TorquayFan

I was very surprised to see that Polking had been sacked - although Thailand lost to China I thought they played better than I have ever seen them play. That was followed by a good performance v Singapore, it looks like rough justice to me. Well done Mr Polking ! And good luck for the future . . . .

Hi ray. Thanks for a polite reply! Re. DT - maybe pushing it but I am actually surprised by the wide range of views they publish on this, a Tory Govt. I am told the 'Times' is more balanced but I don't have access. ATB

As a Brit I follow UK and World news with interest and freely discuss many topics with people I meet - it gets interesting. I have noticed that scorn for 'Main stream' media has become prominent and indeed some people now seem to use the cynical buzz and rant from Social media to flatten any use of fact or informed comments. The BBC always seems to have an agenda of their own, are 'Woke crazy' and their aggressive interviewing is a disgrace - I also hate the way the BBC and SKY interrupt someone really informative people giving a view and cut it short for an 'Archers' trailer, an ad or some other carp. (BTW BBC's flagship 'Strictly Come Dancing' this year is a farce as one the 'amateurs' is a 'pro' having trained to play the ballet dancing Billy Elliot when he was just 12 ! Also included is 2 men dancing together for the second year, (why not 2 women LOL). Sky News is also a pain and gruesomely sentimental IMO The Sun, Star, Mirror, Mail, DX and DM - you get what you deserve largely but the DT carries a wide range of views covering criticism of and sometimes support for the Govt. so you can take a balanced view from the coverage. I don't have access to the 'Times' the 'Indy' or the 'I' but I'd guess they are much the same. An appeal on behalf of MSM - it's far from perfect but not IMHO to be dismissed altogether Rants and self-appointed 'Experts' on social media seem to be a fashion and a resort for those of jaundiced appetite who wish to score points without sorting their way through MSM views of different angles - a new sort of oneupmanship and a way of self-elevation. You can get some 'real' here - worth the watch - PMQ's

Pancake it's not clear If BigNok is going for a vacation, short or long, or a 'stay'. I lived in Korat for 5 years and had a great time so it's offensive for me to see Korat dismissed as 'sucks'. 'It sucks' is wholly negative and unhelpful too. No offence meant - I replied in your own terms. ATB I still visit Korat regularly. Have a good time in Korat BigNok. ATB too . . .

Thanks Snatch - good reply. Actually I admire your project and really hope it works out for you - you certainly seem to know your stuff. Just watched the 'Car Care Nut' discussing end of battery life hybrid's and the difficult decision when the older car's value is the same as a replacement battery cost - I think he concludes that IF the rest of the car is A1 then it's worth the plunge, but otherwise it's difficult. Interesting. Good luck - I hope it goes well.

Pancake how depressing it must be to be around you and your negativity. In your last silly post, the quote is from whom ? The point is that wherever you are, Thailand or elsewhere, you can always find something to do if you are alive and kicking and not negative in your genes. And the OP didn't ask for opinions about Korat, but about what there was to do. I and a few have offered ideas - you have just been a sh*t about it. 'Ban Korat' is a live music restaurant on the eastern side of Korat central - inside the inner ring road. It's your replies that 'suck, period' . . . (not Korat). Have a good day.

Mr Pancake - a reminder of the question which was basically, asking for helpful advice, "what do you recommend?" Yours a pathetic reply sorry to say. You can have a great time in Korat if you try a little. Maybe not the best place for the 'beer at breakfast' people, (and I'm not knocking that). I'm also thinking of a much smaller place on the east of the City - it might be 'Ban Korat' - can't remember. The legendary Heng Band are no more I think but try to catch On Facebook/YouTube, 'Thi Lod Hair' - the greatest of showbands. All you misery guts get out of your chair! Korat is OK !!!

Thanks Bignok. Have a good time in Korat. It's more than possible. Some good replies here but most are rubbish. ATB

Big Nok - plenty to do in Korat and plenty of good restaurants. What do you do where you are now? If you are a golfer there are many courses around Korat. I used to swim at the Korat Resort but many use the pool at The Mall - I'm assuming it's still open. Bung Ta Luah lake is great for biking or walking around a 3 km circuit. Khao Yai and Wang Nam Kiew are not far away and make a good day out. The 'Monkey Bar' has good food including Sunday roasts, the 'Tiger is coming' has a wide range of beers, 'Cafe Pitini' worth a visit as is 'Chez Andy'. More lively stuff abounds including Tawang Daeng. And don't miss the local football team, The Swatcats at the 'Kings Stadium. Sorry I don't live there now but plenty to do IMO

Snatch - I noticed this today which might be helpful to you : " . . . . if you want to preserve your car’s battery life, the AA recommends not letting the battery drain below 25pc or charging it above 75pc, which is more convenient when you have your own EV charger." Doesn't that actually halve the quoted range on an EV (if you follow the advice? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-affairs/switching-electric-car-took-months/?li_source=LI&li_medium=liftigniter-rhr

Snatch, 'your replies are 'testy' (to say the least) and defensive'. Why would that be ? As for 'ultracrepidarians' whatever that is, it could be extremely offensive and may apply more to yourself by the look of it. Such 'ultra' can come at a young age too. No point in trying to be reasonable with you. I admire your project and will be interested to see how it turns out. Myself, I have mains power and diesel at will Mr Cleverness. It is a shame you have to be nasty as your videos are well done. ATB

Snatch your replies are 'testy' (to say the least) and defensive. Yes I watched your videos and well done - I admit to not understanding much about electrics and I'm not alone there. Good luck with your project.

Bandersnatch thanks for the excellent videos and you are obviously knowledgeable on the subject. As you might remember (?) I'm not an EV Fan but I can see the ups of it. For me, specifically on your set up - that would worry me. I am not an Expert BUT my instincts would be against overworking the batteries in this way and will that speed up the ageing process? Have you yet had to replace a battery in your EV's. I wonder what second-hand values might be when the vehicles get to 4/5 years old. But Good Luck - looks great. ATB

So that's "according to a new model" - I guess it must be true then Whether mRNA vaccines were actually advisable to counter at that time, the much milder Omicron variant, is a moot point, (it's MHO that the vaccines might have been justifiable against the earlier fierce versions of the virus, Delta and so on).

Ikke on a fierce descent like that, the brakes can 'burn' and fade ?

Neeray - Perhaps he was driving OK but the brakes failed. I am reminded of the long steep descent travelling south from Korat to Kabinburi ,after Wang Nam Kiew, which is an excellent road. All the trucks seem to go down at 1-2 mph but there are still accidents. A fearsome load he was carrying. No need for a baseless jibe. R.I.P. poor chap . . . .

JB - Ha ha. No not a bigot. Waiting for a viable alternative. Gweilo - yes that's stated fairly by non-EV Folks too. In fact - the thread was about the wisdom of a widespread rush to EV. Low maintenance costs - yes, until you have a battery problem . . . . Yes Vinny - thanks. So production being transferred to China ! Transam - yes ranges are overstated Khun LA - I'm glad you are getting on well with your EV. BFN

Interesting comments from the USA here as EV 'buyer remorse' strikes. I read some time ago that VW was cutting back EV production in Germany. New solid state battery tech from Toyota looks very interesting but is 4 years away from market - assuming it works well. Toyota talk about doubling mileage and much quicker charging times. That WOULD be very interesting. Let's see. Even if batteries improve massively, EV's for everyone won't be possible for other reasons. Meantime - ICE for me.

JB Chiang Rai - congratulations on your decision to run EVs and whilst you have now had 3, EV's are still in their infancy so let's wait and see before dismissing other views out of hand. Norway is a notably rich country with a small population. Just be clear - 88% is of EV sales not the EV proportion of the total vehicles on the road which is about 20%. You say, "we have mastered Lithium batteries" but oh no, we have not. It seems they have mastered us ! I'm glad to hear your daughter's insurance was reasonable, but in other Countries, this is already becoming a major problem. And I wonder what will happen to secondhand values on EV's as experience in Thailand develops. Yes you are getting cheap motoring, (short journeys only?) but let's see how it goes. Coming back to Norway here's some more https://www.norwegianamerican.com/unintended-consequences-electric-car-fires-on-the-rise-in-norway/ Always remembering it's the intensity of, not the frequency of fires in EV that is the problem.

No doubt this has been 'thought through thoroughly' by the Thai Govt and maybe reflecting the obvious wisdom of the UK Labour Party, in similar vein, intending to return the EV deadline for new sales, back to 2030 ! All this as "Electric cars risk becoming effectively uninsurable as analysts struggle to put a price on battery repairs" and "catastrophic fire can take place if the cells of the battery have been damaged in a collision". Apparently current (pun intended) advice in the UK dictates that damaged EV be kept a minimum 50' foot apart in repair yards. Apart from the recent drama at Luton Airport https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12653297/luton-car-park-airport-shocking-images-devastation-fire.html . . . two huge ships carrying thousands of cars have gone up in flames, apparently because of battery electric vehicles. A fire on board car carrier Felicity Ace in February 2022 led to the vessel sinking in the Atlantic, along with its cargo of 4,000 vehicles. From the DT - "Someone who really does know the answer is Professor Peter Edwards. He holds the chair in inorganic chemistry at the University of Oxford and tells me he is extremely worried about the “real danger” posed to the public and emergency services by lithium-ion batteries. . . . Prof Edwards believes there is a “concerted campaign” to demonstrate how safe EVs are, regardless of the evidence. “Official statements discounting any possibility of battery fires are issued in unwarranted haste after any such event." Prof. Edwards worked with Prof. Goodenough, regarded as "the Father of the Lithium Battery (who) told colleagues in Oxford that he didn’t think a mass rollout was wise because of the considerable fire hazard. How lucky we are that our country’s entire future energy strategy isn’t riding on an invention that can explode at will and cause fires it’s impossible to put out. Oh dear. Time to go into reverse gear, don’t you think?" " https://www.telegraph.co.uk/columnists/2023/10/18/electric-cars-ev-sleepwalking-into-disaster-battery-fires/ EV's will be alright for some Folks but I doubt the wisdom of EV's as part of Govt policy, here or in the UK and elsewhere. How does this stuff take such a hold !! Has thinking been abolished ?

I've lived in Chantaburi for 10 years or more. It's a prosperous area of fruit farming, gemstone trading, seafood etc. Laem Sing beach is 17km away and there's mountains and waterfalls around too. Many great places to eat, the Koffe House music restaurant (fabulous), Zi Punto for Japanese style food, abundant seafood places and excellent shopping. It does have a nightlife area but as an early drinker I hardly know it. We live in a quiet 'gated' area which is very popular. We sat waterside overlooking the sea back to Laem Sing beach last evening, fresh crab, green curry etc., 2 beers and a sunset, for THB 800 last night - Au Samet Dang restaurant - a beautiful spot. Expats around but few compared to up the road ! It's a great place to be I get around Thailand a bit on trips too - to break the spell.

How much hedge have you got ? (length and height). I agree with OP - a battery model is a great idea - cables are a bind and it's hard to avoid the occasional sever !

Timoti - "Also do you know if using a personal medical ECG device is enough for diagnosis? Almost like a holter but have time limit like 10 min for each recording. Using holter i never managed to capture episodes." I don't KNOW Timoti but IMO a self-diagnosis approach is NOT advisable. Go to any good Hospital and get them to test you appropriately - (BTW I was tabbed up for a Holter for 48 hours so 10 minutes is not likely to be helpful at all.) And this - "AI analysis in the software of the device i have says my ecg have everything under the sun . . . . " Again - Go to any good Hospital and get them to test and analyse you appropriately. You don't mention what these 'episodes are. Please put your kit in the cupboard and go to a Doctor ! Good luck . . . .

Bassosa - I remember mentioning my age here but of course, I'll be too old to drive at some stage, as you will be too, if you are lucky. If you have an EV I hope you enjoy it but it certainly wouldn't suit me, as I travel from Chantaburi to Lamphun, Kanchanaburi and Korat regularly - pit stops only ! The recharge fiasco would 'drive' me potty. If fears about fire, insurance, battery replacement, water ingress, parking costs etc. prove overstated as our experience grows, I might consider an EV for local work only, should I be fortunate enough to reach my 'dotage'. ATB

Khun LA - that's interesting - if you can replace modules - hadn't heard of that AA/AAA/Z+ ? On a different tack - Maybe parking EV will have to be on the ground floor only in times to come ? In the DT today - talk of higher parking charges for EV "More spacious parking facilities will be needed because of the risk of fires.With councils increasing car park fees all the time, often for dubious environmental reasons, parking your car can already be prohibitively expensive. But the switch to electric vehicles could well make it pricier still. According to a new report from the consultants Arup, our car parks may need to become a lot more spacious because of the risk of fires. Simply put: parking spaces will have to be bigger, or cars will have to be parked further apart, because of the danger of electric battery fires spreading out of control." https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/10/18/electric-car-revolution-to-get-even-more-expensive/ Many other points in that link.