The Proton e.MAS 7 has successfully concluded a 22-day, 10,432 km expedition through nine Asean nations, surpassing its original 9,000km target by more than 1,400km.
Organised by the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute (MARii), the Asean Unity Drive 2025 saw the electric SUV traverse Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines, Sarawak and Sabah in East Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Singapore before returning to Kuala Lumpur, all without incident or battery fault.
According to Pro-NET CEO Zhang Qiang, completing over 10,000km “without a single battery issue is no small feat” and represents a milestone for Malaysia’s flagship EV, reinforcing its reliability and safety credentials.
The convoy encountered the region’s notorious heat, humidity and challenging terrain, yet the e.MAS 7’s high-efficiency battery system maintained consistent performance throughout, offering reassurance to potential electric-vehicle adopters across Southeast Asia.
Drivers reported a variety of demanding conditions.
Mohd Adib Mohd Azam highlighted stretches where charging infrastructure was sparse and road surfaces poor. To bridge gaps between charging points, the team occasionally employed a portable AC charger at roadside stops, ensuring sufficient state of charge to reach the next station.
This improvisation emphasised both the vehicle’s adaptability and the continued need for more comprehensive charging networks in remote areas.
The 356 km leg from Pakse in southern Laos to Krong Kracheh in Cambodia tested the e.MAS 7’s range to its limits.
Despite initial range anxiety, the vehicle’s claimed capabilities proved accurate, with drivers praising the SUV’s consistent energy consumption even when forced to plan extended stretches without guarantee of nearby fast-chargers.
“Although the distance was within the e.MAS 7’s range, the uncertainty of station availability kept us vigilant,” said Muhammad Taufiq.
Throughout the journey, the team relied on local charging-station apps and mapping tools to locate available points.
In regions where public chargers were unavailable or offline, spontaneous household charging became essential, highlighting the need for portable charging solutions in future cross-border EV travel.
Proton’s Asean trek follows a growing trend among Chinese EV manufacturers to stage high-profile long-distance demonstrations across Asia.
Geely did it with the Galaxy E5 that was the precursor to the launch of the e.MAS 7 that is built on the same underpinnings as the former.
BYD also did one, sending its popular Atto 3 SUV on an official Asia-Pacific tour in 2023, covering five countries in the region.
These high-profile Asian expeditions by Chinese EV makers serve multiple goals: building confidence in long-distance battery performance, engaging local regulators and consumers, and stress-testing charging interoperability across national grids.
The e.MAS 7 was the official vehicle of the recently ended Asean Summit 2025, held in Kuala Lumpur.
