This new CAM EA4 e-van is the longest in its class and has an all-electric range of 400 km.
While the booming all-electric passenger car sector in Malaysia has certainly been hogging all the media attention lately, there has actually been some interesting local arrivals of other more utilitarian zero-emissions transportation tools too. Like the CAM EA4 for instance, which was launched recently as the second e-van to arrive over here.
Following on from the CAM EC35 that arrived back in January 2022, this larger EA4 joins the local e-van segment with some impressive claims. Chief among which being its supposed NEDC-tested range of 400 km on a single charge, in addition to its attractive retail price that starts from RM 215,800.
Essentially the all-electric version of the CAM Placer-X A4 (which in itself is allegedly a lightly-disguised Toyota Hiace clone), its local distributors the Sendok Group has brought in the EA4 as both a panel van and a 12-seater window van. Both variants however are built on the same EV powertrain, which consists of a single rear mounted electric motor that has a peak power output of 136 PS and a rather respectable 320 Nm of torque.
Said single motor meanwhile is powered by a choice of either 60.1 kWh or 86.1 kWh Lithium-Iron-Phosphate (LFP) battery pack, with the latter larger item touting the headline 400 km of range on a single charge. And while on the topic of charging, 6.6 kW AC charging is standard on the EA4, with a 22 kW upgrade also being available to top up the batteries from 20% to 80% in under 3.5 hours. This e-van also apparently is capable of DC fast charging (of an unspecified rating) too, with the same 20% to 80% top-up touted to take just 1.5 hours.
In terms of other technical specifications, both variants of the EA4 are speed limited to 100 km/h and feature regenerative braking as standard. Dimensionally, both trims brought in locally also come in at 4,840 mm long and 1,880 mm wide.
The panel van however is 1,980 mm tall, while the window van is 100 mm taller. The panel van has a cargo capacity of seven cubic metres, and a maximum payload of 1,025 kg. The window van on the other hand comes with rear air conditioning with six roof vents, a wide-opening sliding side door and a set of rear foldable seats for an increased storage capacity.
Both variants of the EA4 nets a 7.0-inch central infotainment touchscreen with USB, AUX and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as four speakers. This e-van also nets other niceties that include electrically operated side mirrors with LED turn signals, reverse camera, parking sensors and front fog lights.
Safety features for this e-van encompasses ESP, ABS and EBD, a driver’s seat belt reminder, low-speed pedestrian alert and tyre pressure monitoring sensors. A driver and front passenger air bag is also included, as are front disk brakes.
The Sendok Group currently touts for the EA4 to be ‘a one size fits all electric van perfect for companies in Malaysia who are transitioning to electric and revamping their business following the nation’s ESG initiatives’. Said local distributor is also proud to promote for an established network of CAM service centres locally to be capable of supporting the proliferation of these zero-emission transportation, which will apparently be made even more convenient with the recent roll out of its C-MSU (CAM-Mobile Support Unit) program.
A total of 200 units CAM e-vans has been sold in Malaysia, with the Sendok Group promising more all-electric commercial vehicles like light trucks and special-purpose EVs in Malaysia very soon. All EA4s sold locally will come with 6 years or 200,000 km warranty (whichever comes first), with parties who book any e-van before the 31st of December netting a complimentary Shell-branded 7 kWh wall box charger too.
