The paultan.org Electric Vehicle Expo (EVx) 2023 is just around the corner now, happening this weekend from July 22-23 at Setia City Convention Centre. Malaysia’s largest EV event is back and better than before, with a host of car brands and service providers participating.
There will be a wide range of EVs on display too, from city cars to one hyper SUV. The Lotus Eletre, branded by its maker as the world’s first hyper SUV, packs in plenty of pace and rather surprising pricing from RM578k, considering the performance on tap.
The Eletre may look world’s apart from Hethel’s famous sports cars, but the company says that it took the core principles and Lotus DNA from almost 75 years of sports car design and engineering, and evolved them into an all-new lifestyle car.
All versions get a dual-motor AWD powertrain. The base Eletre and the Eletre S makes 605 hp and 710 Nm of torque, enabling a 0-100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds and a 80-120 km/h time of 2.2 seconds. Top speed is 258 km/h.
That’s plenty fast already, but the Eletre R is the hyper one, with 905 hp, 985 Nm of torque and a 0-100 km/h time of 2.95 seconds. The 80-120 km/h overtaking time is done in under 1.9 seconds and a top speed of 265 km/h, making it the world’s fastest dual-motor fully-electric SUV according to Lotus.
All three variants get a 112 kWh battery, which provides the Eletre and Eletre S with a range of 600 km on the WLTP cycle. The range-topping Eletre R trades some of the range for its prodigious performance, but still manages a respectable and practical 490 km WLTP. Charging is as fast as the SUV itself – thanks to an 800-volt electrical architecture that supports up to 350 kW DC fast charging, going from 10-80% state of charge takes just 20 minutes.
Besides Lotus, a host of brands are participating in EVx, with the likes of Mercedes-Benz and smart (represented by Hap Seng Star and Hap Seng Smart respectively), BMW and MINI (through Wheelcorp Premium), Audi, Volvo, Hyundai, BYD, GWM and Lotus all set to showcase their all-electric offerings. Other exhibitors include Petronas, Gentari, JomCharge (via EV Connection), Kineta, evhub.my, Bank Islam, Bank Muamalat, V-Kool and Dodo Mat.
If you’ve been curious about EVs, this is the place to be as everything EV-related is under one roof, and admission is free. Think of it as a mega multi-brand EV showroom with test drives that you can experience back-to-back. You can also research charging solutions and financing at EVx.
There’s more. Engage with industry experts and stakeholders – as well as current EV owners – to gain input on real-life experiences with EVs in Malaysia. You’ll have the chance to learn about the wide-ranging aspects of electric vehicle ownership – what they are like to buy, own and operate. As before, EVx promises a wealth of information, so if you want to learn more about EVs, do research and experience the cars, be sure to head on down to SCCC this weekend – see you there!
