Omoda E5

[steveting99]

The famous (or is it infamous) maker of the Chery QQ is back with a new sub-brand called Omoda. The B&B brand of China's automotive giant - Chery Automobile.

For Singapore, Chery has assigned Vertex Automobiles as the Authorized Distributor (AD) of the Omoda brand and only one model is currently available - the Omoda E5.

First released back in April 2024 in the Cat B territory with 150kW of power.

Unfortunately for Chery and Vertex, sales were lackluster for the first six months (April 2024 to September 2024) with only 51 units being sold. With sales going no where, both decided to wise up and offer the 99kW power front drive motor Cat A version of the Omoda E5 around early October 2024 and sales have kicked into high gear. In the last six month period (from December 2024 to May 2025), a total of 154 units have been sold. A solid 200% improvement in sales simply by offering the Cat A version of the E5 and an annual run rate of over 300 units. Three cheers for consumers and the market in showing what Chery/Vertex should have done in the first place. Hip-hip-hooray...!

Details above on the Omoda E5. With five passengers and cargo, the maximum total load is 536kg.

A unique feature is the front side charging port of the Omoda E5. Which means you'll have to get used to front parking into the charger (which is normally located at the rear of MSC) rather than the reverse parking.

The Omoda E5 also comes with a small (19L) front truck - can store a few packets of smelly durian there.

A full size spare tire s available underneath the boot! Not many BEV's have this feature and will come in handy one day when travelling up north. Cargo space for the boot is a bit small, about 300L and with the back seats folded down - increases to 1,079L. Some additional data on the E5.

Battery type: LFP Blade battery (think it comes from BYD)

Battery capacity: 61kWhr

Charging time: 8 hours on [email protected] (three phase) from 0 to 100% and around 45 minutes on DC@80kW from 10% to 80%. The DC charging rate is low powered and thus slow.  

Driving range: 430 km (WLTP cycle)

Claimed coefficient of drag: 0.281

Energy consumption: 15.5 kWhr / 100 km

Drive unit: 99kW for Cat A and 150kW for Cat B.

Maximum torque: 340Nm

Top speed: 172 km/hr.

The century sprint is a pokey 11.1 seconds for Cat A version.

The interior starts with fake food and fake leather materials. Lots of soft touches where contact points are to make it feel better than Toyota/Honda/Nissan/Hyundai/Kia which have hard plastics. Close enough to some conti brands for the price paid on a B&B ride.

Whilst Chery/Vertex will claim a 24.6" wide front screen, it's actually split into two 12.3" screens. 

There is the 12.3" infotainment touch screen that supports wireless Apple Carplay and Android Auto. 

Next to it is the 12.3" digital instrument cluster behind the wheel for the driver. 

The drive mode selector is located at the steering wheel (freeing up space in the center console) with buttons nearby for those who prefer some physical contact rather than going through the center infotainment touchscreen.

More physical buttons on the center console. The 50W wireless charger with cooling and is hidden beneath the front hatch. Apparently the front arm rest comes with a cooling system.

Unfortunately no panoramic roof to get the feeling of open space while drive - only the standard sunroof for the front passengers.

The front seats are ventilated - good for the hot weather of Singapore. Driver's seat is six adjustable while the front passenger is only four way.

Processor powering the display is the older Qualcomm 8155. There's a 360 deg surround view camera available to help with parking at MSC. The Advanced Driving Assistant Systems (ADAS) is at least Level 2, Chery claims to be 2.5. There's been some over the air software updates that allow settings to be remembered when the vehicle is switched OFF and then back ON again - will save some frustrations in getting those annoying bings/bongs silenced every time one gets into the car.  

With high CoE costs (Cat A at $101.1k) the current price of $159.9k seems a good deal. 

Will do a follow up post on cost breakdown on the Omoda E5.

 

Edited July 17 by steveting99
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[Si4dr]

SGD 150,000 lower spec vs RM150,000 higher spec...... haiz SG driver really carrot by gahment gao gao

[13177]

On 7/18/2025 at 9:15 AM, Si4dr said:

SGD 150,000 lower spec vs RM150,000 higher spec...... haiz SG driver really carrot by gahment gao gao

This EV can get it at 150k? I always thought this model same price as atto3, like at least 170k.

[Benarsenal]

On 7/18/2025 at 9:15 AM, Si4dr said:

SGD 150,000 lower spec vs RM150,000 higher spec...... haiz SG driver really carrot by gahment gao gao

What to do. COE is a fair system ok. Ah Loong say one. 

[citydrivingsg]

The review seems very good mostly 4-5 stars saying it's most value for money with conti-like features etc.

https://www.sgcarmart.com/new-cars/info/21854/omoda-e5-electric/reviews

A one year 3 mth old Omoda E5 (150W version) with 14K km mileage is sold at SGcarmart only at $132.8K, a drastic drop from new at $177K, considered a steal?

https://www.sgcarmart.com/used-cars/info/omoda-eletric-e5-1362468

 

Edited August 1 by citydrivingsg

[13177]

On 8/2/2025 at 1:19 AM, citydrivingsg said:

The review seems very good mostly 4-5 stars saying it's most value for money with conti-like features etc.

https://www.sgcarmart.com/new-cars/info/21854/omoda-e5-electric/reviews

A one year 3 mth old Omoda E5 (150W version) with 14K km mileage is sold at SGcarmart only at $132.8K, a drastic drop from new at $177K, considered a steal?

https://www.sgcarmart.com/used-cars/info/omoda-eletric-e5-1362468

 

Car price drop so much? Car has problems? Lol.

[citydrivingsg]

@13177 Possible. The COE was also bought high at $105K so not due to COE. With $40+K drop after only 1 yr 3 mths, it makes one wonder what are the problems the owner faced. Although it reportedly comes with '7-year vehicle warranty and an 10-year battery warranty plus free servicing for 10 years, according to some promotional materials. ', but if the car keeps going into workshop for repairs whatever warranty offered also useless LOL.

IMO, I think that although very tempting to switch with so many EV brand offerings, guess will have to wait for a few more years for the tech to stabilize and all these quality issues to be sorted out first. Not forgetting that Solid State Batteries (SSB) will out in production soon as early as next year. Once adopted on masse, it will be a real game changer with longer range, 4-6x faster charging times, lower weight and with high safety as SSBs are itself non-flammable.

 

Edited August 2 by citydrivingsg

[steveting99]

@citydrivingsg The new solid state batteries will take years before it become available to B&B electric vehicles. High costs due to low volume production will mean solid state batteries will be exclusive to the luxury end. There is also the new tech nature of solid state batteries where early adopters will be effectively the guinea pigs for the rest of us. So good luck to those whose going to be first timer buyers of EVs with solid state batteries. 

[citydrivingsg]

On 8/5/2025 at 5:07 PM, steveting99 said:

@citydrivingsg The new solid state batteries will take years before it become available to B&B electric vehicles. High costs due to low volume production will mean solid state batteries will be exclusive to the luxury end. There is also the new tech nature of solid state batteries where early adopters will be effectively the guinea pigs for the rest of us. So good luck to those whose going to be first timer buyers of EVs with solid state batteries. 

SSB tech is moving fast. Hope SSB mass adoption will come very soon..:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-tech-giant-claims-1-115754168.html

China’s tech giant claims 1,800-mile range for solid-state EV battery, files patent

Sat, July 5, 2025 

Huawei has filed a patent detailing a sulfide-based solid-state battery design with energy densities between 180 and 225 Wh/lb, roughly two to three times higher than today’s typical electric vehicle batteries.

While the Chinese tech giant does not manufacture its own branded vehicles, it works closely with automakers to integrate in-house advanced technologies into electric vehicle models, including smart systems and now potentially its battery innovations.

By pursuing solid-state battery development, Huawei joins a growing list of global automakers and tech companies such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, and BYD, all racing to unlock safer, lighter, and faster-charging batteries to transform the future of electric mobility.

Nitrogen-doped sulfide-based battery

Huawei’s patent application reveals that its battery uses a method of doping sulfide electrolytes with nitrogen to reduce side reactions at the lithium interface. However, beyond this detail, the company is keeping most of its technology under wraps as competition intensifies to safely mass-produce solid-state batteries.

Additionally, Huawei theorizes that its battery technology could deliver around 1,864 miles of range and achieve a 10% to 80% charge in under five minutes, which would mark a transformative leap for electric vehicles.

While Huawei’s claims have generated excitement, experts caution that these estimates remain theoretical at present, with practical application depending on charging infrastructure that is yet to be developed commercially. Despite this, the promise of the technology and Huawei’s entry into the field have sparked fresh interest and concern among global competitors, CarNewsChina reported.

The company has shown an increasing interest in upstream battery components, even though it does not produce power batteries. Earlier in 2025, Huawei filed a separate patent application for manufacturing sulfide electrolytes, a critical material known for its exceptional conductivity and high cost—sometimes even exceeding that of gold.

China boasts EV battery dominance

China is currently celebrating its dominance in the electric vehicle market and is eager to showcase innovations that could reshape the industry. While megawatt charging has recently grabbed headlines, solid-state battery technology has been quietly developing behind the scenes for some time.

The country is expected to be among the first to bring solid-state batteries to market. In this regard, Fujian-headquartered CATL is scheduled to begin pilot production of a hybrid solid-state battery by 2027. However, industry analysts contend the timeline may be longer and the results less groundbreaking than many domestic companies claim.

In the past decade, traditional leaders like Toyota, Panasonic, and Samsung have been investing heavily in solid-state battery research and development. In 2023, Toyota revealed a prototype boasting a range of about 745 miles and a 10-minute charge time, aiming for commercial release within five years.

Meanwhile, China has quickly closed the gap. Public data shows that Chinese companies now file over 7,600 solid-state battery patents each year, accounting for 36.7% of the world’s total patent activity in this field.

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[steveting99]

@citydrivingsg Hauwei can claim what they like to grab attention on their solid state battery technology. The problem is delivery to skeptical automotive manufacturers. 

The world's largest battery maker (CATL) says they are years away from mass market production and adoption of solid state batteries according to their chief scientist (Wang Fang) from Car News China article here: https://carnewschina.com/2025/07/18/solid-state-battery-mass-production-still-years-away-scientist-says/

Basically the technology, materials, and cost issues surrounding solid-state batteries are proving to be difficult to resolve in the short term. Hauwei (and others) needs to solve all these issues to make solids state batteries viable and be competitive with existing technologies. There is already rapid chargers, battery swaps, PHEV and REEV options that are viable options to solid state batteries. 

The main issue is cost of solid state batteries, which is 3x more expensive than conventional lithium batteries. Think this would be comparing against LFP chemistry as it's the lowest cost at the moment.

With high voltage battery packs in EVs costing between 30% to 40% of the vehicle, there is no compelling reason to put in a solid state battery pack into an EV knowing costs will easily double on the vehicle.

Would like to see solid state batteries succeed as another option in EVs. It will take time and lots of resources (i.e. $$$) for that to happen. Believe the only market where solids state batteries has a chance is in the ultra luxury end. 

SAIC and it's sub-brand MG claims to be providing the world's first semi-solid state battery pack in their new MG4 with just 5% liquid electrolyte. Gravimetric energy density (W/kg) of SAIC's semi-solid state battery (180W/kg) is low compared to older NMC chemistry (around 270W/kg). Surprised that it's lower than LFP chemistry which is around 200W/kg. It's not make any sense why SAIC is using the semi-solid state batteries in their new MG4. Will have to wait to get more details from SAIC.

Edited August 12 by steveting99
additional text

[steveting99]

Crash test results for Chery Omoda E5.

Adult Occupant Protection: 87%

Child Occupant Protection: 88%

Safety Assist: 83%

Vulnerable Road User: 68%

ANCAP evaluation of the Omoda E5 included updated additional tests, such as frontal offset and oblique pole crash tests, to verify the safety performance and the structural integrity of its high-voltage battery system.

Overall, the Chery Omoda E5 got a five star rating. Article from Drive.com.au is here: https://www.drive.com.au/news/2025-chery-omoda-e5-electric-suv-mirrors-petrol-twin-with-five-star-ancap-safety-rating/