Brief driving impressions of the Geely E5 EV in Malaysia

Although most Malaysians only came to know Geely when it became DRB-HICOM’s partner in Proton in 2017, the Chinese automaker actually made a very brief appearance in the mid-2000s. It wasn’t an official entry as it was probably a local company trying to see if there was interest in Chinese cars. It even displayed a Geely CK160 sedan at the KL International Motorshow in 2006.

Towards the end of the decade, there was talk that Geely was keen on assembling in Malaysia (at a plant in Johor. However, at that time, the government had indicated to foreign automakers that while it would like them to assemble in Malaysia, they were expected to export 80% of their production and only 20% could be sold locally. That wasn’t well received so Geely probably lost interest.

Eight years later, the automaker was back but this time with a different approach – it would become the partner of the owner of Proton. This gave Geely (full name: Zhejiang Geely Holding Group) a stronger foothold in the ASEAN market by having a base in Malaysia. With this region having great potential, Geely saw the establishment of a partnership with DRB-HICOM as being very useful for its global expansion.

As Proton’s product range was getting old, there was an urgent need to come out with new models. Geely provided its SUV models as well as a sedan which were adapted to become Proton models. Other models are also in the pipeline but with the government pushing for electrification of motor vehicles, Proton was expected to also be among the EV producers.

It was fortunate that Geely was a partner as the automaker has had many years of experience in electrified vehicles. The Chinese government had been directing the industry towards New Energy vehicles so all automakers had to develop the expertise, which is why Chinese automakers are leading in EVs.

Geely was going to have a new C-segment SUV and since Proton too was supposed to develop an EV, it made sense that both companies could collaborate. This is a common practice in the global auto industry and Geely is no stranger to it. For example, the automaker jointly developed the modern range of smart EVs with Mercedes-Benz.

Global model
The new EV SUV model was to be a global one and in order to cover as many markets as possible, a righthand drive variant would also be necessary. Generally, the Chinese automakers have given more attention to lefthand drive markets because their domestic market is lefthand drive.

With Proton, Geely could start to also give attention to righthand drive variants and has in fact indicated that in future, it may make Proton its righthand drive ‘specialist’ when developing new models.

The new EV is called Galaxy E5 and was launched in May this year in China. Proton’s version, called the e.MAS 7, will make its debut before the year ends. Of note is that this would be the first time Proton is having a new model which is ‘fresh’, meaning it is not adapted from a model that has been launched elsewhere some years earlier. That is one benefit of being a co-developer of the new model.

As it is a partner in Proton, Geely won’t be selling its own brand of products in this market (though other brands in its group such as smart, Volvo, Lotus and soon, Zeekr, are sold). So under normal circumstances, we would not see a Geely model on our roads.

A long drive from China
However, the E5 is an important new model for Geely and to demonstrate its durability, 10 units were driven 3,700 kms from Guiyang in China on an overland route through Indo-China to the Proton Centre of Excellence head office complex in Selangor.

Driving from China to Malaysia (or vice-versa) is not uncommon as there are proper roads now. However, what is significant about the Geely Galaxy E5 Long Test Drive World Tour was that it was being done with fully electric SUVs. This obviously dispels the idea that EVs are not able to do long journeys.

Nevertheless, it was still challenging as the team said that they took some time to locate a charging station in Laos. They were also caught in floods and they were able to drive the E5 through deep water and there were no problems. Another impressive demonstration for this EV.

Naturally, when they arrived at Proton, they received a great welcome and commendation for their achievement. The vehicles were cleaned (one muddy unit is displayed in the lobby) and today, 5 units were offered to Malaysian media for brief drives around the Proton test track.

As mentioned earlier, Geely is not going to sell its own vehicles here so it was a very rare opportunity to test the E5 in Malaysia. In fact, Malaysian media may be among the very first media outside China to test this new model too.

The Geely team, which included technical people, was on hand to tell us about the EV as well as get feedback which should be helpful for them to refine it further. They will continue their tour, collecting more data on conditions along the way, and end at Kota Kinabalu in Sabah.

Brief driving impressions
Proton’s 1.8-km long test track is familiar to Malaysian media as we have been testing new models there since the early 2000s. Normally, we travel in a anti-clockwise direction but this time, as the E5s were lefthand drive, it was felt that it would be safer to drive in a clockwise direction. This would put the driver on the high side when on the 42-degree banking at either end, rather than having a possibly uncomfortable feeling being at the ‘bottom’ when speeding around the curve.

We were given 4 laps around the track which, to be honest, doesn’t really tell much. You get an idea of the acceleration and NVH levels as well as steering feel. But the track is quite smooth, so you won’t really know how good (or bad) the suspension is. On other occasions when we test new models, we get to drive in other sections with rough and bumpy surfaces, steep slopes and even a twisty course.

So what can be said is that acceleration is strong, as would be expected of an EV (the E5 had front-wheel drive only) with very low noise levels. The regenerative mode was not strong and hardly felt when decelerating. This may have been set to be mild to make things less jerky. Different EVs have different levels of retardation as regeneration occurs and some can be rather abrupt and unpleasant.

The E5 has 4 modes of energy recovery (regeneration) among the 72 modes that the driver can select to personalise drivetrain characteristics. It is possible that the low mode was set so regeneration was not strong. This, of course, can also reduce the amount of energy recovered when driving so it’s up to the driver to decide.

It would have been interesting to see how well some of the ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems) operate but as we were not given instructions on this, it was not possible to try them.

The unit we drove was described as having an ‘economy level’ of equipment, which would make it one of the lower priced versions in the range which has 5 versions offered in China. If what we saw was in the ‘lower range’, then the top version must be very luxurious!

The white interior, reminiscent of Scandinavian cars, had a premium feel and look. The body dimensions are 4615 mm in length and 1901 mm in width (slightly larger than an X70) and with 67.2% cabin space within the body, it is said to be best in its class.

It certainly did feel very spacious (though the white colour also helps) with large glass panels around and above to enhance that feeling.

Following the smart EVs (and Mercedes-Benz), the selection of drive modes is by moving the righthand stalk up and down, with a press at the end to PARK. On the centre console between the seats is a large rotary knob which provides alternative operation of the touchscreen. So you can use your finger and touch the screen, or you can rotate the knob to select functions and click on them. A clever way to address the issue of whether to push forward with touchscreens or keep physical switchgear.

The space between the front seats is filled entirely with a console which is at a nice height. Though you should have two hands on the steering wheel, it is nice to be able to rest the arm on the centre console.

What the e.MAS 7 could have
The E5 gives us an idea of how the Proton e.MAS 7 will be but as stressed by the Proton people, it will not be exactly the same. The exterior form will be similar but areas such as the front end may be different, as we can see comparing the X models and the S70 with their Geely equivalents.

The interior would also have a generally similar layout with a mirror image of the lefthand drive layout you see in the pictures. It is unlikely that it will be very different apart from some trim and textures. Much of what is inside the dashboard is already fixed so things like vents and buttons can’t be in different positions. It’s not impossible but it will just be unnecessary extra cost making changes.

Geely has an infotainment system called Flyme Auto (developed with Meizu) which is very advanced and also includes a superior audio system. For the e.MAS 7, ACOTech (a Proton subsidiary) will be customising the infotainment system to be more suitable for Malaysians. It is likely that some of the new features will be those that the company previewed last month.

As for the drivetrain, this is where things will be pretty much the same, depending on how many variants Proton intends to offer. So here’s what the E5 has:

• Galaxy 11-in-1 Intelligent Electric Drive with a single motor mounted at the front. This produces up to 160 kW (214 hp)/320 Nm.

• Battery pack capacities of 49.52 kWh which has a claimed range of up to 440 kms, and 60.22 kWh with a claimed range of up to 530 kms.

Aegis Short Blade Battery
The battery pack is one of the most advanced ones in the industry currently. Known as the Aegis Short Blade Battery, it has been developed in-house by the Geely Group. It uses lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry and is expected to be a game-changer for EVs.

This is because it has a cycle life of up to 3,500 times, which is equivalent to driving 1 million kilometres with minimal impact on range. Based on an average driving distance of 20,000 kilometres a year, the Aegis Short Blade Battery can therefore have a service life of up to 50 years, which significantly extends the usage life of the battery and improves the residual value of the EV in later years.

Among the blade batteries with the same capacity, the average charging time for a long blade battery 10% – 80% is 26 minutes, while the average time for the Aegis Short Blade Battery is 17 minutes and 4 seconds (Geely’s test data).

Besides having an advanced thermal management system to keep the battery at optimum temperatures, the Aegis Short Blade Battery has also been proven to be very safe and will not catch fire when pierced. In the E5, it is located under the middle of the vehicle and is additionally protected from external damage.

So there you have it – very brief impressions of the E5 which could be similar in many ways to the e.MAS 7 and the technical aspects which we think the Proton model will have when it comes out later this year. With many advanced technologies, the e.MAS 7 should be propelled ahead of other EVs in the market.