Could this be Perodua's RM80,000 EV? Mystery test car seen charging at Gentari hub in Kuala Lumpur
Could this be Perodua's RM80,000 EV? Mystery test car seen charging at Gentari hub in Kuala Lumpur
KUALA LUMPUR, May 5 — A camouflaged vehicle was recently spotted testing on Malaysian roads. Based on its trade plate and location of its sightings, we might be looking at the upcoming Perodua EV.
The first sighting was noted through an image obtained by MalaysianMotoring, which clearly showed the B3598A trade plate. This particular trade plate has been used by Perodua numerous times over the years with a variety of models, including Daihatsu Rocky e-Smart (Ativa Hybrid) and Daihatsu Ayla (Axia).
MalaysianMotoring also pointed to the design of the vehicle's rear windscreen, which appears to be similar to the Perodua eMO-II Concept EV that was shown at the KL International Mobility Show last December.
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The vehicle was also spotted by Mike Kong, who shared his findings through paultan.org Automotive/Car Discussion Group on Facebook. Judging from the MKPJ label on the red cone and some of the building traits that are visible in the picture, it appears that the EV was charging at the Gentari EV charging hub at Menara KPJ in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur.
It also appears that there is another test unit at the location, albeit hiding under the car cover.
There is also a Chery Omoda E5 in the picture but it is unclear whether the EV is there by coincidence or is being used as a benchmark by Perodua.
The clearest look at the camouflaged test vehicle came from a set of photos that Meng Lee Chen shared through another post on paultan.org's Facebook group. This particular set depicts the EV going through an unspecified highway.
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What do we know about Perodua EV so far?
Most of the official details that we know so far regarding Perodua EV were revealed during the unveiling of Perodua eMO-II Concept EV last year. For one, the EV is designed to deliver 400km of range and will be powered by a CATL LFP battery pack with a capacity of around 50kWh.
At the event, the company did not reveal any other performance figures for its new EV aside from aiming to hit a 0-100km/h timing of under 7 seconds. It also said that it takes around 8 hours to fully charge the EV through AC charging, while it takes around 30 minutes to get from 30 per cent to 80 per cent via DC charging.
At the same event, Perodua also said the new EV will be priced under RM90,000. Fast forward a few months later, the company's President and CEO, Zainal Abidin Ahmad reportedly said that the EV could be priced at RM80,000 but 'without' the battery.
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Instead, customers have to sign up for a separate battery leasing service. While this method may sound odd, it has been used in the automotive industry before by the likes of Vinfast and Renault.
Perodua Ace EV, as envisioned by automotive artist, Theottle.
Meanwhile, Sime Darby's Group CEO, Jeffri Salim Davidson has previously said that Perodua's new EV will begin testing in June while the launch will take place in December 2025. We also expect Perodua to announce some updates on its EV project at the Malaysia Autoshow 2025 next week, so stay tuned. — SoyaCincau
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