Detroit Electric to sign RM 1.2 billion agreement with Proton for electric car development

Detroit Electric

It appears that Detroit Electric has finally settled on Proton for its partner in producing its electric cars. According to a release by Detroit Electric, the company is set to sign a RM 1.2 billion (US$331 million) agreement with Proton to produce pure electric cars based on protons, beginning with the Proton Persona.

When we attended Detroit Electric’s press preview back in September 2008, we got to sample some electric cars converted by the company, such as an electric Lotus Elise. There were also various prototype electric cars there such as a Persona and a Savvy.

According to Detroit Electric head Albert Lam, a 100% electric powered Persona could be available in the regions of RM 80,000. Detroit Electric will use a production line at Proton’s Shah Alam manufacturing plant to produce the electric Protons.

Read our previous write-ups on Detroit Electric for more info.

Related Posts:
Detroit Electric’s emissions-free Lotus Elise driven!
Detroit Electric to base electric cars on Proton cars?

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • proton.com on Mar 27, 2009 at 11:11 pm

    nice….has to be cheap then…

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  • More choice of cars.

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  • msian on Mar 27, 2009 at 11:11 pm

    full letrik ka…..hmmm….sounds interestin…..hope da stylin of da car ubah bit as well la….so ppl can know da diff in one look….

    good for proton…!

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  • good news for earth lovers but not rich enough to buy other overpriced green cars..

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  • Tengokaje.. on Mar 27, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    Sounds interesting…Look forward for this full electric car of Proton.

    Yup.. more choices and go for green.

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  • First time i say this, Good for Proton! good strategy. at least give it a try in different area than the conventional car manufacturing.

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  • chinff on Mar 27, 2009 at 11:33 pm

    this is a batteries car is, our malaysian also can do it, y go to mat salleh, did you fix the power window, fix it first proton nanti malu kita, tau

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  • kokwai on Mar 27, 2009 at 11:38 pm

    Just hope the next minister is not worst…

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  • Littlefire on Mar 27, 2009 at 11:41 pm

    If the price is RM80k for electric Persona, i rather invest my money in turbo diesel engine which may even cheaper to sell, more powerful & efficient to drive..

    Anyway in term of green, for sure the electric persona emits 0% emission. But the problems come by when the battery fails and how much we need to replace?!? Just to remind you guys, 100% electric cars battery will fail faster compare to hybrid cars due to wear & tear. Those batteries wont cost cheap… Batteries waste material are not environment friendly also!

    Besides that, how much electric we need to charge the car and how long the time? Still got a lot of issues need to be fix, especially the cost…

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  • Bodow on Mar 27, 2009 at 11:44 pm

    Buat la cepat2 bagi tau bila nak kuar senang org nak simpan duit utk downpayment nie …. lepas tu nak suruh juruelectrik tambah plag kat porch rumah

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  • nazri on Mar 27, 2009 at 11:45 pm

    good… soon when a lot car using electric the price will be drop.

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  • farghmee on Mar 27, 2009 at 11:46 pm

    good idea!

    so the infrastructure must be provided to make full use of electric potential!

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  • madboy on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:02 am

    [quote comment="224844"]Just hope the next minister is not worst…[/quote]

    aiya, wrong post la bro

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  • tanasi on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:04 am

    Good but the onus is on the government to make this work in a larger, more economical scale.

    If a huge number of cars start to ply our roads, it means that the energy burden is now more on the electric grid, and less on the pump station. Is this a better alternative? Are all electricity sources renewable, or green?

    The govt could not even be clear and convincing enough on the NGV, let alone electric vehicles, or modern diesel engine for that matter. I am sceptical.

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  • madboy on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:21 am

    [quote comment="178417"]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.[/quote]

    I wonder????

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  • full electric? if half way no electric how??

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  • BanyakMasukWorkshop (Member) on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:24 am

    [quote comment="224858"]Good but the onus is on the government to make this work in a larger, more economical scale.

    If a huge number of cars start to ply our roads, it means that the energy burden is now more on the electric grid, and less on the pump station. Is this a better alternative? Are all electricity sources renewable, or green?

    The govt could not even be clear and convincing enough on the NGV, let alone electric vehicles, or modern diesel engine for that matter. I am sceptical.[/quote]

    from what i read recently, TNB today is producing waaayy too much power.. over 40% is currently wasted. the good thing about electric is, everyone already has an electric plug at home.. unlike NGV..etc.. where there are just too many factors involve..

    im horrible at numbers, but i remember reading somewhere that per km, electricity is supposed to be cheaper than diesel.

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  • fastcx on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:34 am

    if this electric cars combo with recharge concept from here http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews… will makes it work quite well tho

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  • kei9 (Member) on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:52 am

    This is great news.

    Hope there's more to come after this.

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  • 4G63T DSM on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:53 am

    Thats good news. Lets see how it gets translated from this to cars we actually drive.

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  • bmpower on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:53 am

    I do prefer smaller size electric car first.

    REDESIGN the SAVVY first.

    with more cool look and energy saving example :

    1 – Using of LED lights.

    2 – Decrease overall body weight without scarifying safety (just like exora body)

    3 – And other energy efficiency thingy

    Big car = for long journey, small car = town/urban ride.

    Small electric car are good for starting.

    Way to go proton, im gonna buy 1 later.

    Better fast than late.

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  • azrai on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:55 am

    Good job. Anyway how long do the battery will last? Is it a hybrid or solely on electric motor.

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  • stephenstreets on Mar 28, 2009 at 12:56 am

    Get ready every body …its the next biggest wastage of money since MV Agusta..may god help us all :(

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  • xsagax on Mar 28, 2009 at 1:05 am

    [quote comment="224840"]this is a batteries car is, our malaysian also can do it, y go to mat salleh, did you fix the power window, fix it first proton nanti malu kita, tau[/quote]

    mine ok jer power window..siap main naik turun power window x rosak pun

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  • i want to join ppl asking questions!

    how to charge teh batt? plug to socket? LOL special socket onot? normal 3 pin socket? if user stay at apartments and have to park car outside can cas meh? oh oh! solar charge! at nite? but i do want an electric car~ :-(

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  • xsagax on Mar 28, 2009 at 1:13 am

    why Malaysian has so many negative thinking. other maker also built electric car..but what if " Detroit Electric to sign RM 1.2 billion agreement with Honda for electric car development" what will malaysian say bout that..good move, hail Honda than come this statement Proton should follow Honda or other maker coz way of future ma..sigh

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  • Paul Tan on Mar 28, 2009 at 1:14 am

    [quote comment="224888"]Get ready every body …its the next biggest wastage of money since MV Agusta..may god help us all :([/quote]

    Why would it be a waste of money? Proton is not paying Detroit Electric to make electric cars for them. From what I understand, Detroit Electric is buying Proton platforms to make electric cars for their own Detroit Electric brand. And Proton is contract manufacturing it for them according to their specs in Shah Alam. So Proton is earning money from selling platform and plant capacity, not spending it.

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  • bmpower on Mar 28, 2009 at 1:19 am

    [quote comment="224888"]Get ready every body …its the next biggest wastage of money since MV Agusta..may god help us all :([/quote]

    Dare to fail is… Better than do nothing!

    [quote comment="224894"]why Malaysian has so many negative thinking. other maker also built electric car..but what if " Detroit Electric to sign RM 1.2 billion agreement with Honda for electric car development" what will malaysian say bout that..good move, hail Honda than come this statement Proton should follow Honda or other maker coz way of future ma..sigh[/quote]

    Yeah!.. I second that!

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  • BanyakMasukWorkshop (Member) on Mar 28, 2009 at 1:33 am

    [quote comment="224888"]Get ready every body …its the next biggest wastage of money since MV Agusta..may god help us all :([/quote]

    maybe you can share with us how this will happen?

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  • Noname Takadanama on Mar 28, 2009 at 1:39 am

    Proton Electron

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  • shan0025 on Mar 28, 2009 at 1:49 am

    [quote comment="224898"]Proton Electron[/quote]

    nice one pal..proton electron=neutron?

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  • farghmee on Mar 28, 2009 at 2:01 am

    electric generated from hydropowerplant is clean.

    electric gives higher efficiency than ICE.

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  • Alifz on Mar 28, 2009 at 2:10 am

    The best thing about electric engine, no more TORQUE DIP..

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  • mockviper on Mar 28, 2009 at 2:19 am

    [quote comment="224893"]i want to join ppl asking questions!

    how to charge teh batt? plug to socket? LOL special socket onot? normal 3 pin socket? if user stay at apartments and have to park car outside can cas meh? oh oh! solar charge! at nite? but i do want an electric car~ :-([/quote]

    you all should read the previous post, it is already been reviewed there… u lazy and always complaining people…

    –>

    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.

    A typical electric car can go between 200 to 300km on a full charge.

    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.

    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.

    <–

    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.

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  • KS_Phang on Mar 28, 2009 at 2:35 am

    Wad ever price and specs it comes with. Better get charged up fast, if not nothing else matters

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  • Prem3377 on Mar 28, 2009 at 2:43 am

    electric car is great for the future..but in malaysia its impossible to be 100% electric anytime soon…

    Proton would know this…if you stay in flat,apartment and condo its near impossible to charge..unless you a have a portable battery or generator(but again it uses fuel) so if only the infrastructure for charging and etc available then we can think of going 100% electric..

    but again when they have individual charging socket and etc..the cost of electricity will be much higher than 3 cent per kilometer..

    and when we go full electric country like malaysia is more dependent on coal to produce electric and coal produces more carbon that fossil fuel..which will only increase our carbon footprint and if it dont..atleast equal the amount of fossil fuel engine we currently using..and malaysia is expected to have nuclear energy in 20 years to come..

    so my conclusion is..the electric car is a good effort but not worth for malaysians unless we use solar chargers or wait till we go nuclear!!

    until then you buy a full electric car for the fun of it or to save on fuel in the long term…

    but many missing one important point here…proton is getting more desirable now..detroit have choosen proton because its cars are cheap and have world class build and manufacturing quality!!!so think again…proton is getting world recognition..we should be proud!!

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  • nuzzary on Mar 28, 2009 at 2:56 am

    Sometimes when ever i want to feel good about myself i came here and read the comment and think how less bright other peoples comment is

    :P

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  • sadin on Mar 28, 2009 at 3:02 am

    wow! this is good, seems tht electric powered motor can give instant power to the car to move from stanstil. and economical too. very good for urban/town car to start with. maybe do it with the motorcycle too.

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  • hm..i wonder…when i read about toyota introduce airbag for rear passanger, some ppl said p1 is lembap, technology way behind…

    so, it comes to p1 to have electric cars, then some ppl said wasting taxpayer's money…

    Ish. malaysian ppl….pls la wake up…everything related to p1 mesti salah..

    tak buat itu salah..nak buat ini pn slh…

    haish…dont know la..cannot understand malaysian ppl…

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  • bmpower on Mar 28, 2009 at 3:53 am

    [quote comment="224915"]hm..i wonder…when i read about toyota introduce airbag for rear passanger, some ppl said p1 is lembap, technology way behind…

    so, it comes to p1 to have electric cars, then some ppl said wasting taxpayer's money…

    Ish. malaysian ppl….pls la wake up…everything related to p1 mesti salah..

    tak buat itu salah..nak buat ini pn slh…

    haish…dont know la..cannot understand malaysian ppl…[/quote]

    you dont have to worry bout that.

    some of malaysian are still 3rd world country mentality . (most of them admiring japan so much btw) :p

    anyway.. i do believe.. in such a way..

    when peoples using electric car in malaysia, the battery or parts will become cheaper and cheaper and cheaper and so on.

    So we dont have to worry about battery price and parts then. all cheaps.. batteries everywhere.

    The other thing is, it can reduce our globalwarming. We were living in khatulistiwa, the most 'hot' in earth :D. So, with all this, we might be can reduce it by 50%.

    Just imagine, there's everywhere proton EV in KL.. wah! just so nice..

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  • infinity (Member) on Mar 28, 2009 at 4:20 am

    malaysia have a lot of sunlight..so y not couple this electric motor with solar energy?as the car already have batteries to store the energy..i know it's not as simple as tat..but maybe worth trying..coz solar is FREE and CLEAN…

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  • lomotus on Mar 28, 2009 at 4:21 am

    Alber Lam screwing Proton again. Last time when he was with Lotus Engineering Malaysia, and now Detroit Electric. He is going to suck out all the money from Proton.

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  • hazxkh on Mar 28, 2009 at 4:42 am

    ………….Earth Hour ………….

    Please Turn Off Your Car

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  • Prem3377 on Mar 28, 2009 at 4:48 am

    infinity,

    bro,solar power sounds like a great altenative the only limitation now is the power produced by solar power per meter square..

    when solar panel become more efficient…i bet our country will benefit first..

    for now we can only pray some genius can create such panel unless you wanna drive a car with the roof as large as a tennis court everywhere you go to get enough power..haha

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  • chap_de_x on Mar 28, 2009 at 4:59 am

    so typical malaysians mentality…hahahaha…first of all thanks paul for clarifying that proton not invest in this project but licensing the persona platform (DE call it glider) to Detroit electric and assemble the car for them, proton make money out from it….further more technology transfer will occur and mayb one day proton can build their own electric car like we learn making cars from MMC….

    Next….forecast by some expert says in next 10-20 years electric car will slowly replacing ICE….the battery technology will more advance, small, more efficient, can store more energy an so on…i know there is a lot of things that must be solve to make electric car relevant but its normal step for new technology….its like LCD/plasma TV technology….last 10 years only rich and famous can afford to buy it but now its common to see LCD TV….

    further more the pollution and emission is more controllable…( waste in producing electric in a plant can be manage more effectively then waste create by every single vehicle)….just its so lame to see comment with such negativity…i second what "ikan" said.. when its proton there always an idea to bash….so lame….i believe if the title of this post are

    "Detroit Electric to sign RM 1.2 billion agreement with HONDA or TOYOTA for electric car development" the comment in this post will be different…typical malaysians….hahahah

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  • dcwhz83 on Mar 28, 2009 at 4:59 am

    [quote comment="224925"]malaysia have a lot of sunlight..so y not couple this electric motor with solar energy?as the car already have batteries to store the energy..i know it's not as simple as tat..but maybe worth trying..coz solar is FREE and CLEAN…[/quote]

    solar technology maybe need another 20-50 yrs more of innovation… we alrdy have hydroelectric dam that is so HUGE… but how many percent of the total electricity it produces? we still depends on petroleum/gas/coal for 80% of our electricity supply…

    no matter how efficient is the electric car, we (TNB or the cars) are still burning petroleum one way or another… all rivers (hydroelectric) + solar + windmills combined will not be able to provide enough energy for us if petroleum is depleted… nuclear energy is the only sustainable way to create electricity and most environment friendly compared to other sources (as long as it doesnt explode)…

    anyway, electric cars are only sustainable for purpose of work/school to and from your home… any uncalculated mileage (go for drink with friends/go further dinner/balik kampung) will result in waiting 0.5-1 hour in a charging station with a plug in your car… unless they are as popular as handphones… we can charge handphones almost everywhere… lets say we go restaurants/shopping mall, there should be charging station in those parking spaces as well…

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  • chap_de_x on Mar 28, 2009 at 5:03 am

    forget to mentioned…if Malaysian is still with this kind of thinking its not a surprise for me if Detroit electric only introduce the persona electric at other country that more appreciate technology like this….

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  • [quote comment="224888"]Get ready every body …its the next biggest wastage of money since MV Agusta..may god help us all :([/quote]

    Bad happening no twice, twice happening knows bad. We need had sembahyang for our taxpayer.

    I think we should start some battery charger business like have a battery charger station, buy an Exora with battery charger machine inside to make business at mid highway…

    ………….Earth Hour ………….

    ………………past……………….

    Are you turn of your computer and handphone? Celcom 3G service is not available at the moment. Sick!

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  • arch808 on Mar 28, 2009 at 5:21 am

    A bold move for P1. now we'll just wait for P2 to import electric cars technology from their parent company and claim it's their own R&D…. xD

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  • Malaysia already have footprint in the electrical & electronics industries. We are among the largest producer of solar cell in the world. Can you imagine that what will happen when we could introduce EV here. Imagine the E& E industries grow due to new demand… Even Toyota & honda join venture with Battery maker for their EV. When Detroic Electric produce their EV at proton, we will gain experience. Not just proton, but all other vendors in both automotive and E&E industries, Toyota & Honda will shift their plant to our country because our workforce already have skills and knowledge in development and manufacturing the EV. EV need E&E industry to thrive. Each EV will have more Electronics items than current vehicle, which Malaysia already have experience in producing it.

    Proton is doing a great job, when allowing Detroit Electric to produce EV at their factory. When Proton ready with their own EV (remember Lotus is one of the largest EV Consulting company and producing lots of techonologies for EV), their workforce already have good skills & knowledge.

    Detroic Electric is the one who need to convince people to buy EV, and everybody knows that its come from Proton factory. So, if the quality is good, its a plus to Proton, and vice versa.

    Thailand already become the hub for this region for conventional vehicle, but Malaysia can still gain the top spot for the EV. Remember we have a well establish E&E industries, great workforce etc.

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  • Also, as for solar power roof, its not enough to power the car, but great to reduce the heat from within when you park under the sun. that will surely provide a longer range for your EV.

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  • as for solar power roof, its not enough to power the car, but great to reduce the heat from within when you park under the sun. that will surely provide a longer range for your EV.

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  • lambov12 (Member) on Mar 28, 2009 at 5:49 am

    It's a big move for Detroit Eletric & oso Proton.

    But I will consider some factors before planning to buy one of these cars,

    1) The mantainence will cost how much ? How often ?

    2) Spare parts ?

    3) Will under the tree foreman know how to repair or only trained technicians by Detroit Electric ?

    4) How long will it take to fully-charged the car from a 13Amp power supply ??

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  • Maserati on Mar 28, 2009 at 6:21 am

    Bad move Proton! In these bad economic situations,you still can splurge on something not tested and in fact ,how many ppl will buy this junk anyway?

    Proton cant even get their own cars right ,and now they wanna team up and produce electric cars.Oh,come on.You can do something more meaningful!

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  • osh_kosh on Mar 28, 2009 at 6:32 am

    [quote comment="224925"]malaysia have a lot of sunlight..so y not couple this electric motor with solar energy?as the car already have batteries to store the energy..i know it's not as simple as tat..but maybe worth trying..coz solar is FREE and CLEAN…[/quote]

    the photovoltaics solar panel is not cheap u know… so in the end your 'Green' Persona will shoot up beyond RM80k mark…

    btw, good move by Proton… IMO it's more meaningful than 'Earth Hour' hanky panky..

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  • tanasi on Mar 28, 2009 at 6:53 am

    [quote comment="224869"][quote comment="224858"]Good but the onus is on the government to make this work in a larger, more economical scale.

    If a huge number of cars start to ply our roads, it means that the energy burden is now more on the electric grid, and less on the pump station. Is this a better alternative? Are all electricity sources renewable, or green?

    The govt could not even be clear and convincing enough on the NGV, let alone electric vehicles, or modern diesel engine for that matter. I am sceptical.[/quote]

    from what i read recently, TNB today is producing waaayy too much power.. over 40% is currently wasted.

    the good thing about electric is, everyone already has an electric plug at home.. unlike NGV..etc.. where there are just too many factors involve..

    im horrible at numbers, but i remember reading somewhere that per km, electricity is supposed to be cheaper than diesel.[/quote]

    Yes thanks to the previous PM we have a few well connected tycoons making more electricity than we ever need at the moment (and get paid regardless, for the next 30 or God knows how many decades). However, I don't think the masses are ready to charge the vehicle for 6.5 hours if the juice is low, especially if you are away from home. And if a huge number of people or companies suddenly opt for the higher voltage and high current supply can TNB accommodate this? Normally only industrial areas are equipped with the high voltage supply.

    Of course we are assuming that Detroit Electric is focusing to sell the car in the domestic market. However, if the plan is to export, then maybe my worries are unfounded.

    Anyway, money flowing into the country is good, regardless of who makes it.

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  • acerman on Mar 28, 2009 at 7:28 am

    Don't you guys think that NEO CPS could be the Proton Marque as equal as The GOLF GTI?

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  • Prem3377 on Mar 28, 2009 at 7:43 am

    chap_de_x,

    you have got a point there..i mean polution from one power plant is more manageable than every single car..

    but that what EV producers tell you..its hard to explain here..but i will try..

    the basic law of energy is..energy cannot be produce but change in form only..

    when cars start using electric..the usage counts increase and our power plant capacity increases…now just assume we using about 13000 megawatt electric during our peak hour which is typical working hour till about 8pm..

    and we do need to produce the same 13000 megawatt the entire day because its the peak voltage!!! and we cant store out exessive energy…so if cars in future uses more electric means the peak should increase about just say 18000 megawatt..so we will produce excessive current the whole day…

    which is a headache and wastage..its not simple as we think..that the reason full electric cars or EV not really the next big thing…

    i am not saying its a bad effort..if you can look at a bigger picture..then you should know…and people in the power industry will understand more…

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  • holly mama on Mar 28, 2009 at 8:14 am

    [quote comment="224868"]full electric? if half way no electric how??[/quote]

    If you drive till half no petrol how?

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  • cool. so proton can bypass the whole hybrid stage and jump straight to electric.

    and if they're smart, which i doubt….. they will utilise this first strike move in the region to position themselves as the foremost offerers of pure electric vehicles.

    of course, reliability is an issue they have to address.

    good competitive advantage.

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  • Tiadaid on Mar 28, 2009 at 8:31 am

    [quote comment="224888"]Get ready every body …its the next biggest wastage of money since MV Agusta..may god help us all :([/quote]

    Bash, bash, bash….

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  • tokmoh (Member) on Mar 28, 2009 at 8:43 am

    [quote comment="224961"]Don't you guys think that NEO CPS could be the Proton Marque as equal as The GOLF GTI?[/quote]

    More like Satria Neo S2000, if they're making a road legal version :) Neo CPS is rather mild, just comparable to Suzuki Swift Sport, but even then, it's already pretty good. So just imagine it with more POWAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

    [quote comment="224953"]Bad move Proton! In these bad economic situations,you still can splurge on something not tested and in fact ,how many ppl will buy this junk anyway?

    Proton cant even get their own cars right ,and now they wanna team up and produce electric cars.Oh,come on.You can do something more meaningful![/quote]

    People in first world country will. Ever heard of G-wiz? It's quite a seller in UK among environmentalists. Kristin Scott Thomas has one.

    As for ur brand, who will buy in this bad economic situation? It's already bombarded being anti-social with its very damaging CO2 emission, n dun give me the fucking shit like "rich people won't be affected", cuz I am hearing even the invincible Toyota are making losses. This credit crisis has affected Maserati's 2nd hand value (n other supercar brands) so badly, yet, sales keep on dropping. If u hv balls, I dare u to say Maserati can survive this economic onslaught without any loan or injection from any govt, so quit this shit abt Proton wasting money. Everyone else are wasting more compared to Proton. From what I heard, even Japanese carmakers will get stimulus from their govt.

    "Can't even get their cars right"? So how come Persona, Saga mk2 n soon-to-be-launched Exora are selling well? Still living in TM era is it? Even Satria Neo CPS has abt 2,3 months waiting list when my fren want to buy his Satria Neo lite a couple of days ago.

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  • tanasi on Mar 28, 2009 at 9:11 am

    Personally i don't think electric car is going to be viable. Ever (or so I hope).

    There's still issues with the battery life, range, etc. The batteries, after a few years, I'd assume is not going to be cheap to replace. Plus, the batteries are made from finite resources. So it's probably back to the same problem with the dinosaur fuel.

    Plus it lacks the noise, vibration and the tactile experience only a good old IC engine can give us.

    Imagine driving a golf buggy all your life! Doing the drag in silence. Not being able to rev the engine while waiting for the light to turn green.Dealing with the abscence of a good V8 or raspy exhaust note at 9000 rpm? Will I still be able to break traction and power oversteer when the mood is in for some spirited drive? And what about the pokok cherry mechanics, no more oil changes, no more top overhauls, reduced to doing the same thing as an electrician working on washing machine or pump motor does. Please someone reverse this nightmare!

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  • Paul Tan on Mar 28, 2009 at 9:30 am

    Electric cars are not completely silent. I drove the Honda FCX in Japan in 2007, while its a hydrogen car, it still uses an electric motor to move, just that its powered by the electricity generated by fuel cell.

    There definitely was a sound – sounded like a turbocharged engine's turbine spinning, but just the turbine spinning, no engine sound. Abit like plane take-off kind of sound also. Futuristic.

    So there definitely is aural feedback to the driver, it doesn't sound TOO bad la, just not as exciting as the crack and pop of an ICE's exhaust.

    But of course that's just my experience with the FCX. Other cars might be totally silent. But some journos who have test driven the Tesla Roadster also reported the same turbine-like sound.

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  • MyviKiller on Mar 28, 2009 at 9:38 am

    [quote comment="224983"]Electric cars are not completely silent. I drove the Honda FCX in Japan in 2007, while its a hydrogen car, it still uses an electric motor to move, just that its powered by the electricity generated by fuel cell.

    There definitely was a sound – sounded like a turbocharged engine's turbine spinning, but just the turbine spinning, no engine sound. Abit like plane take-off kind of sound also. Futuristic.

    So there definitely is aural feedback to the driver, it doesn't sound TOO bad la, just not as exciting as the crack and pop of an ICE's exhaust.

    But of course that's just my experience with the FCX. Other cars might be totally silent. But some journos who have test driven the Tesla Roadster also reported the same turbine-like sound.[/quote]

    I was watching "Who Killed The Ev1" from youtube the other day, and the sound was like the one you described, very futuristic indeed.

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  • Wisdom on Mar 28, 2009 at 10:16 am

    [quote comment="224979"]Personally i don't think electric car is going to be viable. Ever (or so I hope).

    There's still issues with the battery life, range, etc. The batteries, after a few years, I'd assume is not going to be cheap to replace. Plus, the batteries are made from finite resources. So it's probably back to the same problem with the dinosaur fuel.

    Plus it lacks the noise, vibration and the tactile experience only a good old IC engine can give us.

    Imagine driving a golf buggy all your life! Doing the drag in silence. Not being able to rev the engine while waiting for the light to turn green.Dealing with the abscence of a good V8 or raspy exhaust note at 9000 rpm?

    Will I still be able to break traction and power oversteer when the mood is in for some spirited drive? And what about the pokok cherry mechanics, no more oil changes, no more top overhauls, reduced to doing the same thing as an electrician working on washing machine or pump motor does. Please someone reverse this nightmare![/quote]

    You have that 'slow evolving' genetic traits. Not a sloth aren't u..?

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  • Hmmm sayang it's rm80k le… if it's the same price as the current petrol persona then i might consider hehe…

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  • Wisdom on Mar 28, 2009 at 10:52 am

    Proton, some points to consider…

    1. Proton cars generally have a quite heavy chassis to retain its rigidity. IC engine could compensate that extra weight but they should start a serious weight loss program to provide enough room for battery weight plus additional electrical equipments. They could consider more aluminum part especially for suspension system.

    2. Electric motor generally have smaller size & weight for similar capacity/output compared to IC engine. And i believe electric motor only needs simple gearing system which weigh less. With lighter front end and heavier mid/rear (due to battery), Proton could have an opportunity to further develops and fine tune its driving dynamics and try to achieve 50:50 weight distribution. The front end can be redesigned. Even better if Proton can come up with individual drive motor per wheel which automatically can be set & synchronized under a traction control program.

    3. With generally silent electric drivetrain, Proton should buck-up and try to eliminate any suspension, wind noise, or any other component related noise coz these sound effects will be more audible once its goes full electric.

    4. Safety concern adds up as the risk of electric shocks will present.

    5. Try to achieve the highest range possible coz i don't wanna spent a night just to travel from johor to perlis.

    If its making any sense….

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  • kami-sama on Mar 28, 2009 at 10:54 am

    Honestly, right til the thread when Paul started talking about Honda FCX fuel cells, all this electrical business is BS to me.

    If you have seen Top Gear on the feasibility and practically of electric vs fuel cell, you might might understand.

    In terms of infrastructure cost…having electrical kiosk implemented is absurdly high, where as fuel cell retains almost 80% of the current kiosk infrastructure. I don't need to build some power storage.

    We talk about environmental, both fairs well.

    We talk about safety, both has it's risk in running. Shorts and leakings.

    Then, the most obvious.

    Pumping hydrogen fuel is equally same amount of time as petrol.

    Mileage gains are also almost identical as any petrol cars.

    Where as electric cars… mileage aren't going to improve.

    Storage of electricity will still gradually discharge over time….not like stored fuels…which has less of this issues.

    Time to charge up is incredibly long…at least 6 hours. So, are we going to keep charging and replacing batteries everytime we run out of power?.

    Looking at this few concept is enough to prove how infant stage electric cars are.

    Should Proton wish to invest…they should THINK the bills cost for normal consumer using electricity. We are not nuclear powered….we still burn coals.

    This isn't practical or feasible in ANY way …benefiting consumers or the country. To me..just a gimmick…

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  • kami-sama on Mar 28, 2009 at 10:59 am

    btw, another bunch of tax payers money down the drain.

    before I act up….how many countries out there have done this in term of economically successful or even the big japanese car manufacturers.

    Hybrid?…Yes, I can accept that. 100% electrics….you gotta be kidding me.

    I'm not buying one, even if it's RM$60k.

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  • hidrogentank on Mar 28, 2009 at 11:35 am

    Paul Tan ;

    hey Paul…i dont quite get this yet, i mean what opportunity does detroit-E see in proton, where will the cars be marketed? how come they dont opt to contract domestically, im sure there will be plenty of chances in the US. can you enlighten me on this?

    tokmoh;

    hey…ofcourse generally rich ppl wont be affected (maserati will though). when ppl say this, it mostly applies to individuals, (i dont support them coz i aint rich myself)… not a whole company.when Toyota says its making losses, duh its not like every1 in Toyota will end up a pauper.thats more like a sustainability threashold for a company .ofcourse, when youre as widespread as Toyota, especially when a credit crisis hits without a hint during ongoing production youre sure to make losses. the invincibility was built upon ppl. when ppl rise, you rise. but when they fall, you fall with them.

    about proton, try imagine if the govt didnt apply those famous tax structures, and msia was a free market. do you think the proton would still be selling like it is?? OK..im not so pro wit the taxes thing, shipping costs, etc etc but dude, if that were the case…direct conversion shows a fully imported VW jetta would only max out at RM 80-100k, a mazda3 60-99k, honda fit 56-76k. yes generaly proton cars will still be slightly cheaper but will so many ppl still be stuck with only proton…i dont think so=)thus, there will be no more story about protons selling "well" just average .i dono if youre aware of this, but if you are ,and still headstrong bout proton integrity and wanna kau kau whack, shank , slam other ppl who don like proton, then it seems youre a genuine patriot.

    no doubt proton has improved a lot in many aspects (i especially like the no more rust bubbles paint quality now).but fact is some ppl still have their reasons to "talk bad bad" bout proton…maybe past experiences and what not, doesnt mean others get to be jerks and call them bodoh, still living in TM era n stuff (ive read yr comments).however, i can understand why the satria neo is so hot, thats coz it is HOT, in fact i want 1 myself , its gotta be in white with blac rims 17- 18 inchers no body kits, lowered bout 1.5 inches (but neo cps bodykit kinda overboard la IMO, not subtle enuff)

    bac to topic….i say the electric car is viable…in the nex 10-20 years, we will see lots of improvements in battery tech, that will hold significantly more miles with less charging time. detroit electric may be one of those companies in the forefront of development.

    ps(tokmoh;im ready for any battering u might hav for me, cheers=p)

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  • adrian on Mar 28, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    still people talking about the tax. tax is for gov n not bcoz of proton. tax means income for gov. y u people still not understanding about the tax? Selfish people

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  • fastcx on Mar 28, 2009 at 3:23 pm

    o shut up all the doubt-ers, just read this la http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews… worried about charging? its not as hard as u thought! y when proton tries to do anything, u guys js bash n bash n doom it b4 u even know it? Malaysians, pathetic

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  • fastcx on Mar 28, 2009 at 3:26 pm

    n u guys tot ur income tax is tat much compares to cigarette, alcohol, car, import, F&B tax?! dude, wake up la, wasting tax payer money? when u stop moving, u r going backwards! v needs to keep moving rather than "Oh shit, stop, lets rethink", by the time u wake up, u're way behind too long! malaysian mentality is just damn slow n unwilling to accept changes

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  • Prismo on Mar 28, 2009 at 3:50 pm

    still talking about tax, gov, bla bla bla… when a thread is about proton… try to live in brunei, low cars pricing. But u'll be bored to live in there (no offense :) ).. u can get a supercars with a dirt cheap price, but u cant modify it. Cannot use blink blink 20" alloys, no tinted is allowed and etc… No drag, drift or any car events is held in that place…

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  • Prismo on Mar 28, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    [quote comment="225023"]still talking about tax, gov, bla bla bla… when a thread is about proton… try to live in brunei, low cars pricing. But u'll be bored to live in there (no offense :) ).. u can get a supercars with a dirt cheap price, but u cant modify it. Cannot use blink blink 20" alloys, no tinted is allowed and etc… No drag, drift or any car events is held in that place…[/quote]

    continue…

    so what the purpose of having a 300hp supercar if u cannot drive beyond the limit sometimes?

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  • hek eleeeee…. you all comment (or rather complaint) like you all have tonnes of experience running a car making company or ev scientist. not need to complaint that much laa, most of us just makan gaji, dont have experience running own business or company.

    if Detroit want to spend some money dealing with proton, sure they have weight pro and cons and risk. it is their own biz decision so let it be laa. dont insult their intelligence.

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  • nazri on Mar 28, 2009 at 5:03 pm

    when talking about proton mesti banyak negative comment… bla..bla.. tax money, crony, power window, AP, wasting time etc… etc.. Please la malaysian this is about future the JV between detroit electric and proton. kalau market kereta pun kat eropah, diorang lagi suka persekitaran yang bersih.

    chow…

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  • [quote comment="224899"][quote comment="224898"]Proton Electron[/quote]

    nice one pal..proton electron=neutron?[/quote]

    Hahahahaha. THat's quite an idea really.. Imagine.

    The Proton Electron 1986.

    The Proton Quark 2009.

    The Proton Boson 2010.

    lol

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  • [quote comment="224984"][quote comment="224983"]Electric cars are not completely silent. I drove the Honda FCX in Japan in 2007, while its a hydrogen car, it still uses an electric motor to move, just that its powered by the electricity generated by fuel cell.

    There definitely was a sound – sounded like a turbocharged engine's turbine spinning, but just the turbine spinning, no engine sound. Abit like plane take-off kind of sound also. Futuristic.

    So there definitely is aural feedback to the driver, it doesn't sound TOO bad la, just not as exciting as the crack and pop of an ICE's exhaust.

    But of course that's just my experience with the FCX. Other cars might be totally silent. But some journos who have test driven the Tesla Roadster also reported the same turbine-like sound.[/quote]

    I was watching "Who Killed The Ev1" from youtube the other day, and the sound was like the one you described, very futuristic indeed.[/quote]

    That was an awesome documentary! I so agree… Maybe the msian govt should push hydroelectricity… build up bakun kau kau… then make electricity cheap cheap cheap. Free renewable energy for cars makes good sense.

    btw, maybe the FCX was too quiet to a point where Honda decided to put some speakers and play cool sounds when you accelerate =P

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  • ThaiKueCheng on Mar 28, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    SAVVY is the good car.. why not PROTON redesign the rear.. make is more acceptable for malaysian.. i want to have one small car esp savvy, but because not many used Savvy, so i wait first… can proton comes with Savvy SE CPS ? and comes with new facelift both front and rear of the car

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  • [quote comment="225010"]still people talking about the tax. tax is for gov n not bcoz of proton. tax means income for gov. y u people still not understanding about the tax? Selfish people[/quote]

    Tax is gov income, that is gov money, taxpayer need to pay tax to gov because gov is taxpayers worker, gov work to earn money you know. So tax is gov money, why dont let him spend as he wish just like us spend our income as we want. So… back to topic… gtov spend RM 1.2 billion of his income, not your money, selfish payer, so dont bash larrr… this green car is healthy to us and environment.

    Earth Time Next Saturday…

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  • gen2lama on Mar 28, 2009 at 7:16 pm

    [quote comment="225021"]n u guys tot ur income tax is tat much compares to cigarette, alcohol, car, import, F&B tax?! dude, wake up la, wasting tax payer money? when u stop moving, u r going backwards! v needs to keep moving rather than "Oh shit, stop, lets rethink", by the time u wake up, u're way behind too long! malaysian mentality is just damn slow n unwilling to accept changes[/quote]

    i'm working with the irb….the fact is – money collected from the individual is just to small compared to the company & petroleum based company…

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  • kami-sama on Mar 28, 2009 at 7:20 pm

    Dear readers…please read this.
    http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1a…

    "The cars will have a range of about 200 miles on a full charge after keeping them plugged to an ordinary electric power outlet for seven to eight hours. "

    20 minutes charging?… read up ….from real FACTS.

    As for tax payers money….everyone pays for it. I have no resentment, as it's my obligation as a citizen. However, I do reserve the right of my opinion here on knowing money is spent well.

    I am not against social or technology advancement…I embrace it…but there is a true line between feasible , practical and timely.

    I admit I don't know this, but I hope you know how to calculate electrical bills on charging lithium ion batts or planning a metropolitan, moreover driving more than 400km without lights at night or having a dead batt in traffics. Again, we can be "forefront", but we must also learn from those who have more experience than us before running blindly in the dark.

    Maybe in 10 years time…but having a mindset to produce a electric car now is…to me….remains non-feasible.

    If you have a nicer way instead of bashing someone's opinion, please be constructive. The idea of leaving a comment is also respecting personal opinions, not for personal attacks or branding the person.

    You can do the latar in some mamak stall…Peace.

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  • tanasi on Mar 28, 2009 at 8:05 pm

    I don't know Paul, but I've driven golf buggies, and seen the Detroit ELectric vehicles driven around during the Merdeka celebrations, and they were really really quiet. Maybe the honda managed to induce artificial electrical whine– just like DSLRs with the shutter noise?

    Not so bad with the Proton models. But the orange Elise, is eerily and deafeningly silent, and still managed to out drag a supercharged Exige anytime or so I've been told.

    I've driven the old Mk1 Elise. Noisy, hot, and in most cases, a galore of attack on all your senses. But the electric Elise, I'd imagine, would represent a driving experience that defies what one would expect from a sports car ride. Quiet, cool, fast, green, just things that don't correlate well with my idea of powerful and aggressive cars — how to attract attention when passing a mamak joint? do I sound the horn?

    Oh well, maybe as someone pointed out, I've got slow genetics– haha! AFAIK there's enough fossil fuel to last my lifetime, so enjoy the imperfections of IC engine while it lasts!

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  • [quote comment="225062"]

    i'm working with the irb….the fact is – money collected from the individual is just to small compared to the company & petroleum based company…[/quote]

    But, the companys worker, customer are individual, how do company (and gov) being without individual? Who own the petroleum? This is the point.

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  • seaotter on Mar 28, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    Maybe we should see it from this perspective.

    By going electric, we will decrease the number of petrol cars going into KL.

    less IC cars = less polution.

    Plus the fact that KL will be quieter too.

    Now all we need are electric busses and KL can be the first truely electric city!

    (and yes, makan banyak electric too)

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  • r iskandar on Mar 28, 2009 at 8:57 pm

    hope there is a service to convert a normal ice proton savvy to a 120hp electric engine which can drag from 0 – 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds. i can just imagine all those mat rempit terbeliak mata … mua..ha..ha..ha.. the proton savvy is a great handling car and with a quieter and more efficient speed range will make it an instant hit – even in japan.

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  • chap_de_x on Mar 28, 2009 at 9:09 pm

    Prem3377….

    mayb u r rite…but dont you think it is time for us to utilize the IPP that we pay billions per year just to make sure we not in the dark….furthermore in 5 years mayb the bakun hydro plant will be operating and produce large amount of electric to all malaysians…in my opinion it is enough to cover the peak usage cause by EV car( if malaysian accept the changes la)…furthermore in 10-15 years time i think malaysia will have their own nuclear power plant that is more efficient then other power plant… i am not saying only EV car for the future…but what i mean is EV one of the alternative that will replace ICE in the future… for me its a good thing we start now rather we regret later not in par with others in term of future technology… correct me if i am wrong

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  • taxes are nothing! on Mar 28, 2009 at 10:29 pm

    proton megatron!!!

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  • tak payahlah kuar yang letrik2 kat Malaysia ni..tak laju ar..tak standard ar..macam2 lagi ar…tu jawapan JPJ semasa aku tanya nape skuter solarin turtle tidak lulus kat jalan raya…kereta ni lulus jpj ke….

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  • Prem3377 on Mar 28, 2009 at 11:52 pm

    chap_de_x,

    no no..i didnt disagree with you…proton's effort to come up with full electric car is great..but is it good for our people and country yet??that the problem..

    maybe its good for country like UK,US and Australia.

    let me tell you why we are not ready for current full electric cars.

    1. town areas mostly have open space parking and basement type of parking.

    2.many live in flats,apartment,condo and etc

    3.we are using coal as our main power plant and bakun is just enough for the next five years electric usage(population growth,new development and etc)

    4.our nuclear power plant is only going to start working around 2025

    5.our electric grid is old and cannot support sudden additional loads,and TNB is having headache right now..since bakun not ready,ipp charge expensive..and etc

    the conclusion is even if proton produce an electric car right now..the people is malaysia is not ready for it..

    what i am worried is..as you know malaysians…they just hate our national companies being successful…and since we are not really ready..this EV might be a failure(short term basis) and proton might not consider another EV in future then(when we are ready)

    hope you guys understand..because even our current leaders are short sighted…so proton cannot go thru any short term failure!!

    and to be full EV ready..we have to overnight charging stations where u can park your car atleast a few hours..and the best time to this is when we are asleep..

    so who will take those responsibility and invest on these kind of infrastructures??

    and when those things are ready how much will we have to pay them??

    then will we save enough money to overcome the intial car price ??

    will our electric grid support this sudden surge and demand in electric???

    so many thing to consider before they can even start selling a car!!

    thats why full EV is not yet the right way…maybe this car can help proton and detroit motor learn..and by the time full EV is ready…they can have better models built..

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  • Prem3377 on Mar 29, 2009 at 12:00 am

    and about IPP…

    they actually sell mostly reserve electricity..and our country has 40% reserve..

    which mean..when demand increase..they still sell their reserve 40% out of the new increased demand..

    so they still make more profit!!

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  • yippi33 on Mar 29, 2009 at 12:19 am

    not going for electric just for the sake of saying that electricity is also produced by coal is just lame and short sighted..do you know the process of producing the fossil fuel??is it that clean for the environment??the point is, at least we can do something about it by not adding the degree of pollution (by going electric) rather than increasing it (by using fossil fuel)..the cleanest source that i can think of is solar but we still have a long way to go..so, for the time being, electric is guuud…

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  • carsut on Mar 29, 2009 at 12:50 am

    Bros and sis.. remember tonight is Earth Hour.. so pls turn off ur light for one hour starting from 8.30pm My.time thnks:P

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  • MyBoy on Mar 29, 2009 at 1:54 am

    Love this idea. Hope Proton will get full G support for the charging infrastructure.

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  • Fridz (Member) on Mar 29, 2009 at 3:37 am

    Generation of electricity also contribute to air polution.mainly our power plant is generate by combustion of coal or diesel and steam produced will turn the turbine to generate power..the main thing is coal and diesel combustion also contibute to polution.same as our car that use petrol and diesel as for internal combustion and create polution with its emmision..

    thats what the Earth Hour campaign for…save electricity bcoz of the global warming issue.bare in your mind not just to switch off the lights only today at 8.30pm,but try to reduce our elec consumption in your daily life.

    sounds like solar powered car is the most enviromental friendly platform if we take heavy concern on polution.

    for PROTON,i genuinely support this move.forget to those who are still 3rd world mind setting.

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  • Fridz (Member) on Mar 29, 2009 at 3:39 am

    Lovely those DE take savvy and persona.NOT Myvi and Viva.hait…

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  • Wisdom on Mar 29, 2009 at 8:16 am

    [quote comment="224995"]btw, another bunch of tax payers money down the drain.

    before I act up….how many countries out there have done this in term of economically successful or even the big japanese car manufacturers.

    Hybrid?…Yes, I can accept that. 100% electrics….you gotta be kidding me.

    I'm not buying one, even if it's RM$60k.[/quote]

    Typical followers mindset. Which one is your motto; 'We cant do what others can't' or 'I'm not as good as them'.

    Everything has a start…

    Last time fuel price go up, everybody said "damn Proton always stick to conventional way of building cars, never move forward, never learn new technologies, bla… bla..". Now u murmurs of a few cents contribution from u for the tax. Come on.. grow up. At current relatively low fuel price, u talk not feasible bla bla. Later fuel price shoot up again??

    And no one wants to know if you're buying one…

    As a looser, i can't believe u're the fastest swimmer than the rest of the sperms last time…

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  • biggie on Mar 29, 2009 at 7:15 pm

    remember.. at every second we have about 40% electricity wasted currently. So thousands of EV cars will not contribute to pollution in anyway.

    Most probably it will reduce noise pollution from IC engines.

    To those who live in condos/apartments/flats then you do not need to buy the EV, there are another millions who live in terraces etc. who might benefit. Maybe as the car getting more popular there will be charging service for the unfortunates one.

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  • kami-sama on Mar 29, 2009 at 10:56 pm

    dear Wisdom,

    the discussion is about electrical cars…and my opinion does not need your judgement.

    Your comments are more of sort branding my personality and my opinions….perhaps more on people than the subject itself.

    it does not state I complaint about fuel prices, or anything…does it?. Nor does it state anywhere in this forum about restricted opinions. Don't put words in people's mouth.

    What's so amazing is that it's easy to judge people…..but if you wish to make a personal attack…please keep it to yourself or tell it to your neighbour dogs.

    btw, nobody here cares or wants to know your opinion about me either.

    Stick to the subject.

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  • [quote comment="225070"]I don't know Paul, but I've driven golf buggies, and seen the Detroit ELectric vehicles driven around during the Merdeka celebrations, and they were really really quiet. Maybe the honda managed to induce artificial electrical whine– just like DSLRs with the shutter noise?

    [/quote]

    DSLRs do have mechanical shutters. That's what separates them from prosumer cameras. They are digital only in the sense that they have digital sensors rather than film.

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  • xsagax on Mar 29, 2009 at 11:46 pm

    [quote comment="225063"]Dear readers…please read this.
    http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f1a…

    "The cars will have a range of about 200 miles on a full charge after keeping them plugged to an ordinary electric power outlet for seven to eight hours. "

    20 minutes charging?… read up ….from real FACTS.

    As for tax payers money….everyone pays for it. I have no resentment, as it's my obligation as a citizen. However, I do reserve the right of my opinion here on knowing money is spent well.

    I am not against social or technology advancement…I embrace it…but there is a true line between feasible , practical and timely.

    I admit I don't know this, but I hope you know how to calculate electrical bills on charging lithium ion batts or planning a metropolitan, moreover driving more than 400km without lights at night or having a dead batt in traffics. Again, we can be "forefront", but we must also learn from those who have more experience than us before running blindly in the dark.

    Maybe in 10 years time…but having a mindset to produce a electric car now is…to me….remains non-feasible.

    If you have a nicer way instead of bashing someone's opinion, please be constructive. The idea of leaving a comment is also respecting personal opinions, not for personal attacks or branding the person.

    You can do the latar in some mamak stall…Peace.[/quote]

    isn't it good to start from now..rite. y need to start 10 year later..isn't it a bit to late..better start early at least we have the infrastructure

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  • [quote comment="225165"]

    As a looser, i can't believe u're the fastest swimmer than the rest of the sperms last time…[/quote]

    No looser here, we are the fastest swimming sperms had win the tickets to this world years ago.

    Only looser stick on midway… last time.

    Back to topic, hope G and P doest stick on midway…

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  • MyBoy on Mar 30, 2009 at 4:08 pm

    Hope they will actually sign the deal. Looking forward to see our new electric car.

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  • scottloeb on Mar 30, 2009 at 5:24 pm

    [quote comment="224909"]electric car is great for the future..but in malaysia its impossible to be 100% electric anytime soon…

    Proton would know this…if you stay in flat,apartment and condo its near impossible to charge..unless you a have a portable battery or generator(but again it uses fuel) so if only the infrastructure for charging and etc available then we can think of going 100% electric..

    but again when they have individual charging socket and etc..the cost of electricity will be much higher than 3 cent per kilometer..

    and when we go full electric country like malaysia is more dependent on coal to produce electric and coal produces more carbon that fossil fuel..which will only increase our carbon footprint and if it dont..atleast equal the amount of fossil fuel engine we currently using..and malaysia is expected to have nuclear energy in 20 years to come..

    so my conclusion is..the electric car is a good effort but not worth for malaysians unless we use solar chargers or wait till we go nuclear!!

    until then you buy a full electric car for the fun of it or to save on fuel in the long term…

    but many missing one important point here…proton is getting more desirable now..detroit have choosen proton because its cars are cheap and have world class build and manufacturing quality!!!so think again…proton is getting world recognition..we should be proud!![/quote]

    Have you ever heard of BAKUN? Revive the project, and dont sell the energy to Singapore or Batam. Upgrade gridlines capacity and voila, we are ready!

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  • [quote comment="224892"][quote comment="224840"]this is a batteries car is, our malaysian also can do it, y go to mat salleh, did you fix the power window, fix it first proton nanti malu kita, tau[/quote]

    mine ok jer power window..siap main naik turun power window x rosak pun[/quote]

    Looks like this bro still in the old power window issue years ?…

    Are you still in the 90s?.

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  • [quote comment="224953"]Bad move Proton! In these bad economic situations,you still can splurge on something not tested and in fact ,how many ppl will buy this junk anyway?

    Proton cant even get their own cars right ,and now they wanna team up and produce electric cars.Oh,come on.You can do something more meaningful![/quote]

    engkau ni bodoh ke ape?… baca la betul betul….

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  • http://paultan.org/archives/2006/05/05/proton-wan…
    I had just reversed back PT blog which posted on 2006 when P1 want to make a move for quality improvement where ppl already lost hope on P1 and everybody become P1 basher. But how come now almost everyone of us put too high hope on P1 ha? Is there any miracles happened on P1 or P1 bashers? Pelik tp benar..

    Well i do think that P1 now have the kepercayaan rakyat and plzzz dont make us hilang harapan padamu lagi Proton! Harapan mereka tinggi menggunung nih!! There is thing that u should be more important than EV, which is QUALITY.

    Btw i heard that P1 will have new "coach" imported from Germany who is a real automotive man to train P1 "players" (read engineers) on quality, by next financial year. So, we hope that P1 guys can make world standard quality cars and we wish u good luck to join world's automotive league. Proton FC bolehh!!! Lol

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  • relaks on Mar 31, 2009 at 6:14 am

    [quote comment="225520"][quote comment="224953"]Bad move Proton! In these bad economic situations,you still can splurge on something not tested and in fact ,how many ppl will buy this junk anyway?

    Proton cant even get their own cars right ,and now they wanna team up and produce electric cars.Oh,come on.You can do something more meaningful![/quote]

    engkau ni bodoh ke ape?… baca la betul betul….[/quote]

    maybe they did not bother to know the content of the story..

    all they want to know is bash bash bash

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  • Wallace on Mar 31, 2009 at 7:02 am

    Wish this company wasn't called Detroit Electric especially when it has nothing to do with Detroit.It's very insulting.Detroit isn't just a name for cars it's a whole culture of a city with music,workers rights,civil rights,and manufacturing for 2 world wars.Detroiters are proud even with our city in ruins right now.And if this car suck people with associate it with us.How about I make a company with the word Malaysia in it and have have nothing to do with Malaysia or your people and have poor quality and poor wages which are the very reason Detroit has problems.Detroit has always been affiliated with workers rights and to have that name attached to auto sweat shops is disgusting in every way.It so un-Detroit and so un-American.

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  • the question here is why did they choose proton and not perodua? perodua must have been arrogant or greedy….but honestly i think their cars are more suitable for electric car development since they are generally smaller and therefore lighter…

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  • stephenstreets on Mar 31, 2009 at 9:49 pm

    [quote comment="224895"][quote comment="224888"]Get ready every body …its the next biggest wastage of money since MV Agusta..may god help us all :([/quote]

    Why would it be a waste of money? Proton is not paying Detroit Electric to make electric cars for them. From what I understand, Detroit Electric is buying Proton platforms to make electric cars for their own Detroit Electric brand. And Proton is contract manufacturing it for them according to their specs in Shah Alam. So Proton is earning money from selling platform and plant capacity, not spending it.[/quote]

    Hi Paul,

    I haven't looked at this page since my last comment. With this much spending and investment from Detroit (RM1.2 billion) its only right to assume that only proton will buy their stuff. I mean who else would buy our cars but us. BMW,MERCEDEZ or even KIA and other major players will not buy our car due to many reasons. With this ala- ala you scratch my back and i scratch yours business ,sooner or later our already overpriced persona's ,gen2s and our ridiculous cheapo plastic rubbish bin extra parts iswara or whatever they called it will be more over price which is the norm especially in Malaysia once they attached this new pricey tech that probably would be a dime a dozen in Detroit.Proton knows that we got no choice but to spend money on them instead of buying other better machines. My worries is that sooner or later Malaysian's would rather spend that much money on a foreign car marquee which will affect protons sales.

    I don't bash proton for fun,I point out the obvious things that could happen. Why don't proton build better cars, cars that protect me and don't kill me in an accident. Don't believe? just open your proton's hood and compare it to other brand, not need german marquee's just KIA or others will do fine and tell me that proton done all their best and spend all their money in building safer cars. The last time things weren't going according to plan by proton , they sacked the good chairman, spent a lot of money restructuring themselves , finally admitted their cars were not up to par with proper quality let alone international standards and sold their their stakes in mv agusta for 1 euro.Then our government got no choice but absorb their losses. Like i said god save's us all.

    For all we know the japanese , germans or even the indians would have thought of electric cars , small wonder why they didn't do it.

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  • komal on Aug 20, 2022 at 6:57 pm

    Now What’s its expected price? I was searching
    Roadside Assistance. Thanks paultan.org for suggesting me the best news updates.

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