KUALA LUMPUR: The electric car has been touted as the future of travel, essential to the fight against climate change.The average user should be able to afford an electric car, and the infrastructure to support quick and efficient charging must be in place.
To better understand what driving an electric car around Malaysia is like, I hopped into a fully electric Mini Cooper SE recently and attempted to travel between key cities Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Kuantan and Kuala Terengganu – journeys that locals make regularly. Price tags and lack of charging points are the reasons why EVs are not as prevalent in Malaysia yet, and I experienced this inconvenience first-hand during my journey.
Another surprise was how serene the driving experience was. There were no loud engine noises or vibrations that are commonplace in petrol cars.I plugged my audiobook into the Mini’s stereo system and it was crystal clear listening on the road. Pure bliss. Luckily, there was another DC charger at a nearby Caltex station, but when I arrived, a blue Porsche Taycan was already plugged in.
Just like that, I had been delayed by almost two hours just because of charging for the route that would typically take one-and-a-half hours on a petrol car. The two cities are around 236km apart, above the car range of about 200km. On top of that, the only available charging point along the journey was an AC charger at a pump station at Gambang, 192km from KL.A member of the Malaysia Electric Vehicle club advised me to try out a technique that might allow me to maximise the range of the car - hypermiling.
Perhaps one day there should be an electric car drivers’ lounge with crossword puzzles, magazines and complimentary refreshments. Normally, the journey between KL and Kuantan would take around two-and-a-half hours. I took close to five hours in total.12th Malaysia Plan: What you need to know about the 2050 carbon neutral goal and other green measuresIf the planned route on day two already gave me range anxiety, what was in store for day three was overwhelmingly daunting.
Charging during banjir........ That's another story another day
Forget jerry can. Bring more battery packs.
U ask me, an EV car for now is more for urban use. Thats how I use my EV. For long distance, I use other vehicles.
look impractical now to use EV car if you are someone who often like to go on road trip to the north.