Putting four EVs to the test on a 2,000km cross-border road trip

KEDAH, Malaysia – Within a few years, electric vehicles (EVs) have evolved from being mere adaptations of petrol cars to ground-up creations boasting extra-large battery capacity, high energy efficiency and ultra-long operating range.

Some claim to be able to cover 800km on a single charge, enough to zip from Singapore to Penang at one go.

The behind-the-wheel experience has matured just as rapidly.

Take one-pedal driving, which enables the driver to bring the car to a complete stop without using the brake pedal. This is no longer the jarring, jerky affair when the feature first appeared on EVs. Instead, lifting off the accelerator now mimics the natural coasting sensation of a conventional engine.

Crucial to the EV experience is the charging infrastructure. The EV-charging network has been growing in Singapore and across the border.

As at the end of May, Malaysia has 6,416 public chargers, of which 2,143 are high-speed DC fast chargers. In comparison, according to data from February, Singapore has 28,300 chargers, of which some 3,100 are fast chargers.

To find out if this is sufficient for road-trippers from Singapore and whether the latest EVs are up to the task, The Straits Times recreated the cross-border EV road test from 2022, but with four long-range models, six drivers and a far more ambitious itinerary.

While the 2022 trip largely stuck to the West Coast Expressway to Penang, where there tends to be charging stations along the way, the 2026 edition took a punishing cross-country loop.

Our route plotted a course up the east coast through Kuantan and Terengganu, before thundering across scenic trunk roads (or “B-roads”) to Alor Setar in the north-west. From there, the convoy would head south, passing Ipoh, Melaka and Desaru before crossing the finish line back in Singapore – a journey that would cover over 2,000km in a relentless five days.

The cars for this extended test were the BMW iX3 50 xDrive, Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+, Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD and Volvo ES90.

These marathoners boast ranges of at least 650km – a relatively high bar and about 100km more than many popular EVs in the market today.

The Volvo is rated at 661km and the Tesla claims 750km. The Mercedes and BMW both claim to be able to cover over 800 kilometres. BMW has the largest battery capacity at 108.7kWh, while Tesla has the smallest at 84kWh.

Returning for this high-voltage sequel were retired ST senior transport correspondent Christopher Tan, freelance writer Lionel Seah and myself.

Joining the adventure were Seah’s son Sean, a polytechnic student; BMW M Club Singapore president Chan Weiwen; and Liew Kwong Chin, a lifelong BMW enthusiast from Ipoh who has been living in Singapore.

To help neutralise differences in driving styles and occupant weight, we switched cars daily. Throughout the journey, the six drivers took turns behind the wheel of the four EVs to manage fatigue.

Adventure begins

Flagging off at 6.30am from the SPC petrol station in Admiralty Road, I took the first stint in the Tesla, syncing my iPhone via Bluetooth to stream Spotify tunes because the car does not have Apple CarPlay.

Crossing the Woodlands Checkpoint was relatively smooth.

The built-in navigation reliably guided us to our first breakfast stop at Ah San Kueh Teow Kia in Kota Tinggi – a two-hour drive away. This hidden local gem treated us to an excellent spread of traditional braised pork and offal.

The drive also offered a taste of the Grok, Tesla’s artificial intelligence companion. The machine impressed with its real-time commentary on the town’s history and local food recommendations.

We then pushed onwards to Kuantan City Mall for lunch, arriving at 1.30pm.

Despite having clocked only 340km, with plenty of range left in the EVs, we decided to juice up our fleet at the mall’s DC Handal hub, which features a 120kW DC fast charger with dual nozzles alongside two 11kW AC stations. The contactless credit or debit card payment system proved user-friendly.

Finding one fast charging nozzle and one slow charging bay occupied, we hooked up our first two cars before heading off to eat. Returning after lunch, we were able to plug in the other two EVs.

This seamless experience was a far cry from the road trip four years ago, when charging options were restricted to isolated petrol stations equipped with a single plug.

Now, we have multiple charging guns to replenish the EVs at once while dining in air-conditioned comfort, tracking real-time status via dedicated apps instead of relying on guesswork.

After lunch, we headed towards Tanjong Jara Resort in Terengganu for our overnight stay, making a pit stop at a beachfront for a photo shoot. While driving close to the shoreline to soak in the sea breeze is a popular local pastime, straying into the softer patches of sand is not recommended, as it is easy for the wheels to get bogged.

We finally rolled into the resort at around 8pm, where I stepped out of the Tesla with an aching back. It turned out that I was not the only one, based on what the other drivers said after their stints in the Tesla over the next few days.

I enjoyed the Tesla’s steroidal acceleration and sharp handling on the expressways, although the car’s twitchy steering demanded more concentration as the drive went on.

Our earlier decision to fast-charge in Kuantan proved to be a wise move. The two chargers at the resort were modest 22kW AC units and it took a while to charge up each car. It took over three hours to top up the 148km of range used to travel from Kuantan City Mall.

It was tricky to use the chargers too. Without streetlights at the charging bay, we had to use smartphone torches to shine on the JomCharge QR codes, while using another phone to scan and initiate charging.

When scanning failed, the only way was to key in the charger identifier code manually. This proved to be a difficult task when it turned out that the labelling was wrong. It took a while to work out that what was labelled as Charger 1 was actually Charger 2, all while braving mosquitoes.

The next day, we set off at 8am for Alor Setar – a 554km stretch without any chargers en route. On the plus side, it promised spectacular scenery as we cut through the majestic Titiwangsa Mountain Range. We stopped at the Titiwangsa Rest Stop, perched 1,000m above sea level, to refuel ourselves with budget-friendly servings of ayam penyet.

I drove the Mercedes-Benz CLA 250+ on this leg, instantly pampered by its superb lumbar support. The low-slung sedan cornered beautifully and, before long, I was enthusiastically tracing the racing lines up the sweeping mountain passes.

The younger Seah, who took the wheel in the afternoon while I snapped photos from the passenger seat, agreed, describing the dynamics as “striking a nice balance between peppy and a relaxed drive”.

The only downside was that the CLA’s acceleration tapered off after 140kmh. Still, its overall efficiency was excellent, completing the day’s drive with 20 per cent of battery charge remaining, a feat likely aided by its slick two-speed transmission.

Range anxiety kicks in

Over at the Volvo ES90, Chan probably had too much fun exploring the car’s handling and performance as it went through its battery charge at an alarming rate. By the end of the climb, the Volvo was crying for a charge.

The next available charging point, which was at the hotel, stood 230km away, which was 30km more than what the Volvo projected it could manage with the remaining charge. Cue severe range anxiety.

Tan, drawing on his experience with pushing EV batteries to their absolute limits, sagely advised that driving with a bit of care on the way down the hill should be able to recover enough energy for the drive.

As we began our descent, a sudden torrential downpour forced us to drive much more slowly than we would have liked. A thick mountain fog descended rapidly, reducing visibility dangerously. At times, it was difficult to follow the tail lights of the vehicle ahead.

Looking through my lens, I was simultaneously awed by the raw beauty of the landscape and quietly concerned about the treacherous driving conditions.

Meanwhile, Liew was enjoying the drive in the BMW iX3, which was assigned to be the last car in the convoy. He said the EV felt like the regular petrol-powered BMWs that he was used to, giving the driver plenty of useful feedback. However, he found that the steering design and button controls took some getting used to.

Further up the pack was the Volvo, gingerly driven with the air-conditioning set to the Eco mode to conserve range. Thanks to regenerative braking, the descent recovered 3 per cent of battery charge. This was enough for the ES90 to arrive at Alor Setar’s Frazel Heritage Hotel on its own power, with just 40km of range left.

The hotel staff had reserved a dual-nozzle 60kW DC charger for us to charge two cars at a time, which was great, except that one of the nozzles was faulty and would stop charging intermittently.

At least the drivers got to enjoy a great seafood dinner at Jai Huat, a zi char restaurant popular with the locals.

Due to the faulty nozzle, the EVlution charging app kept pinging through the night. Having to repeatedly roll out of bed to reinitiate charging was pure torture.

After one too many pings, I ignored the notification that charging had stopped, only to wake up at 7am the next day in a panic, worried that we would not have enough charge for the day’s drive. Is this the life of EV drivers on road trips?