Logistics platform Lalamove has now entered the EV game with help from Changan Kaicene.
Most Malaysians are familiar with Lalamove – the logistics company that allows just about anyone with any kind of motorised vehicle to earn some side income from. Well, Lalamove isn’t satisfied with staying in their lane as a logistics company and has now taken the plunge to become an electric vehicle producer with the introduction of its vehicle brand, ‘DuaLa Auto’.
The first vehicle by DuaLa Auto is the Bafang. It’s an all-electric cargo van that is made to fit the needs of Lalamove’s freight industry. That means increased carrying capacity and a low cost. Strangely, the DuaLa Auto Bafang has a very limited range of just 305km, and that probably drops substantially when it’s fully loaded or on a particularly warm day when the AC has to work extra hard.
DuaLa’s rationale is that the Bafang range is sufficient for urbang short haul deliveries. What’s even more strange is that the customer can decide which battery supplier they want to go with, with options from CATL (43.53kWh), FinDreams (43.061 kWh) and EVE Energy (41.86 kWh). All three batteries are said to deliver similar performance, so perhaps there is a pricing and warranty difference. All 3 battery options power the same 94 kW electric motor.
In terms of dimensions, the DuaLa Bafang is 5,095mm from bumper to bumper with a width of 1,870mm and a height of 1,990mm. The cargo carrying capacity is very large at 3,085mm X 1,705mm X 1,485mm, which is said to be significantly larger than typical vans of this class. Wide swing out rear doors make handling cargo easy.
Lalamove has partnered up with Changan Kaicene for manufacturing – that being said it’s probably Lalamove that specified the look at specifications of the vehicle. Why are Lalamove moving into the EV game? Well, it’s probably because last year, 40% of the company’s orders were fulfilled by new energy vehicles. This number is probably on the rise and Lalamove sees a chance to move some of its drivers over to electric. Perhaps not just selling the vehicles to the drivers but leasing them as well.
