The Proton eMas 7 PHEV is a modern plug-in hybrid from China, where PHEVs are all the rage now. Cars with two sources of power isn’t a new idea, but the latest ones from China work a bit differently from their European counterparts, and this applies to Conti PHEVs from a decade ago right up to the ones in premium brand showrooms today. Before we get to Pro-Net’s answer to some popular questions about the eMas 7 PHEV, here’s a brief recap. Launched in February, the eMas 7 PHEV is powered by a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated four-pot engine with 99 PS/125 Nm, which is combined with a 218 PS/262 Nm electric motor for total system output of 262 PS/262 Nm. Prime and Premium variants come with an 18.4-kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery from CATL for a pure electric range of 83 km, or 943 km combined. The top Premium Plus variant gets a 29.8-kWh Geely Aegis short blade LFP battery for 146 km EV range and a combined range of 996 km. By the way, we’re using WLTP figures, as we usually do on this website. For the eMas 7 PHEV, Pro-Net has – in a departure from its own norm – chosen to publish less-realistic NEDC range numbers, which are 1,000 km (Prime, Premium) and 1,065 km (Premium Plus) respectively, with pure EV range figures of 105 km and 170 km, respectively. For charging, the smaller battery’s max DC charging rate is 30 kW, and going from 30-80% state of charge takes under 20 minutes. The Aegis battery can handle up to 60 kW charging, taking SoC from 30-80% in under 16 minutes. AC charging maxes out at 7 kW. With the RM4,000 launch rebate included, the three eMas 7 PHEV variants are priced at RM105,800, RM119,800 and RM125,800, respectively. You can get the full specs and galleries from our launch report. So, can you drive the eMas 7 PHEV just like you would a normal ICE car, without plugging it in to charge? We’re not talking about a week or two without charging – that’s not an issue, of course – but on a longer term. The short answer from Pro-Net – backed by Geely’s engineers in a live Q&A tech workshop with the media – is yes, you can drive the eMas 7 PHEV on petrol power alone. Even in extreme cases (they gave an example of one year without charging), this would not damage the battery as safeguards have been put in place to counter the potential ill-effects of this habit. Like some other new-wave PHEVs from China, the eMas 7 PHEV’s battery is not allowed to be fully drained to 0%, which happens in European PHEVs. The idea behind this reserve of 20% to 25% SoC, or ‘ballast charge’ as Proton calls it, is to preserve the health of the battery. Note that even when the EV range shows zero on the dash, the battery SoC is actually still at 20% (Premium Plus) or 25% (Prime, Premium). As is the case with your mobile phone, frequent full discharge of a battery isn’t good for its health, so the system ensures that charge never falls to below 20%. The engine will play generator to maintain this ballast charge, and keep battery degradation at bay. With this self-preservation mechanism in place, Proton would be confident with its eight-year or 160,000 km warranty for the SUV’s EV bits (battery, drive motor, motor controllers), which includes a one-to-one replacement if the battery’s state of health falls below 70%. For the record, Pro-Net says that no matter how one drives the eMas 7 PHEV, it will not affect the warranty. However, it must be noted that Proton recommends eMas 7 PHEV users to fully charge their cars at least once a month – this is stated in the manual, and we’ve just been told that a reminder will pop up in the screen too. The reason for this isn’t what you might think. Battery health, right? No, because the battery degradation issue is already covered by the ballast charge safeguard – and warranty – stated above. Instead, plugging in periodically helps the battery to recalibrate. If the battery is left idle for long, the driver might see inaccurate range figures, so do it (and yourself) a favour and allow the battery to ‘clear the mind’, so to speak, at least once a month. This applies to EVs with LFP batteries too, but with no other source of propulsion, EV owners probably won’t need reminders. Conversely, Pro-Net has said that it’s OK to use the eMas 7 PHEV purely as a EV, which means that you can fully charge it up (no problem, because LFP) and repeat the cycle every 100 or so km. This car’s fuel tank is pressurised, which reduces the evaporation of the RON 95 stored there, and slows down the natural process of fuel degradation. Yes, petrol can go basi. The pressurised tank is the reason why one needs to go into the screen or long press the left side mirror button to open the fuel filler flap. The system needs to depressurise the tank before you can open the flap, for safety reasons. So, to summarise it, you can use this ‘dual-powered’ car purely as an ICE car or an EV, keeping the other propulsion source purely as a backup. But why would you want to do that? There are better ICE SUVs out there in terms of performance compared to a 1.5L NA eMas 7 PHEV without electric assistance; likewise, there are EVs with far greater range, and you can find one such car in the same showroom, and it’s cheaper too! Concept wise, the eMas 7 PHEV is for those who want a car that straddles both worlds (Hafriz calls it a dua alam car), giving you what’s good from each side of the divide, with a back up. Charge it up at home every day and you’ll have a serene EV daily that’s efficient in traffic jams and the urban crawl. But when the need arises, you can use that same car to balik kampung or go for an outstation event without the need for research and a charging plan. Speaking of charging, do it in the comfort of your own home whenever possible. Not only is home AC charging much more cost-efficient, you’ll also avoid the jeling and kecam from EV owners who say that they need the public DC chargers (especially those on the highways) more than you do – right or wrong, you don’t want to be that guy in their WhatsApp/Facebook groups. So, what do you think of the Proton eMas 7 PHEV and this new breed of Chinese plug-in hybrids with batteries that don’t fall to 0%? I often think in football terms, and this reminds me of a utility player, as opposed to a specialist. Personally, I’d rather have one good attacking midfielder and a world-class defensive midfielder behind him, rather than a guy who can do both, but not as well. Then again, not every squad has the budget and room for two top operators – in that case, the eMas 7 PHEV would serve your team very well. Compare prices between different insurer providers to save the most on your car insurance renewal compared to other competing services. Many payment method supported and you can pay with instalment using Atome, Grab PayLater or Shopee SPayLater. Use the promo code 'PAULTAN' when you checkout for 10% discount!