BKKBike09

Indeed. Refer my post a week or so ago about Viriyah's "offer" of THB 28,000 for the 3rd year of Atto 3 insurance, with an insured value of THB 550,000. Current Viriyah policy cost THB 24,000 with insured value of THB 950,000. Roojai proposing THB 18,000 for named drivers with a THB 5,000 excess and insured value of THB 850,000. However I believe Roojai is an aggregator so not sure who they place the policy with.

It's nearly 2025 and they're all still wearing masks. Apart from Paveena. Is it to (literally) mask their identity, or is it because they lack critical thinking skills.

Given Raja's track record, it's rich to see them highlighting 'safety concerns' associated with EVs ...

If I take a THB 5000 excess then Roojai is quoting THB 19,000 BUT with an insured value of THB 850,000. Without the excess it would be around THB 25000. On paper it's a no-brainer but I don't know anyone who's ever made a claim with Roojai. All insurance is easy to buy; it's not till you have to claim that you find out what they're really like. I looked at their financials for past 5 years and they've lost money every year (last year being the worst: THB 220 million plus loss on revenues of THB 280 million, revenues being down almost 50% over 2022).

+1 to all that. There's no substitute for experience. And yet now there's even discussion (to be clear, not in Thailand) about allowing Single Pilot Operations for commercial carriers to save money. Sure, may all go uneventfully, but what happens when there's a major systems failure on an approach or departure at night in hard IMC? Single pilot workload is high at best of times during those flight phases in day VFR. Technology is great (just follow the magenta line) but is just one tool in the bag. Back to Thailand: sure, there are hundreds of unemployed CPL holders here. But also many trained to standards that could be better: one CPL holder I know did ONE solo flight during training. Every other 'solo' flight was two students in the aircraft, so one was PF and one was PM, on basis that this was good for experience building. Another went (just before Covid) for an assessment with Qatar and was told that, basically, she'd need to re-do much of her training to meet the required standard. There are also a lot of young people here who've become pilots because it's 'cool' or 'high status', not because they love flying/aviation.

Insurance Update ... Current insurers Viriyah just called with their tempting renewal offer for my 2-year old Atto (registered Jan 2023). Current policy (exp Jan 2025) had premium of THB 24,000 and an insured value of THB 950,000. For renewal premium of THB 28,000 and an insured value of THB 550,000. I haven't made any claims this year (car was rear-ended by some tw@t early in the year but all his fault so no cost to Viriyah). Time to shop around but I suspect other insurers may not differ much.

If you had been asking a genuine question, one option would be: blow it all on a month of high living, then enter the monkhood and live for free with the memories ...

Single-use 'surgical' masks are of limited benefit and are bad for the environment. "Many consumer masks appear similar and may be labeled “surgical” masks, but if not formally certified, their performance cannot be predicted. While surgical masks reduce respiratory aerosols, culture-positive SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in exhaled air from loose-fitting surgical masks ... The pore size in typical non-woven materials used in surgical masks and respirators is larger than many viruses like SARS-CoV-2 (65–125 nm in diameter)" A number of reviews published since 2022 have documented the environmental impact of these products. One estimated that 15 trillion face masks are used globally every year, resulting in 2 megatons of waste ... Single-use masks and respirators are typically made from synthetic polymers including polypropylene, polyester, polyurethane, polyacrylonitrile, polycarbonate, polyethylene, polystyrene, and polymeric nanofibers and microfibers, which are not biodegradable" https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/cmr.00124-23

Landlord will want a god job: true - using a company like WallBox may even be better than BYD's outsourced providers just because you can send landlord the web site URL and he can see that they (or any other charger specialist) look reputable etc. Day trips to Pattaya: I drive to Jomtien from central Bangkok regularly. If car is 100% charged when you leave, you'll get a solid 300km of driving so easily enough for there and back, with around 50 km range left as a reserve. I drive 110-120 on the highway. If you drive slower the range will be better. 100% charged when I leave usually leaves about 20% when I get home. Longer trips: Never done one but pretty much every PTT station nowadays have DC chargers. You have to reserve a time on their app. Not difficult although requires a local credit card to link to account. If I was going to Rayong I'd look to see where nearest charger is to hotel, drive to hotel, drop everyone off, and then go and charge. Rayong is easily in range without needing to stop en route. Hotel chargers: Don't have any real experience. I did stay at a hotel in Jomtien a couple of weeks ago (Bayphere) and discovered they had some chargers in the basement parking. First come first served. Didn't need an app - just scan QR and put in card details. Worked a treat and very convenient. Bottom line is that EVs are fantastic for in town use and (in case of Atto with 60kW battery) round trips of up to 300km. Longer trips do require planning and are not as convenient. But if you don't do many long trips, I wouldn't worry too much. As a postscript - if you have the cash for say 50% down payment, maybe look at second hand Attos? The re-sale has dropped like a stone thanks in part to BYDs discounting, so don't forget you'll be taking a big hit there when you buy new. If you could find second hand for say 650K, that would be a good deal.

I also live in a rented house. My landlord is very easy going - I just told him I wanted to install a charger and he said fine. Since it was free I'll likely just leave it if/when I move.

It's not crazy if you have easy and quick access to a charger and willing to expend time setting at a charger. But charging at home makes charging a LOT easier and cheaper...about as easy as keeping your smartphone charged. But let's see a picture of your electric meter along with the wires running to and from the meter. I wouldn't have bought an EV (an Atto) if home charging wasn't possible. It's certainly possible to make it work without but, as PIB says, it's not very convenient. I live in Bangkok. I couldn't be bothered to wait for BYD to install the free charger so I paid for someone to come and do it. Cost THB 3500 + another THB 2500 for the 40A Type B breaker that you need. This was included in the BYD free stuff but they didn't have them in stock at that time (Jan 2023). The guys who did my install did a good job (a firm called Wallbox wallbox.in.th). They simply spliced a separate line and circuit breaker from the main supply into the house - running another circuit off the existing house breaker board or the main breaker would have been a pain, given where they are located relative to where I wanted charger. Here are some pics - the meter we all want to see is the one on the pole usually outside your house. In a mooban I'd still think it would be outside your house.

It's usually hard to go too wrong with Cotes Du Rhone although it does depend how long it's been stored / how it's been stored. Generally speaking I stay clear of many wines here if they're more than a couple of years old (i.e. something being sold cheap that's from 2020 I'd probably avoid). Cheaper reds can sometimes (but not always) be improved by opening first for an hour and/or using one of those aerating devices that you put in the neck of the open bottle.

Wrong again. You buy craft beers for 70 baht? Troll. Whoah there pardner. I'm on your side here ... I was responding to the FrogMan's comment: Wine is mostly a scam to get people with too much money to part with their money. You never see absurd and insane beer prices. Yet a lot of beers are really good.

I'm guessing you stick to Leo and have never looked at "craft beer" prices in Thailand.

If you're in Bangkok I'd second Vinum Lector: Marc who tuns it is a good guy and their service is very good. I've ordered from them on several occasions. Generally I go for Italian reds and whites (although they have had some good Italian rose in the past - cerasuolo). They have regular promotions - these are some of the offers in November (I've circled ones that take my fancy). Prices are ex VAT but still pretty good for Thailand: