Gweiloman

Shhh. Don’t say that. You will upset some posters on here. They don’t accept that NATO expands, only that countries, even if thousands of kms from the North Atlantic applies to join. Even Japan might soon be part of the North Atlantic.

This is a very fair point. While I’m pro-EV, I would probably buy an ICEV if I were living in Canada and only have an EV as a second car. So why impose such punitive tariffs on something that not many people would buy anyway? Canada is opening itself to retaliatory action just to satisfy the whims of it’s master.

Like @KhunLA said, how is this China’s fault? Yet you advocate for more tariffs. That would merely mean that you would be paying more for a product made in China as no western made alternative is available.

Has been shown? Where? What I do read is that China has forgiven and written off many loans.

China has to lay claim to all these islands and shoals to prevent America from doing it via its vassals. It’s the threat of America (and with good reason seeing how often and frequently America has invaded other countries around the world in the past few decades) that is causing all these so called regional instability.

Tariffs mean that the goods will cost more for the consumer. Sure, Canada can build its own factories but the products that come out from these factories are going to be much more expensive than comparable products from China. No one is forcing you to buy cheap products from China. Great that you can afford western made products. However cheaper yet acceptable quality products from China has allowed some of my wife’s friends to start their own small business, something they wouldn’t be able to do if they had to buy equivalent western made goods.

China is not the only country subsidising its industries. The dairy and agricultural industry is heavily subsidised in the west, the oil industry receives huge subsidies, the inflation reduction act and the chips act are all subsidies. I don’t see why that should be an issue. New and better technologies evolve such as solar panels and EVs. Consumers benefit. China exports deflation to the world. How can this be a bad thing? Large parts of the global south is benefiting from China’s BRI. As one African leader puts it, when China comes, we get schools and hospitals. When western leaders come, all we get are lectures.

You could be right in that woke people buy an EV to save the planet but what about us regular folks that bought EVs? What’s our reason? I can tell in my case, it’s not to save the planet but to save money.

Hydrogen cars may be the best choice in 10, 20 or 30 years time. Sadly though, I can’t wait that long so the best choice for me (and many others, but not all) at the present moment is electric. Non EV owners are concerned about the time it takes to charge the car fully, up to 8 hours as you mentioned. What you don’t realise is that EV owners almost never charge their cars from empty to full. Unlike ICEVs, EV owners just “top up” rather than fill up. This would present some difficulties for those that can’t charge at home but still very workable as evidenced by many users in countries like Singapore and China and even Malaysia (sorry, I know we are in Thailand but the same principles apply). To me, the main advantage of EVs at the present time is the cost savings. Charging at TOU rates, not needing to go to a petrol station, always having a full charge every morning, practically zero maintenance costs, fantastic driving experience etc coupled with a now low entry cost makes this a no brainer for many. There are of course some scenarios where an ICEV is preferable; like wanting to drive 1,000 kms with just a 5 minute stop but these are few and far in between and not my cup of tea. This topic is about SUVs. I have a PHEV SUV with an electric range of about 160-180 km which I top up as and when I need. I haven’t seen the inside of a petrol station in months.

Isn’t Formula E an organised electric motor sports?

I completely agree. Those of us who actually owns EVs know that it is workable. For the whole of this month thus far, I’ve not touched my wall charger even once. I’ve been charging at one of Rever’s free stations, must be around 10 times now but that’s because I’m absolutely abusing it, charging my PHEV from my Dolphin and powering my home appliances (not at same time of course). I usually average about 400 kWh from the grid per month (plus another 2-300 kWh from my solar) but this month, even with low solar production, I am on course to use less than 200 kWh from PEA.

Happened in my Dolphin a few times too. I like to think that it is automatically sensing rain and thus rolling the windows up but in reality, I think it’s a software glitch. I’m surprised that anti-EVers hasn’t picked up on this absolutely shattering, unacceptable and deal breaking fault but then I realised that most of them haven’t actually sat in one.

I think it’s because the anti-EVers are desperate to try and prove that ICEs are better vehicles. They can’t be more wrong of course. It’s an undeniable fact that EVs are cheaper to run and maintain. A few years ago, this huge benefit was offset by higher prices but thanks to China, we are now in a situation where some are even cheaper than a similar ICEV. Add to this the benefits of cleaner air, reduction in noise pollution, not needing to go to a petrol station once or twice a week, being able to remotely operate some functions etc, it really is a no brainer for the large majority of people. I used to think that DVR’s were the bees knees, back in the 80’s and 90’s. Those days, streaming movies was unthinkable. Anti-EVers can’t bring themselves to admit that EVs are a much better technology and won’t even acknowledge the benefits. As previously stated numerous times, an EV is not for everyone. If you can’t charge at home, if you frequently do long (> 600 km) journeys, if you love the smell of fossil fuels, if the thrill of slow acceleration excites you, then an ICEV is probably the better choice of vehicle.

Welcome new member. Shame that among your very first posts, you have already shown to all of us your ignorance and lack of knowledge about something you obviously know nothing about. However, do carry on trolling. It’s fun knowing that it’s necessary for some to have a lower than average IQ in order to have an average IQ measurement.

I assume you mean the ruling by the court of arbitration. That ruling states specifically that it’s not a ruling on sovereignty and territorial claim.

And yet, America lives in fear of China overtaking it and tries to contain it in every way imaginable. I wonder why.

Some see a glass as half empty and some see it as half full. It depends whether you’re a western neocon or a member of the global majority. Practically all ASEAN countries, who are China’s neighbours are ever more keen to increase ties and trade with China. Other than PI which is a highly corrupt and vassal state of the US has no conflicts with China. The US has over 800 military bases around the world, China has one. And you think China is an aggressor. Propaganda really works on the gullible.

The China debt trap myth is exactly that - a myth. Looks like you’re not up to date on your research. There isn’t one country in the world that’s involved in the BRI that supports your claim, a narrative made up by western (US actually) think tanks and NGO’s. Even Italy that pulled out due to pressure has gone back to China to try and garner more investments.

Yes, Ford and most other legacy automakers are so far behind the technological curve that they realise they cannot compete internationally with Chinese made EVs. Same reason the Chinese automakers started making EVs as they couldn’t compete with ICE legacy manufacturers. This strategy will work in America because petrol is still cheap, the charging infrastructure is still poor and some Americans are still completely ignorant and resistant to change. Ford is inevitably going the way of Kodak.

Except that China has no intention of obliterating anyone. It could spend a lot more money on weapons and ammunition but instead spends billions on infrastructure to raise the living standards of its population.

I fully agree that it’s an overreach on China’s part. However, I feel they have no choice as America continues to build more and more bases to encircle China. The Sabina Shoal lies directly on the maritime route from Malacca Straights to China so this is of utmost strategic importance to China for its security.

I test drove the Neta (1st generation) but I was rather underwhelmed. Unfortunately for Neta CM, their showroom is on Mahidol Road which is rather rough and bumpy and the Neta’s suspension is known to be rather soft. Also the steering wheel cannot be adjusted and the infotainment system doesn’t support Android Auto or CarPlay. One very good feature however is the V2L (vehicle to load). However some owners are very happy with their vehicle. I settled on the BYD Dolphin but it’s significantly more expensive. TOU stands for time of usage which means that there are on peak and off peak times whereby the unit price varies. https://www.pea.co.th/Portals/0/demand_response/ElectricityReconsiderNov61.pdf?ver=2019-01-25-100804-110 Check with your local PEA/MEA regarding installation and costs. There are some reports that PEA has stopped installing 2nd meters due to usage abuse. Whether you need a 2nd meter or not also depends on your current main meter.

I trust all the products you have are either American, European, Japanese or Korean made. It’s good seeing people put their money where their mouths are. Kudos.

You are merely confirming my point that Russia is isolated only from a few western countries, primarily US, UK and Europe. This loss of tourism revenue is another country’s gain. As for BRICS, it doesn’t matter whether China and India can stand each other or not. India is extremely envious of China but there is nothing they can do about it. Corruption, the caste system and a host of other factors will continue to hold India back economically. Nevertheless, it makes good economic sense for these countries to work together. BRICS is already more relevant than the G7 and will continue to grow in strength and numbers as the model is based on fairness and equality as opposed to hegemony. The USD will undoubtedly be around for many more years but the continued weaponisation will slowly but surely erode confidence in it. It also makes more sense for two countries to deal directly in its own currencies without the need to involve a 3rd currency. I don’t think BRICS has any intention of having its own currency either. A common currency among uncommon countries makes no sense. Look at how the value of the Euro has declined since its inception. As for whether anyone trusts China or India, neither of these countries have confiscated another countries assets, afaik.

There is so much misinformation and disinformation on social media nowadays that I can understand why governments are taking such actions. The EU threatened to shut down X if Musk aired his interview with Trump, the UK threatens jail for anyone retweeting any posts they deem unacceptable, the US wants to shut down TikTok because it’s parent company is Chinese, China banned FB or YT (can’t remember which. Maybe both even) because FB/YT refuses to comply with China’s conditions… However, this doesn’t mean removal of freedom of speech. Freedom of speech means you can express your opinions. It does not mean that you can spread disinformation or lies. If left unchecked, this can cause the destruction of the social fabric of society. Cases in point was when the New York Post first reported Trump’s shooter as a Chinese and some other channel reported the Southport stabbed as a refugee. Look what subsequently followed, especially in the UK.