Dato’ Dennis Chuah, a lithium battery industry veteran, launched Eclimo Sdn. Bhd. (Eclimo), the first domestically produced electric two-wheeler company in Malaysia, fourteen years ago after realizing the potential of lithium batteries.
Eclimo, the company’s name, is an acronym for eco-life mobility. Before Tesla’s car batteries were made available for purchase, Chuah was the one who persuaded the Malaysian government to create an electric vehicle-only policy in 2012. (EVs).
He revealed during a virtual interview with DIGITIMES Asia in September that the policy is known as MS2413. This makes Malaysia the first nation in Southeast Asia to implement an electric two-wheeler policy.
Chuah is creating an EV empire out of nothing, thus looking back on his path, EV acceptance is a huge accomplishment, despite all the challenges he has faced in such a barren and unproductive EV environment. His dedication to achieving a net-zero future is demonstrated by his passion for both EVs and EV batteries.
to make EVs more adoptable
According to the OECD, micro firms, which made up 78.6% of all company establishments in 2021, are the backbone of the Malaysian economy.
To assist the B40 group (the bottom 40% of Malaysian household income, which earns less than about US$1,043) in finding sustainable livelihoods, Eclimo has introduced the ES-11 Delivery and ES-11 Utility. These are intended to provide underserved individuals with access to entrepreneurship in sectors including food delivery, prescription drug distribution, and mobile eateries, respectively.
“One of the best things about the ES-11 is that it converts the power into alternating current power in addition to providing transportation. Therefore, depending on their business, entrepreneurs can employ the two-wheeler for a variety of purposes. They can make coffee for customers, chill vaccinations, or bake food “explained Chuah. “Our next feature will allow customers to cook satay while on the go.”
He added, “They would calculate depending on how much money they could earn if they used Eclimo to commute. The more services we create for our consumers, the less they tend to gripe about the price.”
Dome, Grab, Huckleberry, DHL, KFC, and Pos Malaysia are just a few of the last-mile delivery companies that Eclimo is collaborating with on the gig economy and micro-mobility ecosystem development.
Micromobility. Source: Eclimo
addressing the range and pricing apprehension problems
For the same distance, an electric vehicle (EV) driver reliant on batteries must locate a public charger or plug in at home. In Malaysia, neither is a common sight.
Nevertheless, there are only about 1,000 public EV charging stations in Malaysia, according to Datuk Ahmad Amzad Hashim, deputy minister of MOSTI for science, technology, and innovation. Range anxiety is now accepted as the new normal in the nation.
The technology used by Eclimo eliminates range anxiety. Its essential characteristics are as follows:
The ES-11 has a 3.078KWh lithium-ion battery that can be charged using a standard three-pin power outlet and can travel up to 100km on a single charge. Every 100 meters, there is a wall connection that allows EV drivers to charge their two-wheelers for 45 minutes, according to Chuah.
In addition, he noted that “Eclimo’s battery monitoring system (BMS) will check the status of the battery so that EV drivers won’t have to worry about it dying in the middle of a crucial travel.”
Third, Chuah claims that a hub-mounted motor that is driven by the battery and produces 8 PS (8hp or 6 kW) and 110 Nm of torque can pull up to 212kg.
Fourth, the Eclimo smartphone app has features like geo-fencing and two-wheeler tracking to alleviate range anxiety.
The cost of purchasing an EV has been a significant barrier, but Eclimo has a lease option. “Making potential EV purchasers more adaptable by introducing an optional add-on battery purchase plan is one of the areas we’re looking into. They won’t have to pay the entire amount up front if they decide to get a battery, for example. They can split payments out over 5-8 years, “Added he.
establishing a circular value chain for EV batteries
“Why not reuse an old EV battery if it still has some charge in it?” Cuah enquired.
The idea of a circular economy includes all the methods and procedures that allow for the most effective use of a resource before considering recycling it.
“The EV batteries from Eclimo can be recycled because the design took recycling into account. With the non-spot welding process, it is possible to give our EV batteries a second chance at life “He clarified.
Then, he continued, “the battery with a second life might be converted into an energy storage.” “For instance, we turn the used battery into a power bank to replace the diesel engine that powers the pasar malam’s “night market,” to power lights for 10 hours, and to power off-grid homes, especially for isolated areas in Sabah and Sarawak.”
He went on, “Recycling is an option when your EV battery is at 0%. The battery can be disassembled and all of its components recycled. They were then able to use these old elements to create a new battery.”
State now and in the future
Recently, equity crowdfunding, Eclimo’s startup platform, finished its fundraising round. Chuah stated: “To raise money for the upcoming year, we are getting ready. Hopefully, this time, we receive a larger money.”
The maker of electric two-wheelers has continuously improved its technology to produce better batteries, BMS, and engines, which are visible in the ES-11. Eclimo will keep working to advance its technologies for this specific model.
Additionally, Eclimo intends to build 1,000 electric two-wheelers this year and an additional 5,000 units the following year. Additionally, it wants to attract more clients. Eclimo made the decision to expand into Thailand and the Philippines in order to fulfill this objective. For this next stage, the team has been doing research and studies.
Dennis Chuah, CEO of Eclimo. Source: Chuah
