Long-Distance Driving with smart #1 EV – From KL to Penang!

Thanks to innovative EVs like the smart #1, long-distance travelling with an EV is no longer a pipe dream

A few years ago, long-distance driving in an EV seemed like an impossible task for one to undertake. Not only hampered by the lack of charging infrastructure, such a task is also deemed impossible because of the subpar battery tech bestowed on most EVs back in those days.

Fortunately, those days are gone, as modern EVs now are bestowed with much better battery technology, plus the growing national charging network allows Malaysians to do their interstate travels with an EV with relative ease.

We were recently invited to participate in smart Malaysia's "The Long Media Drive" challenge

In order to experience long-distance travel with an EV firsthand, we’ve been invited by smart Malaysia (PRO-NET) for an exclusive media drive this week. Dubbed “The Long Media Drive,” this trip took place from Klang Valley all the way to Penang, where we were free to stop at any charging stations along the way, should we need to do so.

Having experienced this long-distance EV driving firsthand, allow us to share some thoughts and tips on this matter…

THE CAR

Fortunately for us, we were assigned to the smart #1 Premium model for our drive trip, which boasts the longest WLTP EV range out of the three main variants.

Underpinning Geely’s SEA-E platform with a 400-volt architecture, the #1 Premium gets the bigger 66-kWh NMC-type battery, which grants it a maximum WLTP range of 440 KM. Said battery supports both AC and DC charging at 22 kW and 150 kW rates, respectively, with the latter method juicing up the battery from 10% to 80% in just 29 minutes. Thanks to its stellar 22 kW AC charging capacity, the #1 can be juiced from 10% to 80% in about three hours.

smart #1 Premium displayed at smart Penang 4S Centre

On the powertrain front, the #1 Premium gets the same single, rear-mounted (RWD) electric motor setup as the baseline Pro variant. Rated at 268 HP (200 kW) and 343 NM, this setup allows the #1 Premium to blast from nought to 100 KM/H in a respectable time of 6.7 seconds. Standard in most EVs, however, the #1’s top speed is capped at just 180 KM/H – a bid to preserve and further prolong its battery components’ lives.

All in all, the smart #1 Premium comes with the most balanced and well-rounded powertrain specs compared to all three variants, with this mid-spec model boasting the best maximum range between the lots. With all the numbers and figures out of the way, let’s see how this EV crossover fares on our long-distance drive trip…

THE DRIVE

From our starting point at Subang Jaya all the way to our destination in Penang, the total distance for this trip was approximately 400 KM, which in theory means that you could drive a fully-charged #1 Premium to Penang without needing any charging stops.

In our trip’s case, however, we only started the journey with about 72% state-of-charge left, meaning that a one-stop journey was imminent. Fortunately, the smart #1 comes equipped with an intelligent on-board charging map that helps us plan our one-stop journey accordingly.

Besides showing the estimated time of arrival and total distance, the on-board charging map also showcases the car’s estimated battery percentage once we arrive at the destination. Starting with about 70% of battery life, we've been assigned to make a charging stop at Gentari’s X Park Sunway City Ipoh EV charging station. With said charging station located 214 KM from our starting point, the on-board charging map predicted that we’d arrive at the destination with about 16% of the battery charge left.

In order to replicate a real-world driving situation, we’ve purposely embarked on this journey, driving like you would normally drive an ICE-powered car on a long-distance trip. This means that we’re constantly driving within the highway’s speed limit of 100- to 110 KM/H speeds, with occasional overtakings and the smart Pilot Assist engaged on a few straight stretches.

We managed to arrive at Gentari's XPark Sunway City Ipoh charging station with about 15% of battery left

As for the result, we managed to arrive at the designated charging station with about 15% of the battery left—still within what the charging map predicted earlier on. After a relatively short and quick 40-minute charge, we managed to get more than 80% of the charge in the battery to get ourselves all the way to our lodging in Teluk Bahang, Penang.

THE CHARGE

Another useful bit about the smart #1 EV is the charging integration on its Hello smart mobile app. This integration enables users to charge up their smart EVs just using the dedicated mobile app, removing the need to clutter your phone with multiple EV charging apps all at once.

The Hello smart app is currently connected to over 70% of Malaysia's EV charging network

As of now, smart Malaysia said that the charging map is connected to 70% of Malaysia’s current EV charging network, covering up to 400 locations with over 1,000 charging points.

During our one-stop charge trip, we were tasked with using the Hello smart app installed on the provided device to charge up our test vehicle. With both charging bays not occupied once we arrived, our charging experience was quite a smooth one, with the app doing its job rather smoothly with no noticeable hiccups.

Fortunately, our charging experience was a smooth sailing one, with no hiccups or hardware issues

As for the connectivity issues, we were fortunate enough to use the charging station that is located within the urban Ipoh area, meaning that the internet connection should be more than good enough for us to operate the charger. Though this can be a problem for some remote charging locations, we’d reckon that as long as the chargers are located by some major expressways or dedicated resting areas, this shouldn't be a major problem.

While the app integration and operation went smoothly, we’d like to note that some users might face problems locating which charging ports they are supposed to activate. The app’s charging port display can be quite confusing for some, as it uses some complicated numbering and letters to mark the respective charging ports instead of simply labelling them by the numbers.

Regardless of this minor problem, this charging integration into the Hello smart app is a very useful thing to have, as it allows you to have a better and more seamless charging experience while preventing you from hogging tons of charging apps on your mobile devices.

CONCLUSION

What we’ve learned from this media trip is that thanks to the technological advancements in some modern EVs, like the smart #1, plus the slowly-growing charging network nationwide, long-distance driving with an EV is made easier and more convenient.

While users might still be susceptible to some external factors like competing for charging bays with other EVs and charging hardware issues, this trip just proved that with a little bit of resilience and confidence, assisted by some smart technologies like the on-board charging map and mobile app charging integration, you too can take a little cross-state trip with your smart #1 EV with relative ease and convenience.