Gweiloman

It’s true, I know very little if anything about cars so crawling under one would be a total waste of time and effort for me. But I’m still puzzled. Why would you order any non-OEM parts from a company in China for an American made vehicle? That’s like ordering a Boeing part for an Airbus. Or an iPhone battery for my Huawei phone. Or duck meat for my beef wellington. LOL.

Like fruitcake said, time will tell. So far, Chinese made high speed railways, trains, space station, skyscrapers, bridges etc etc seem to be holding up well. I’m sure there will be accidents, like everywhere else in the world, including Europe and the US.

Was your Toyota Tundra made in China? I believe it was made in the US. Why on earth would you then order non OEM parts from China? That’s just nonsensical and idiotic if you ask me. My bro-in-law used to be a Ford salesman. He told us that FORD stood for Fix Or Repair Daily lol.

My experience of car ownership in the UK is that a lot of people lease their cars for a period of 3-5 years after which they discontinue the lease or pay the residual/balloon payment to the leasing company to own the car outright. In my opinion, this practice tends to lead to shorter ownership periods. I have always purchased my cars outright, particularly in Thailand. As a result, I tend to hold on to them longer, 5 years plus.

That’s an opinion I can agree with.

So like I thought, your opinion is worthless.

I’m confused by what you’re trying to say.

Hyundai is Korean.

My point is that things don’t stop operating once outside of the warranty period. You said that manufacturers warranty the batteries for 7-8 years as this is how long they expect the batteries to last. I don’t think this is the case.

We’ve been having some extremely pleasant evening and early morning weather in CM since November. What I would give for the whole year to be like this.

ICE manufacturers typically warranty their cars for 3-5 years. Does that mean the car will stop operating after that? My LG TV had a 1 year warranty. It’s still operating after 6 years.

I assume your friend will be a newcomer to living in Thailand (it doesn’t matter how many trips he’s made in the past as a tourist; living here full time is a completely different ball game). The more prudent route for him will be to buy one of the more common legacy cars from Toyota/Honda/Mazda. Even though these cars don’t represent value for money in my opinion, it will be less hassle for him initially.

As I understand it, you are correct when it comes to Lithium ion (NMC) batteries. Fully charging/discharging these batteries frequently apparently leads to higher degradation. That’s not to say you can’t charge it to 100% if you want. On the other hand, LFP batteries can easily be fully charged frequently without adverse effects. In fact, manufacturers recommend doing so on a weekly basis. Considering that they warranty the batteries for 8 years, I’m sure they would not give out this advice if they are unsure of how the battery will be affected.

Interesting. Own, not owned. So I assume you’re not an EV critic. Do you have your Tesla in Thailand or overseas? I wouldn’t want a Tesla in Thailand as the main advantages (super charger network, GPS etc) are not present. Also limited network of dealers.

Surely you’re not comparing the battery in a smartphone to an EV battery? They are poles apart.

A year and a half ago, I was in the market for a SUV, having sold my 10 yr Old Ford Ranger pickup and owning just a Mazda 2 which was too small for my needs. I wasn’t ready to make the plunge into a full BEV as I make regular long distance trips. I felt a PHEV would be ideal but wasn’t prepared to pay silly money for MB’s and BMW’s. The Mitsubishi Outlander was an option at 1.7 million baht but it had a pitiful range of only 70 km or so. The MG HS was a cheaper option but also limited in EV range. Along came the Haval H6 with a NEDC range of 201 km, real world 160-180 km. Perfect, I snapped it up even though it was 100k above expected retail price. Loved it straightaway. I drove around for months without refilling the petrol until I started to get worried about fuel contamination so I forced myself to drive around on petrol every now and again just so that I could change out the petrol every now and then. When a family friend wanted to buy my Mazda 2, it was a no brainer for me to buy an EV as my second car. I love not knowing how petrol and diesel fumes smell like, except when I’m caught behind one of those monstrosities on the road with my windows down.

Considering that Toyota is probably the worst EV maker among the big brands, I won’t pay much heed to any statements about EVs coming from them (they even had to recall their Bz4x or whatever it’s called for risk of the wheels falling off. A lot of analysts believe that this wasn’t the case; the recall was more likely due to issues with the battery technology or software). No one has a crystal ball as to what resale values would be like in 8 years time. It may or may not be worthless. Current research shows degradation of up to 20% after 8 years. That means a BYD Dolphin that has a range of about 450 km new will still have a range of 360 km in 8 years time. I’m inclined to believe that it would be possible to replace the whole battery pack cheaply by then as the technology improves and prices of batteries continue to drop.

I own both an EV and a PHEV. I’m not a wannabe nor am I a showoff. I dress very simply, preferring simple T-shirts and bermuda shorts and flip flops or occasionally boat shoes. If you saw me, you would probably think that I drive a 10 year old pickup at best. I don’t dine in 5 star or hi-so restaurants, preferring road side stalls and moogata places. I live in a simple 2up 2down but with all the comfort creatures that I need. Oh, and solar too, almost forgot. I therefore charge at home, as do most EV owners on this forum. I have always stressed that if one can’t charge conveniently, then an EV is probably not a good purchase. Why did I buy an EV? First off, it’s my second car, mainly for local commutes and trips. We can incur high mileage on a regular basis, as much as 500-600 kms per week. Right off, the fuel savings make economical sense. We also make regular longer distance trips to various parts of Thailand. Considering the amount of time we spend in the car, the comfort and performance of EVs are an absolute bonus. As for resale values, I’m (and a think a lot of the other EV owners are in a similar position) not concerned. I tend to hold on to my cars for a good 5-8 years after which I sell it off to my wife’s family or friends at a bargain price. The main thing for me is that during my tenure of ownership, the dealer warranties my cars for 8 years thus ensuring a stress free experience.

This post had me thinking a little about different makes of cars, American, Korean, Japanese, Chinese… I’m not a frequent watcher of car reviews but I thought this was a bit apt to address the above post about Japanese cars. A bit of a long watch but the conclusion is thought provoking. Especially when this car costs almost twice as much as the MG4

Do you own either? Or test drove both? Else, your opinion, while you are entitled to it, is worthless, isn’t it?

I’m really wondering about this too. My PHEV has one pedal driving which means I hardly touch the brake pedal, relying instead on mostly regenerative braking to stop the car. I’ve had the car serviced 3 times since I bought it but never thought to ask the technician to check. I assumed that they do anyway but it’s better to be sure. Must remember to ask them to check during my next service.

With an username like yours, I would have thought you would know better than to compare apples and oranges.

I bought the extended range. Imo, well worth the extra 160k. Having the extra power on tap is always good especially if you need to do a fast overtake or to accelerate out of a dicey situation. Electric front seats are nice to have, as is the panoramic sunroof particularly for reader seat passengers. The extra range just gives you that bit more flexibility if you need it and the bigger battery can power your home that much longer. I think the 2 tone colour is also sportier. The rear suspension is also different, multi link as,opposed to torsion beam although I don’t know if that makes much difference in town driving. Slightly bigger wheels is that little bit more comfortable going over bumps in the road.

You probably didn’t realise that half of all Teslas are made in China. Lots of Japanese brands too.

Oh dear. Thanks for posting this video. I’ll make sure not to rescue another vehicle with my Dolphin or take it off road. I don’t know what else I shouldn’t do as I couldn’t be bothered to watch the video further. I will also remember that my Dolphin is merely a model name and not take it swimming. Also not drive it off the top of a multi storey carpark as it probably won’t withstand the fall as well as a Toyota or Honda. C’mon folks, tell us what else you wouldn’t do with your Dolphin, Seal, Atto 3 and soon to be Seagull.