not Proton.
Electric powered vehicles should be part of a broader automotive policy, as it will involve a lot of investment in infrastructure, environment, and affects electricity tariff that will affect everything else. And of course, it will affect the business of the oil companies, which will affect our country’s revenue.
Honestly, knowing our G, I don’t think this will go through. They are even undecided on NGV!!!!
protonsucks
are you germany? not malaysian?
There are ways around the charging time issue, basically you own the car & lease the battery. Charging stations can hold a stock of batteries which they could slot in & out to replace on the spot instead of waiting for a recharge. This means one company owns the batteries & charging infrastructure, and can upgrade the whole fleet through time too
_____________________________
I also like this idea, but.. what if the battery kong already after you use it for couple of hours or a few km, will you be back to the station and ask them for replacement? :D
btw, global warming is eating us, peninsula malaysia decrease inches every year to the sea. :o
In some areas in central london (i saw one in berkeley square), there are free parking bays with charging outlet where electric cars can park and charge while they go to work. Some sort of an incentive for people to own electric cars. I have a photo but dont know how to upload here.
i fully support this whole idea of fully electric cars.
i thought these days all the electric stuff comes from china( for example go check that 42″ lcd sony bravia tv in your living room)
Celicazz said,
“disposal? piece of cake, just recycle, just what we are doing with our handset’s, again. batteries can be reprocessed.”
Really?
For a typical hybrid car, how much the cost to replace the batteries then? How long the batteries can last? Range extender in what sense? Back forth further or just longer for one way trip? Using more batteries or install bigger engine capacity? What is the perfect/optimum hybrid of battery-engine for furthest range?
Detroit Electric is gonna be another scam, just like Hydrogen fuel hype. An automotive version of Swisscash.
Even an engineer can be as silly with their judgement.
Even worst, the hybrid car incentive somehow are ready with usual pre-installed crooks, cronies ready to loot.
This is a complex issue. I have doubt malaysia goverment will let this through.
Cyberkayu – don’t be a kayu! Back up your facts when you said P1 bought Detroit Electric using G money! What’s your source?
CyberKayu – don’t be a kayu. Proton bought Detroit Electric with G money? Back up your claim – G money is also my money!
Chill man
i jk oni
IF
IF
G bought tis DE,proton is their number 1 choice 2run the project,is good for us wat
G money also my money
only u pay taxes?
there are 2 types of people who pay taxes, one who pays becos they believe in every bullshit the G says, and the other pays becos they’re not interested to go to jail
Dear All,
For more than 20 years I have been ranting and raving about the electric car and the benefits it will bring to the world and the environment. Even in our own shores, PK Electronics managed to get into the Malaysian Book of Records with the fastest electric race car at that time. The story goes that PK Electronics tried to get a motor from Eastern Europe, I think it was Poland. The motor they wanted was actually meant for a torpedo, because it had low power consumption and high rev and torque. The electric car never took of even in the 70's because the powers that be, that is the oil companies and governments with vested interests, would have none of it. Nicolai Tesla, a prodigious genius, was way ahead of his time but yet again the then US govt strived to stifle, or even steal his inventions. Even the FBI the Feds and the whole shebang of govt baddies, tried to make him out as a crack pot. He was an associate of Edison, who was extremely jealous of him. Westinghouse, GE and other power companies, tried to buy his ideas on the sole intention of burying it! Anyway, without his ideas, there would not be radios, TVs, Florescent Tubes, AC electric transmissions and motors. And the list could go on and on!
I have my uncles 1956 Popular Mechanics magazine; there is a small solar powered transistor radio up for sale. Though, even at that time solar power was in its infancy and it has been more that fifty years since that invention, and to date not much progress has been made to make it available cheaply. Countries like Malaysia where the sun shines practically throughout the year; there is less use of that technology. In Klang, where I live, that technology is only seen on Parking Meters! In Sweden, where the sun does not shine as much, it is used throughout the country! Why you may ask? It’s because the mega oil corporations who are also major share holders in the power generation companies have a vested interests in such technologies. Solar cells, electric cars are a death knell to their businesses. Hence, oil companies such as BP, are already taking control of such solar power technologies. Why, you ask again? Just to have a monopoly over power generation. But they claim that it is because of their concern for the environment. Hogwash! It is now high time for us consumers to make these things known for our future generation and for the future of our Planet!
Its been a year since the propaganda campaign of the Proton + Detriot EV. Still no sight of legal EV on Malaysian road… All the earlier heated discussion turn out to be ranting… !@#!@
Actually, if anyone wish to see any chance of EV on the road, one should not view it as a total replacement of present Diesel/Patrol guzzling vehicles. (at least in the early stage)
Put the battery life & range in the back seat & look & the economic of running cost + supply & demand.
Please tell me how many actually road users travel over 200km round trip daily? Tell me what is the percentage of car owners do outstation more then 10 times a year? Really… they are minorities… sure you want everything, but they aren't available commercially… just yet… If can save in certain aspect, why not? where got so many little blue pills ler…
Actual User Needs (Not Wants)
I would say 80% of private car owners use their car either to travel to work (for wage earners) or running domestic arrant (house wives). What will their daily range be? if they have to do 200km per day, I would strongly suggest to relocate their job or home rather then asking for a longer range vehicle or cheaper batteries…
So if the daily mileage is less then 150km (most likely 20~80km) then how difficult will it be to plug-in house socket for overnight charging? Don't tell me 80% of the population sleep less then 7 hours!!! If 90% of the car owners think the effort is worth the while, should we care about the picky 10%? I'll tell the 10% they below to ICE cars…
For those who has to travel over 300km routinely for the sake of cari makan, then too bad, its not beneficial for them, until EV population on the road gain volume, say 300,00 to1million? By then even without help from G and resistant from Oil company, some resourceful businessman will dive into fast-charging business all over the country… Supply & demand ma…
Spin-off effect
With 1million EV on the road… do you think battery company won't pour in billions to R&D better batteries??? Businessman stupid ???
Moreover, TNB has excess production capacity now… More excuse for pouring money into Bakun & Trans ocean cable… Consumer also not stupid, will aim at low tariff hours to charge… etc etc.. the limit is one's imagination…
So G don't have to subsidies fuel, Patronas can sell all Dino-left-over product oversea to earn more foreign exchange to sponsor 1Malaysia F1 team so that foreigner can take a ride…
Small Help from G
But to start the ball rolling, the G should give generous tax scheme (limited period) to con some businessman (or crony) to start selling import (opportunity to revive AP) or local EV (P3???)… While at it, make up some G look good story & generate some rakyat's feel good factor… then when the ball start rolling… Harvard Business school will start another case study course on "Malaysian's EV effort" after "Nazibnomy"….
And don't forget to keep RTD & JPJ out of this, they will want the car be fitted with siren so that the noise pollution remains the same, safety belt for the batteries,.. water proof, amphibian capability, approval for changing light bulb inside the car, cabin temperature regulation… etc to ensure EV won't touch Malaysian roads.
Malaysia Boleh!!!
shit, very2 good. 8.3 seconds is on par with RM200K cars already. come on. dont waste your time, release it by next year please. id like to drive some lancer waja with fucking flat torque curve that keeps all proton bashers mouth shut for good.