EPMB signs MOU with Saean Group – to develop, manufacture Malaysia’s affordable A-segment EV

EPMB signs MOU with Saean Group – to develop, manufacture Malaysia’s affordable A-segment EV

Saean Wid-U

Local Bursa Malaysia-listed company, EP Manufacturing Berhad (EPMB) has signed a memorandum of agreement with California-based Saean Group for the joint development and manufacture of four-wheeled electric vehicles, EPMB said in a statement.

The joint venture will see EPMB make its entry into electric cars with the aim of producing a five-door, four-seater A-segment model, and the strategic alliance could also point towards the manufacture of heavy industry electric vehicles for the consutrction sector, the company said.

Under this partnership, Saean will offer technical and design know-how for the joint development of the EVs to be co-developed with EPMB, while EPMB will provide support through resources and market information for the development of the EV project, as well as to “actively strive for mass production, supply and sales,” the joint statement read.

Founded in 2013, the Saean Group is a “fast-growing EV player” that has developed the aforementioned five-door, four-seater A-segment EV model along with several other electric vehicle technologies, it said in the joint statement.

Click to enlarge

Saean currently owns more than 120 EV-related patents through its R&D centre in South Korea, and a “sport EV model” is on the cards for limited production beginning next year for the United States market, it said. The company is also set for listing on the Nasdaq stock exchange in the near future, it said.

The model in the Saean vehicle line-up that is closest to its description of a compact EV is the Wid-U (pictured), albeit one that is much smaller that the five-door, four-seater configuration mentioned its its announcement.

The Wid-U seats two in a tandem arrangement and measures 2,522 mm long, 1,300 mm wide and 1,440 mm tall, is powered by a 15 kWh battery that feeds a 40 Nm electric motor and achieved a top speed of 80 km/h, according to the Saean website.

As for the EV sports car, the model from the Saean line-up that most closely resembles the description is the ED-S two-seater coupé. This measures 4,492 mm long, 1,942 mm wide and 1,330 mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,650 mm, and weighs 1,852 kg according to Saean.

EPMB signs MOU with Saean Group – to develop, manufacture Malaysia’s affordable A-segment EV

Saean ED-S two-seater; click to enlarge

This is powered by an 80 kWh lithium-ion battery that provides a claimed 520 km of range, and a rear-mounted electric motor outputs 350 kW (476 PS) and 640 Nm of torque. Fast-charging is atttained in 1.6 hours, according to Saean; an accompanying image on the website depicts a CCS2 combo charging port. Claimed performance for the ED-S is 0-96 km/h in 4.8 seconds, and a top speed of 265 km/h.

Also part of the Saean model line is the Exod, a two-seater roadster that wears a design that is slightly different from that of the ED-S coupé.

Specifications of the electric roadster were not listed on the Saean website, however CEO Lee Jung-yong told the Korea Herald last year that the roadster will go as far as 500 km on a single charge, and reach a maximum of 265 km/h, figures which are comparable to those of the ED-S. However, its 0-100 km/h time is a claimed three seconds, which makes it considerably quicker over the sprint benchmark.

Wholly-owned subsidiary of EPMB, Blueshark has been granted a manufacturing license by Malaysia’s ministry of international trade and industry (MITI) for the assembly and manufacture of electric bikes in the country earlier this month, which followed being granted approval by the road transport department (JPJ) for the licensing and registration of its electric two-wheeled products.

Saean Wid-U compact EV

Saean ED-S two-seater sports car

Saean Exod roadster

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Mick Chan

Open roads and closed circuits hold great allure for Mick Chan. Driving heaven to him is exercising a playful chassis on twisty paths; prizes ergonomics and involvement over gadgetry. Spent three years at a motoring newspaper and short stint with a magazine prior to joining this website.

 

Comments

  • DarkAge on Oct 18, 2022 at 1:39 pm

    This can be imported to Singapore for affordability at sky high COE now.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 1 Thumb down 0
  • Celup King on Oct 18, 2022 at 11:57 pm

    Habeslah Axia!

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 0 Thumb down 0
  • Mongoose55 on Oct 19, 2022 at 3:28 pm

    No need to redesign compact car body. Just adopt Axia or Viva will do and cut down on costs.

    Like or Dislike: Thumb up 2 Thumb down 0
 

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