Phantom view of EMAS drive system elements. Click to enlarge.

Malaysian car manufacturer Proton unveiled a series of concept global range-extended electric cars at the Geneva Motor Show (earlier post)—a five-door, four-seat hatchback “EMAS”; a three-door five-seater hatchback “EMAS Country” for country driving; and a three-door 3+1 plus-seater “EMAS3” for city driving—signalling a long-term plan to expand its footprint in the global automotive market.

EMAS—“gold” in the Malay language—stands for Eco Mobility Advance Solution, and is a result of a collaboration between Proton, its subsidiary Lotus, and Italian design house, Italdesign Giugiaro (IDG). The cars were unveiled at IDG’s booth in Geneva by Proton Advisor and former Prime Minister of Malaysia Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

The Proton concept drivetrain. Click to enlarge.

The drivetrain developed by Lotus Engineering includes Lotus’s Range Extender 3-cylinder, 1.2 liter internal combustion engine developing 51 horsepower (38 kW) at 3500 rpm that can run on gasoline, ethanol, methanol or natural gas. (Earlier post.) The front transverse internal combustion engine is coupled to a generator and recharges the 11.47 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The 370V pack comprises 100 31Ah cells.

The rear-mounted drive motor delivers continuous power of 45 kW (75 kW peak) and 240 N&iddot;m (177 lb-ft) of torque with a one-speed gearbox with a final drive ratio 4.214:1. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes 14 seconds, top speed is 170 km/h (106 mph) and battery range in the hybrid configuration is 50 km (31 miles). Full recharging of the battery pack takes three hours using a
240-volt outlet at 13A.

The 5-door hatchback EMAS. Click to enlarge.

The specially designed chassis features a raised floor that can accommodate the battery pack. The concept car leverages on maximizing space, while maintaining the overall dimensions of a compact car. These cars are higher than other compact car models to make the best use of interior space;
the seat H point is at the same height as the passengers’ hips: driver and passengers do not get down into the
car as in a coupé, nor do they climb up as in an SUV.

Proton envisions that the EMAS3 could be configured with a larger battery pack in a full battery-electric version, with a accompanying decrease in passenger capacity to three or two seats if necessary.