Tesla’s Autopilot self-driving system has been all the rage since the early days of the Model S. What used to be a novel feature is now available throughout the full model range, but is it at all possible to rely on Autopilot for a road trip from Singapore to Penang, and back? Yes, yes it is.
A Singaporean Tesla Model 3 SR+ owner, known as @SGpikarchu on the social media platform TikTok, showed that it was indeed possible to do two things – drive a fully electric car over great distances without running out of charge, and relying on the Autopilot system to make the journey a more pleasant one.
His journey up north – documented and shared on TikTok – began at the causeway at midnight, taking approximately 45 minutes to clear what used to be one of the busiest land borders in the world. He then used Autopilot along the spine of the country, saying “Autopilot is so shiok here!” while urging fellow Tesla owners to start planning their journeys.
Planning a journey such as this is essential for EVs, because you must know exactly where to find a charger. The Model 3 SR+ has a 54 kWh battery pack, which provides about 430 km (380 km in real world use) of range on a full charge. This is more than enough for the 200 km stretch from the Tuas checkpoint to Ayer Keroh, where you’ll find JomCharge’s 50 kW DC fast charger.
Charging here costs RM1.20 per minute, and his Model 3 SR+ was plugged in for 35 minutes. That amounts to RM42, yielding an additional range of 237 km. He then journeyed to Subang (a little over 100 km) to top up charge with ABB’s 50 kW DCFC (this one is free to use).
Another stop was made in Bukit Gantang, Perak (about 240 km from Subang) for a quick toilet break. He made sure to use the 50 kW DCFC, even though it was only for six minutes. This is actually an important habit to cultivate as an EV owner, because the charging infrastructure in Malaysia is still in its infancy.
The final leg to Butterworth, Penang was a shorter trip, but the Tesla’s battery was down to 8%. Here, he used Abadi Motor’s 30 kW DC charger and had a quick meal nearby, before resuming his journey onto the island.
He also managed to squeeze in a trip to Langkawi island via Kuala Perlis. During the 90-minute ferry ride over, he sat in the air-conditioned car and watched Netflix on the huge infotainment screen. How’s that for the future of motoring?
As for the Autopilot system, @SGpikarchu said he prefers it over the self-driving systems from other car brands because it’s more reliable. In his latest upload, he said Autopilot makes life “sooo much easier” on rainy days because it won’t swerve out of the lane, unlike other car brands. He also supervised Autopilot by keeping his hands on the wheel throughout the trip. Kudos to you, sir.
So, if it isn’t evident enough, travelling around the country in an electric car is indeed possible with proper planning. Be sure to make use of the PlugShare app to identify charging points along your travel routes, or refer to our list of all the DC fast chargers available nationwide. You can also browse CarBase.my to see all the EVs that are currently on sale.
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I commend that person’s effort. But although technically doable and feasible, it introduces a stressful planning overhead that I believe most Malaysians wouldn’t be comfortable with. And what if there are other cars parked at the charger, or if the charger is offline?
Sharp observation
Wait till he encounter superman rxz
It prove that our infrastructure is international standard, if tesla car can do them upcoming self-driving car can do as well
That amounts to RM42, yielding an additional range of 237 km.
42/2.05 = eqv to 20.48L of Ron95 @ RM2.05.
237km/20.48L =11.5km/L
it’s not any cheaper, in fact in the long run u still need to factor in cost to replace the battery…BUT at least no emission from the car.
In the long run you might not have a choice, early adopters get the benefit of learning and conditioning their life to the inevitable future. Petrol and diesel cars will disappear in our lifetime, like it or not.
No emissions? So EVs better for the environment, right? Go read up about how much damage is made to the environment just to create an EV. Not to mention the battery disposal…
Yes, I wrote that scientific paper you mentioned. EV do have higher impact (measured in DALY) in it’s manufacturing vs conventional car, but in the long run (operation), the damage is LESS compared to ICE operation. Battery disposal is bad, but battery recycling made it much better.
Nobody in right mind will simply dispose EV battery. Too much money to be made.
Battery life is beyond the cars life, it will last over 1 million km easily. More likely the motor and electronics fail in modern cars be it EV or ICE
Not cheap at all, My Nissan Qashqai 1.2L turbo is better in term of petrol consumption than this Tesla, mine is @15-18km/l compared to Tesla, based on your calculation, if i drove all the way there there, it can be more than 18km/l, mine is more economical than this Tesla and taking into consideration of non worry of charging point, petrol station is everywhere, the only worry is $$$ in your pocket.
Driving an electric car is the same as riding a thirsty motorcycle with a small tank long distance.
Fill up when you can, not when you need it.
I wonder how long the entire trip took?
How long he spent on overall trip from sg to penang? 12 hours? Or more? what a joke
Guess u’re too hardworking to afford a holiday
What happen to purported Tesla safety updates that supposed to warn drivers in keeping their hands on wheel even in Autopilot mode?
What happen if accident with someone else and both mati? Who will tanggung? Tesla owner relatives or Elon?
From pumping RON95 to misusing Autopilot, SG folks barely a week from entering Malaysia already showed how bodoh sombong they can be.
The articleclearlyaddresses this point – “He also supervised Autopilot by keeping his hands on the wheel throughout the trip. Kudos to you, sir.”
So it is not really hands free driving as headlined in the title. This needs editing.
How’s that for future motoring? Why not invest to install a big screen TV in the casket instead? Tesla Autopilot is infamous for not being fully autonomous or reliably safe when used. Even up to Level 3 Autonomous requires driver concentration and a proper system would monitor driver distraction and attentiveness. Promoting driver to watch Netflix while on the move is seriously a bad move from PaulTan. You should be ashamed to tell drivers it is okay to be inattentive and trust an imperfect system used on our less than ideal road system.
Please think Safety First!
When he watched Netflix, he was on board the Langkawi ferry, not on the road! LOL
Even worse! On ferry they always remind boarders to switch off their cars or motors and occupants to use the lounge facility. Tesla is no exception as anything can happen then the operator suddenly has to be responsible if they got trapped inside and died. Since EV has no engine sound, people would not know it is still active and a hazard on that tightly packed ferry. Whether is using Tesla, or S Class, or even Ford Model T, we must think Safety First not convenience first!
The article says the tesla owner was watching netflix during the 90mins ferry crossing from kuala perlis to langkawi. How is that a safety issue, unless the tesla owner is also operating the ferry?
You are reminded to switch off the vehicle when onboard RORO ferries. EV are no different. Off means off.
Lmfao that rule is as old as switching off your phone in the plane
Nice when it works until it don’t.
When it doesn’t, they won’t live to regret it. So that’s an upshot.
Matt, have u ever watched OpenPilot by comma.ai from Youtube? We can also drive hands and foot-free along PLUS or any highways in Malaysia. I tried many times with my Altis. From Penang to my hometown, JB, I can say almost 90% of my highway driving time were autonomous, changing lane, etc. Consumerreports.org were once put OpenPilot better than Tesla AutoPilot (before FSD)
At least it’s cheap to run the car
If I am not in rush, I am cool with this. If an in rush, definitely not an option for me to go with electric car. A petrol car, Instead of waiting for charge, I can fill up my gas full tank within minutes.
If its available
Look at the number plate. It’s Malaysian plate. Promoting Tesla
More convenient to buy RON95 here
Never say this is okay to do. This only promote accidents. The Tesla car is less capable than a human driver. So, NEVER THINK IT IS OKAY!
Adapt to changes