The obvious question now is whether this new enlarged battery option will make its way to the Proton e.MAS 7.
For those who wish that their Proton e.MAS 7 would go a tad further on a single charge, there is some good news on that front. Such is as Geely is apparently set to debut a 68.39 kWh battery pack on the Galaxy E5, which apparently claims to offer a pure electric range of up to 610 km on the CLTC test cycle (roughly 500 km on the more realistic WLTP cycle).
Now for context here, the existing Geely Galaxy E5 (and thus Proton e.MAS 7) currently comes with a choice of two battery options with a usable capacity of 49.52 kWh and a 60.22 kWh. This translates to a WLTP-rated driving range on a single full charge of 345 km for the smallest pack, while the existing larger battery extends that figure to 410 km.
Based on the regulatory filing with China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), there’s thus far no mention of this enlarged battery pack increasing the power output of the Galaxy E5. This therefore sees the e-SUV to still retain a front-mounted motor producing 160 kW (218 PS) and 320 Nm of torque, delivering a 0-100 km/h time of 6.9 seconds and a top speed of 175 km/h.
As for the rest of the car too, it seemingly remains virtually identical to its lesser-ranged siblings. Reports suggest that all that differentiates the new variant is a full-width taillight bar and silver trim elements, while black Geely logos and badging are also available as options.
Worth highlighting here that there is no word yet from Proton or Geely on whether the e.MAS 7 will eventually receive this extended range option. And interestingly enough, there are compelling arguments on either side of this debate to whether it would even make sense for the e.MAS 7 to net this bigger pack.
On one hand, bringing in this larger battery will certainly entice those with range anxiety to potentially consider what is already Malaysia’s most popular EV right now. On the flip side however, the inevitable increase in price (likely around RM 10,000 – 15,000 going by the bump from the base e.MAS 7 to the current Premium variant) might just see buyers being turned off instead.
What more is that for those who are really worried about range (or perhaps more accurately can’t or don’t want to be bothered with the hassle of charging), Proton has hinted at the imminent local launch of a PHEV e.MAS 7. The question now then becomes how much will this particular upcoming variant cost, especially as PHEVs don’t enjoy the same tax benefits as their fully electric counterparts.
Currently, the Proton e.MAS 7 is available from RM 109,800 for the base Prime variant with the aforementioned smaller 49.52 kWh battery pack. The higher-end Premium trim with the larger 60.22 kWh capacity meanwhile retails for RM 123,800.
