CATL has announced that it is ready to produce an electric car battery with a battery lifespan of a million miles or approximately 2,000,000 km and 16 years. To put it into context, current electric cars have warranties that last up to 240,000 km. Although current electric car batteries are predicted to last from 10 to 20 years, the warranty period is usually about 8 years. In February 2020, CATL and Tesla confirmed a partnership from July 2020 to June 2022. The batteries are to be used in the S
Jun 10, 2020
If you drive an automatic car, it is impossible to push start the car. Your only option in case of a flat battery is to jump start the car and get a battery replacement ASAP. A weak car battery has obvious tell-tale signs like a slow crank and dim lights. Changing a car battery is a simple task, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, there’s still a high chance of screwing things up. If you have absolutely no experience in replacing a new battery for your car, here are a few guidelines to help
Oct 9, 2020
The iconic Dodge Charger R/T that was driven by Dominic Toretto in the Fast and Furious franchise has been Lego-fied. This 1,077-piece Lego Technic set is an accurate representation of Dom's 1970 Dodge Charger R/T, down to its iconic V8 engine, double wishbone suspension, and even its wheelie bar. It even comes with nitro bottles in the boot and a fire extinguisher in the cockpit. Priced at USD 99, this 1:13 scale Charger is available to pre-order on Lego.com and is expected to be available on L
Apr 1, 2020
UMW Toyota Motor has recently introduced the all-new Toyota Corolla Altis. We've covered the all-new Corolla Altis extensively, including a quick review of the new C-segment sedan, but there's one feature that Toyota hasn't put much emphasis on - the wireless charging pad. Yes, the all-new Toyota Corolla Altis (1.8 G only) features a built-in wireless charging pad, and it is the first model in its segment to offer such a feature. What is wireless charging? In simple terms, wireless charging work
Oct 15, 2019
Porsche Malaysia has launched it’s all-electric four-seater car, the Porsche Taycan, in Malaysia. Three variants (Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo, and Taycan Turbo S) are now available for the keen early adopters of electric vehicles who also want a Porsche. There are two battery sizes for the Taycan. The 4S gets the 79.2 kWh battery with about 407 km of range. The Turbo and Turbo S get 93.4 kWh batteries capable of up to 450 km of range (Taycan Turbo) and 412 km of range (Taycan Turbo S). The 4S has th
Sep 18, 2020
The all-new Nissan Leaf is now available in Malaysia. Available in just one high-specification variant, the second generation Leaf is priced at RM 188,888. The fully electric (BEV or Battery Electric Vehicle) Leaf now comes with a 40 kWh lithium-ion battery, which gives it an ample 311 km driving range (when tested under the ECE R101 New European Driving Cycle, NEDC). Nissan distributor Edaran Tan Chong Motor is keen to point out that most Malaysians don’t drive more than 200 km per day and thus
Jul 24, 2019
Mere days after its global debut, Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), the official distributor of Porsche Cars in Malaysia, has launched the new 2021 Porsche Taycan RWD here. Prices for this base-spec Taycan start from RM 584,561 (includes 50% SST exemption, valid until 30-June 2021) and will be available at Porsche Centres nationwide from March 2021. Inclusive of SST, the Taycan RWD will start from RM 605,000. Just like the rest of the Taycan range, it is all-electric but features rear-wheel dr
Jan 22, 2021
Volvo Car Malaysia has announced an extension of the warranty for its PHEV range to 8 years or 160,000 km (whichever comes first), now covering models registered after 3-December 2015. Earlier this year, the extended warranty was only offered for Volvo cars registered from 1 January 2020 onwards. Volvo Malaysia has now decided to offer the extend warranty for its PHEV range that were purchased since the launch of the Volvo XC90 T8 PHEV on 3 December 2015. Nalin Jain, Managing Director of Volvo C
Dec 21, 2020
Following tip-offs by our dear readers, checks with a couple of Proton dealers confirm that an optional wireless charging pad will be offered to Proton X50 customers in the near future. We understand that the wireless charging pad will retail at around RM 450 and offered at Proton 2S, 3S, and 4S centres. Pending official announcement by the carmaker, we also learn that the wireless charger must be pre-ordered first - so it's best to wait a while rather than sprinting down to your local Proton sa
Apr 6, 2021
With MCO 2.0 truly underway and upon us, most of us will be spending most of our time at home. That also means our cars won't be driven as often as usual. But that is no excuse to sideline our precious set of wheels. In fact, this could be the perfect time for the DIY project that you never got started with! WapCar has come together with Lazada to make your car care DIY a cinch this MCO period. Here are some recommended products from online retailers that you can find in Malaysia's leading e-com
Jan 22, 2021
Porsche Thailand by AAS Auto Service (AAS), the sole authorised importer and distributor of Porsche cars in Thailand, enters a new era of electromobility with the Porsche Taycan - its first fully electric sports car. Prices of the Taycan variants are as such: Taycan 4S – 7,100,000 THB (RM 957,660) Taycan Turbo – 9,900,000 THB (1,335,329.04) Taycan Turbo S – 11,700,000 THB (1,578,116.14) Not bad for the car that scientists call the most innovative car in the world. Taycan customers will enjoy the
Jul 16, 2020
Having launched in Thailand back in February this year, the Mini Cooper SE (all-electric) will be coming to Malaysia soon. The Mini Cooper SE is priced at 2,290,000 baht in or approximately RM 310,000. With BMW Malaysia selling the BMW i3s, it would be no surprise then that the Mini Cooper SE becomes available in the Malaysian market. The MINI Cooper SE has a rather small battery capacity in comparison to bigger electric cars like the Audi e-tron 55 Quattro (95 kWh) and the Tesla Model X (100 kW
Jul 14, 2020
BMW Malaysia extends its current PHEV battery warranty programme for BMW and MINI vehicles by an additional 2 years and 60,000 km, bringing the programme to 8 years or 160,000 km, whichever comes first. The new warranty programme applies to the hybrid battery only, the rest of the vehicle is covered by the 5-year unlimited mileage warranty. From now until 31 December 2020, existing BMW PHEV customers are able to purchase the new hybrid battery warranty as an extension for the BMW 330e, X5 xDrive
Jun 2, 2020
From 1 January 2020 onwards, all Volvo plug-in hybrids sold in Malaysia will be covered with an 8-Year warranty for the hybrid batteries with no extra charge. Volvo Car Malaysia (VCM) is now the leader in hybrid battery warranty coverage for PHEVs in the premium segment. BMW Malaysia and Mercedes-Benz Malaysia offer 6-Years/100,000 km warranty for their hybrid battery. According to Marketing and PR Director of VCM, Akhtar Sulaiman, this is their assurance to customers on Volvo’s electrified powe
Jan 23, 2020
Since Accord and Odyssey involving a battery sensor failure and defective door mirror component, the Honda Malaysia has announced a product recall. The battery sensor failure is caused by inaccurate forming on the PCB, which could cause a short circuit, resulting in smoke emitting from the bonnet or in the worst case, a fire. 20,233 units of the Honda Accord models are affected, built between 2013 till 2016. The inconsistent surface treatment of the movable contact area, which located inside the
Jul 20, 2019
An affordable electric car is set to launch in Thailand this December. Revealed today, the MG EP electric station wagon aims to be the benchmark for electric cars in Thailand with the following key elements: Dimension Comfort and safety Powerful performance Low cost of ownership While most electric cars have always seemed inaccessible to the masses, the MG EP aims to change this. Making an affordable electric car available in Thailand in well in-line with the Thai government’s 2030 electrificati
Nov 26, 2020
If there was a segment we haven’t seen much of electric cars in, it would be the MPV/van body-type. Last year, we saw the Mercedes-Benz EQV which was a luxury MPV which had a 100 kWh battery with about 400 km of range. Announced in 2018, the long-term partnership between Toyota and the PSA Group in Europe has now brought to the market 5 new MPVs/vans: Citroën ë-SpaceTourer Peugeot e-Traveller Opel Zafira-e Life Vauxhall Vivaro-e Toyota Proace Electric They’re all the same thing, with two battery
Jun 22, 2020
Honda Malaysia has opened Malaysia’s first high voltage battery assembly plant in Melaka, to support the world debut of the first ever Honda City RS with i-MMD. You can read our review of the City RS here. Production of the full-hybrid Honda City RS with a two-motor intelligent multi-mode drive (i-MMD) has already begun at Honda Malaysia’s Pegoh plant. It is the fifth Honda hybrid model to be produced there. Assembly of the GP1 Jazz Hybrid (IMA) started in 2012, followed by the GP5 Jazz Hybrid (
Sep 25, 2020
CATL, the Chinese battery giant, plans to invest 5 billion USD in Indonesia for a lithium-ion battery plant. The Edge Market reports that the target is for the lithium-ion battery plant to start production in 2024. This information was conveyed by Deputy Minister Septian Hario Seto in a virtual briefing. CATL has signed an agreement with Indonesia to ensure that 60% of the nickel will be processed in Indonesia, and not abroad. Indonesia’s large reserve of nickel has attracted many investors incl
Dec 16, 2020
Malaysia is now into its sixth week of the Movement Control Order (MCO) triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. This also means that many cars have been left parked for an extended period of time. To be clear, leaving a car parked for an extended period of time won’t damage your car. It’s not unusual for new cars to be parked at a dealer’s lot for months before it is sold. My own 36-year old classic is driven only about once a month but it starts at the first crank every single time. The difference
Apr 28, 2020
Volvo Car Malaysia has revised its warranty programme to a factory five-years/unlimited mileage for all privately owned Volvo cars registered from 1 January 2021 onwards. This comes after the announcement of the hybrid battery warranty extension. In previous years, Volvo car owners were entitled to the standard three-year/100,000km factory warranty with a combined two-years/20,000km Extended Warranty Programme (EWP) provided by an external insurance partner. Now with the introduction of the exte
Feb 4, 2021
Indonesia has officially launched the Indonesia Battery Corporation (IBC), a government-owned EV battery company, last Friday. The IBC consists of the following organizations: PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium ANTM (Aneka Tambang Tbk) Pertamina PLN (Perusahaan Listrik Negara) The organizations fall under Indonesia's BUMN, which is a collection of state-owned enterprises in Indonesia. CNBC Indonesia reports that IBC will oversee the entire supply chain including the stages of mining, smelting, produc
Mar 29, 2021
In today’s trend of tightening emission regulations which require carmakers to lower their average fleet CO2 emissions, the easiest way to bring down that average is through zero-emission vehicles such as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) or battery electric vehicles (BEV). It’s easier to get consumers to switch to PHEVs because it’s still a familiar machine to them as the main source of propulsion is still from an internal combustion engine (ICE). BEVs, on the other hand, are a little tri
Nov 1, 2019
Thailand car buyers can look forward to cheaper BMW plug-in hybrid models with the opening of BMW’s first high voltage battery plant in Asia outside of China. The THB 500 million plant is operated in partnership with battery supplier Draxlmaier Group and is located at WHA Chonburi Industrial Estate 2. It is equipped to assemble the latest generation (Gen4) of the BMW Group’s high-voltage batteries, not just the casing but the battery modules as well. Final batteries are then transported to the B
Sep 17, 2019
** This article is shared by a Thailand reader and published on WapCar Community. Click the link below to enter the community for car enthusiasts in Malaysia. https://www.wapcar.my/forum Basic information 2020 Toyota Corolla Cross Hybrid Premium Reasons why I bought this car As a person who likes to travel long distances, I am a tourist who likes to travel to nature and forests. In addition, my hou'w is still in the country, It's far from the place of work. Another important reason is that a gir
Jan 22, 2021
Just like a smartphone, smart Key Fob is something we can't do without. It's almost a magic until it ran out of power someday. Fun Fact: Every automaker makes provision for owners whose key fob battery is running out of juice. You can either check out the owner's manual or google the backup method according to the model. Here's one simple hack that can free you from flipping through the tedious owner manual and start the engine at the same time. 1st Step: Open the door A tried-and-true way to un
Aug 30, 2019
A new Chinese EV has been spotted in Malaysia – the DFSK Glory E3, known as the Seres 3 in Europe. With almost all badges covered, but barely camouflaged, the car was spotted charging at the DC Fast charger at ABB Sunway. These images have been shared by a member of the Malaysian Electric Vehicle Owners Cub (MyEVOC). The DFSK EV is left-hand-drive and was sporting trade plates, suggesting that this is most likely a training unit. Although the car has several names, this is most likely the Seres
Apr 1, 2021
Sime Darby Swedish Auto Sdn Bhd, which was appointed Volvo Car Malaysia’s dealer-partner in October last year, today unveiled its new Volvo 3S (Sales, Service & Spare Parts) Centre in Ara Damansara. The four-story facility is part of the Sime Darby Motors City in Ara Damansara. The 3S Centre was built in adherence to Volvo Car’s retail standard – the Volvo Retail Experience (VRE). It is the first 3S Centre to be equipped with a VR Studio (Virtual Reality Studio) and a RATC Bay (Reception at The
Jan 13, 2020
If you love the sound of a revving engine, the aroma of gasoline, and shifting your own gears, you might not like where this is going. The Audi e-tron, Jaguar I-Pace, and the Mercedes-Benz EQC, are stuffs of nightmare for the orthodox petrolhead. Not only are the cars crossovers, or “SUVs”, they’re also electric. But some of us are keen on electric cars. So let us ponder... The Audi e-tron 55 Quattro is priced at 74,800 USD, the Jaguar I-Pace at 69,850 USD, the Mercedes-Benz EQC at 67,900 USD, a
Jun 14, 2020
BMW 5 Series One of the concerns of owning a hybrid vehicle or a fully electric vehicle is the cost of battery replacement. BMW’s solution is to have the high-voltage battery pack with individual modules that can be replaced. In the BMW 530e, there are 6 cell modules. If only one of the modules is needed to be replaced, owners can simply change that one cell module at a cost of RM 5,000 per cell, rather than replacing the entire battery pack. BMW Group Malaysia offers a 6-year/100,000 km warrant
May 8, 2020
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