Gweiloman

The downside of a PHEV is that if the battery runs flat and you don’t charge it up, then you are lugging around a lot of dead weight which can increase fuel consumption significantly. I set off on a 260 km round trip today with a full charge on my 34 kWh battery and only needed 1 charge of 125 baht at a PEA CS (off peak price of 46 baht per unit) and got home with 50 km electric range to spare. Charging only took 40 mins or so which I was able to put to good use by watching YT videos in my car with the AC on. Didn’t use even one drop of petrol.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. If you decide on getting an EV, you will enjoy the benefits of owning one as well as the downsides. If the latter is unacceptable, then stick with fossil or a PHEV which is a compromise. I decided that a PHEV is the best option for me and thus f, after a month of own, I’m still happy with my choice.

Just completed a 1,000 km journey from CM to Isaan in a PHEV. Used about 1,000 baht worth of fuel and 295 baht on charging? Could this be right? That’s what the apps tell me anyway. Would have been much much cheaper if not for the charging problems I posted in another thread. Used to cost me over 2,000 baht in my fossil car.

I just completed a 1,000 km journey from CM to Isaan so I guess I’m qualified to comment on this route to some extent. A mixed bag of good and bad. This is my first extended journey. I had previously just charged at home. Left the house just before 10 am with a full charge (approx range of 170 km. I have the Haval H6 PHEV). First stop, PEA Volta at Bangchak station Lampang. 2 outlets, both being used when I arrived. Fortunately, one guy was just finishing up so I waited just a few minutes. Car charged like a dream, I hardly had time for the dogs to do their stuff and for me to finish brunch. While I was charging, a MG EP turned up but he was able to slow charge on AC while waiting for a free outlet. Next stop, Uttaradit. PEA app shows a PTT EV station. However the PTT app does not show this station. I chanced it but the station is not yet operational. Worse, the station was on the opposite side of the road and U-turning was a challenge to say the least (with the traffic coming from the South). Also, quite a few U-turns were closed off to alleviate through traffic so every detour was much longer. Along the way there, I turned into a couple of PTT stations that had an EV Station sign but they were also not yet operational. The gas stations however were an absolute nightmare. Nowhere to park, could hardly turn in and out of the stations. Note to self: avoid future travel during holiday season. As I had petrol as a backup mode of propulsion, I continued onto Phisanulok and PEA station. Once again, both outlets occupied. I waited about 30 minutes for my turn. However, this outlet, even though rated at 50kW, was only able to push 11 kW to my vehicle whereas the previous station pushed out 47 kW. Same story at another PEA in Khon Kaen (11 kW). Prior to that, I went to the actual PEA office in Lomsak. Both outlets utilised. One car was at 34%, the other at 70+ but they were going charge to 90%. Charging etiquette not up to par, just like with normal driving. At PTT Khon Kaen, only one outlet but was booked for the full 50 minutes. This booking policy is a debate for another day. By now, I thought my car had developed a problem as the last 2 charging sessions were at 11 kW. Even though it was midnight by now, my partner kindly suggested trying at a PTT instead of PEA. So onwards to PTT Maha Sarakham and hallelujah. After fiddling with the senseless PTT app which requires your car number plate and doesn’t tell you to click the default button, I started charging again at 47 kW. Knowing that my car wasn’t broken made my day in spite of the ups and downs. My takeaways. Avoid travelling on festive public holidays. If you must, take your fossil vehicle or a PHEV. A full EV will be quite the challenge. For petrol powered vehicles, fill up at any station other than PTT. Where possible, turn off the hwy and fill up at smaller stations. This will save you time and stress. Sorry for the long post (it could have been longer) and thanks for reading. I now have to plan my return trip properly.

I was driving my PHEV last night with the sunroof and all windows open as the weather was great here in CM, between San Sai and San Kamphaeng. Unfortunately the drive was occasionally spoiled by noisy combustion engines spilling out smelly and toxic fumes. Hopefully, greater adoption of electrified vehicles can help reduce pollution in towns and city centres.

I’m confused about the PEA Volta CS. On the app, it states top up with CC/Debit card. But there is also another option with member card that’s linked to my house account? Does that require a RFID card?

Did you have to pay for the 2nd meter and if so, how much? Also, how long did it take PEA to install it?

In my case, it’s not MG but GWM. The car will draw around 6-7 kWh from AC wall charger but I don’t see why this should matter with my solar power; any shortfall will just automatically come from the grid.

Hi guys, need some advice about the wall charger. The installation guy spoke to my wife and said that we would probably need to install a 2nd meter (he hasn’t been to my house to sight anything yet). I don’t want a 2nd meter because: - I presume this won’t be connected to my solar installation - I am in the process of getting a TOU meter and this 2nd meter would only be a regular meter (I assume) without TOU I’m not 100% sure but I think my current meter is 30/100 as opposed to 15/45 So the question is, do I really need a 2nd meter or can I insist that the wall charger has to be connected to my current meter? Appreciate any advice. Cheers.

China has no desire to invade any country nor to force regime change, unlike America. That’s why more countries globally are in favour of China.

I intend to charge my PHEV primarily at home. In the event of a long distance trip, I will charge at the numerous charging stations available at PTT or Bang Chak petrol stations. And in the worst case scenario, I will put in some petrol. Sounds like a good idea to me ????

I’m a bit confused. Why do you need a second meter? Just personal preference or something to do with load and capacity of your existing setup?

I think the pandemic set things back. Indonesia showcased the Jkt - Bandung line during the recent G20 summit. What an embarrassment that must have been for some of the nations there. Any Asean countries that want to grow and develop really has no choice but to embrace the BRI. The debt trap myth has been well and truly debunked so that isn’t as issue anymore.

Trade, something that Asians excel at. Tons of perishable items from Malaysia, Thailand are being exported to China via sea. This rail link will cut transportation times by half. The BRI is a godsend to Asean countries and will speed up its development significantly. That’s why most of Asean is pivoting to China.

A lot less than is currently being lost at US and UK immigration control. These countries can take hours to clear. In China, it only takes me minutes.

For debit cards, you would need a card reader as well as some form of connection to the bank (landline for eg). How is the vendor in an open air market going to manage this? QR code is much easier.

I didn’t make any assumptions but it seems to me that you are making lots of assumptions. I thought anti-missile systems were already in place since weeks? Ukraine has claimed to have shot down lots of missiles (could provide you with links in case you missed those reports) already.

Doesn’t seem like the experts agree with you. The top U.S. general on November 16 said the chances of any near-term military victory for Ukraine are not high unless the Russian military completely collapses, which he said is unlikely. General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that while the Ukrainian military has had important successes in Kharkiv and Kherson, Russia occupies 20 percent of Ukraine and still has significant combat power inside the country's territory. https://www.rferl.org/a/us-general-ukrainian-military-successes-russia/32134708.html

If NATO did not send billions of dollars worth of arms to Ukraine, the war would have ended already. You and many others know this. You just can’t bring yourself to admit it. Israel refuse to send arms. Italy might be next. If more countries follow suit, then the war might end soon, hopefully.

Your post doesn’t make sense. Surely, if there was corruption and military incompetence on the Russian side, the war would have been finished long ago? Unless some other parties want the war to continue? What am I missing here?

It’s unfortunate that you used the Nissan Leaf as an example. This is generally regarded as one of the worst EVs you can buy (no thermal cooling for the batteries etc). Look instead at this video of an Ioniq 5 where he actually made a profit (bought for £49,000, sold for £53,000 after a few months and having driven to Italy and back and even scratching one of his alloy wheels). In terms of range, it depends on how you drive the car. Same for ICEs. The harder you accelerate and brake, the lower the range. The weight of the car also determines range. Inefficient vehicles don’t sell well. The Haval plug in hybrid sells here for just under £40,000 and has a real world range of 100 miles or more. Combined with the ICE, the overall range is around 560 miles. Weather/temperature plays a very small part here in Thailand.

The QR code payment system is the best thing since sliced bread. I don’t ever need to go the bank to deposit or to withdraw money. There is no chance my staff can “lose” the money from a job they have done (gardening services). I can balance the books every night without having to touch used and sometimes soiled bank notes.

What I gathered from watching some YT EV channels is that the price of secondhand EVs were so high (until recently) that they were selling for almost the same price as the new vehicle (due to high demand and lack of supply). I’m sure 2nd hand car dealers would love to get their hands on 2nd hand EVs but not many EVs owners are selling. You said the same will and is starting to happen with EVs. You mean increasing tax? I haven’t come across that. Moreover, EVs are exempt from paying congestion charges and do not pollute the car with diesel and petrol fumes. An EV has less moving parts than a modern mechanical vehicle so I don’t see why it wouldn’t last as long, if not longer. The batteries are made to outlast the expected life of the car and the motor is just an electric motor. Easily replaced if necessary. Are you boycotting the World Cup because it’s held in Qatar? Is so, I presume you boycott petrol and diesel as well as these generally come from Qatar, Saudi and Russia. Just joking.

Without NATOs’ arms support, this war would have finished long ago. If NATO gets more involved with boots on the ground as you put it, this could be a wholesale European war. Rest of the world is unlikely to get involved, I hope.

Seems like you’re not up to date with battery tech. With lithium ion batteries, of course you can charge up to 100%. It’s just not recommended to keep it at that state of charge for too long. It’s not a problem to charge it to 100% and then drive the vehicle. For lithium iron phosphate, the battery will happily hold a 100% charge for a longer time. Modern batteries are expected to have no less than a 80% state of health after 10 years. Still very usable. Many people don’t fill up their tank at the petrol station. They might just put in 500 baht or 1000 baht. No different than charging your car to 70% or 90%. If you’re going on a long journey, then no issue with charging to 100%.