BKKBike09

I see BYD have a fancy web site in English (it may have been up for ages, but I only just noticed it). It's quite impressive - not just knocked up in an afternoon 'because we need to have a web site'. https://www.byd.com/en-th/car/atto3

It's a TBM930 - he had a different TBM before this one.

I don't think we were getting 178hp per litre 100 years ago. ???? No, we weren't. However I said: "Today's ICE represents 100+ years of evolution - but it's still basically 100+ year old tech". The 100+ years of evolution may give 178bhp/l but an ICE is still at heart a 100+ year old technology - some method of mixing/compressing fuel and air, igniting that, harnessing the explosive energy and disposing of the waste gases.

Thanks, but we'll have to agree to disagree on the current industry status in that I believe 1) EVs are by no means 'fairly perfected at this point', and 2) batteries need a lot more than a 'tweak' to improve range etc. But all that will come, and come pretty fast. I suspect that in a generation (20 years) people will look at mainstream Lithium / Nickel / Cobalt EV battery tech as belonging in a museum. It also doesn't help that global reserves of key current ores are concentrated in places like DRC, Russia and China. Seems like some pretty amazing ideas being explored right now: https://www.netscribes.com/ev-battery-technology-evolution/ https://www.azocleantech.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=1651

I like driving cars / bikes fast. That's invariably meant ICE powered. Today's ICE represents 100+ years of evolution - but it's still basically 100+ year old tech. Massive amounts of money and brainpower are being focused, globally, on the EV industry and frankly it's all still early days. But I'm sure an EV brought to market 10 years from now will be hugely different from an EV on the market today in terms of battery capacity, charging time and safety. Even three years ago I couldn't conceive of buying an EV. Now I have a cheap(ish) Chinese one and I'm generally very impressed. Sure it doesn't have the fueling convenience of an ICE but I'm coming round to the understanding that this just requires a little planning, and that many other features of an EV ride offset this considerably. IMO tech and the times are moving on. That also means there's many new drivers who'll not have ICE experience, so will just accept the EV experience as the way things are. Can't resist the march of progress and all that.

Actually, not to nit pick, but it will if you have a Nissan Kicks. That being the (to me bizarre) EV that generates its electricity from an, er, onboard petrol engine.

Quite surprised by this from Devon & Somerset Fire Brigade - "Each year we help around 650 people whose vehicle has caught fire. Fires are most likely to start when you're driving which can be a terrifying experience." https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/safety/on-the-road/car-and-vehicle-fires Doesn't say how many of those are ICE/EV incidents, but seems like quite a lot however you cut it. I'd extrapolate that to mean that there's a risk of your car vehicle catching fire no matter what sort of energy powers it.

Unless MFP have the financial backers to mobilise and support long-term street protests, nothing much will happen. MFP / Pita have been naive in banging on about reform of Section 112. Students in Bangkok might like the sound of it, but many, many average Thai voters see it as inappropriate or worse.

If you're still interested in an Atto, this is a post of mine from the long thread about EVs in Thailand: The quick summary would be: Good External / interior styling (very subjective) Build quality (but see below) Comfort (but see below) Relaxing to drive Reasonably powerful (will get up to 150 kmh quite happily and quite quickly) Good range (at least 350-400 km) Panoramic glass roof (a big selling point for me) with sunshade Good interior space Both front seats electrically adjustable (but no memory settings) Built in dashcam GPS works pretty well (but no Thai language search option) Not So Good Suspension - way too soft and spongy (not an issue around town but not so good at any speed) as soon as decent aftermarket options available, I'm going to ditch the stock set up Build quality - well put together but the panel metal is the thinnest I've ever seen (already got two tiny dents in mine) Comfort - One-piece front seats mean no adjustable head restraints Tyres - cr*p Chinese no name; but fine for town driving Tech - too much of it that can't be permanently disabled Cruise control - fiddly to set, very hard to see speed set, only goes up/down in 5 kmh intervals AirCon - not always as cold as I think it should be No spare tyre

Try selling a 10-year old diesel car in UK these days and not taking a big hit.

That study is three years old - that's relevant because that means all the EVs included were using the older Lithium Ion (LI) battery tech. The newer Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (LFP - a la BYD) have various advantages over the older tech, one of the key ones being that you can leave an LFP plugged in to charge up to 100% (ie leave it plugged in at night and go to bed) with no battery degradation. Also, LFP batteries will take many more charge/discharge cycles before degrading.

I've been driving an Atto 3 (the one with the bigger battery) since January. My view: it's a great car for commuting. It's also pretty good for round trips of up to around 300 km. 'Real range' as opposed to marketing guff is around 350-400 km (although you could probably squeeze up to 450 km if you drive slowly). It's well built and comfortable / relaxing to drive in town. The flat floor is great for rear seat passengers. Instant torque is quite satisfying. But I would only recommend if you can install your own AC charger (ie you live in a house, not a condo). I wouldn't buy an EV if I had to faff around finding places to charge. As to 'economy'. Charging it from say 20% to 90%, which is about 300 km of range, costs about THB 230 (42 kw/h x THB 5.5). Servicing is also free apart from consumables for 8 years, I think. Flip-side is that EVs are much more expensive than a similar spec ICE so unless you do A LOT of mileage it will take years to match the saving on fuel with the additional up front capital cost. Plus secondhand market for EVs is an unknown. The battery tech is moving fast / so many new brands and models coming out that in 5 years a second-hand Atto could be a tough sell, although at least its battery tech (Lithium Iron Phosphate) is a step up on most of the other brands/models currently available here.

Right click and new tab works for me too (on a Mac). Another thing I've noticed is that notifications now only say 'somebody' responded to a post. As you imply, I'm confident AN are hard at wotk on the case ...

It's THB 30 for a border pass. https://travel.trueid.net/detail/P0GprJoM9JO3 It's THB 1,400 for a Tourist Visa (either at Lao Embassy in BKK or on arrival in Nong Khai) https://www.travelclick.biz/visa_info_th.php?visa_id=31

Er. No.

So, I was right, locking the car and getting pump-food while actually filling up isn't something you can do with an ICEV, we agree. (That's enough, Ed.)

Ban Krud along to Bangsaphan Noi - between Prachuab and Chumporn. Some bits of Chumporn (Tung wua laen) are pretty relaxing. Or try Upper NE on the Mekong; somewhere between Nakorn Panom up around to Bueng Kan.

He's from the Amatayakul family so I'd guess has a life and a ton of assets in the USA. Any idea why there's suddenly a slew of renunciations? Since there aren't many obvious Western foreign family names in that list, doesn't look like it's Luuk Khrueng kids being made to pick. I assume all the countries - Austria, Singapore, Taiwan, S Korea etc - are ones that only allow single nationality. I'm surprised there aren't more Chinese (PRC) cases there. Coming soon, perhaps ...

"locking it and getting pump-food is something you can't do with an ICEV?" - not while you're actually at the pump filling your car up, which would be the comparison to make with an EV being charged. Say it takes 5 mins to fill up/pay, then you go and park and get some grub which takes you another 25-30 mins. How is that any different from plugging in an EV at a charger and leaving it there for 30-35 mins while you get a bite to eat etc? "Why not focus on the things that are great about EVs rather than pretending the relatively short range, and long "fuel" times are never inconvenient?" - I'm not 'pretending' about anything. If you read my posts in this thread you'll see I'm on the fence about EV practicality for regular long distance use. Having used an EV for 6 months now as a daily ride it's clear that, for my mainly urban use, I've saved time by not having to fill up with petrol every week or so. It's certainly more convenient in that respect than my ICE car.

If I'm going to be near car for a while I don't like to do that here in rainy season. Which I guess wasn't an issue in the Middle East (although I can see a sandstorm blasting fine sand into the interior through even a small window opening).

It's not available on the Thai models (at least not yet). The manual (copied from Aus/NZ version) actually has said it has it all along, but it never has. It would be very useful. I just did a 52 km trip that used 10.1 kw which would equate to a range of just over 300 km. Probably used so much power because it was on the highway and I had the a/c on full power coolest setting for 10 minutes before that to try and cool car down after 5 hours in the sun. Like an <deleted> oven inside. My office parking card actually deformed in the interior heat (clipped under the sun visor) despite me using one of those tinfoil type reflectors inside the car, held in place by the visors.

Maybe the owner was getting something to eat? Who knows? I agree that sitting at a charger for 30-40 mins sounds tedious but one of the good things about EVs is that you can lock them while charging and go find something to eat. Or, get a coffee and then sit in the car with the a/c on while charging and catch up on emails etc. The charging app will tell you how much the car has charged in real time so you don't need to keep going back to check.

If you did central Bangkok to central Chiang Mai in 7 hours including stops you must have hammered it. You should apply for a job as an interprovincial bus driver here. If I was going to do that in my EV I'd drive between 110-120 kmh and I'd aim to charge somewhere after about 250 km. I'd pre-book at a PTT station roughly that distance from start point. Have a coffee and let it charge for 30 mins or so. Then do the same after about another 250 km. At 110-120 kmh on the highway the BYD range is around 350 km. Total cost for charging - say 90 kWh ( 2 x 45 sessions) at THB 7.5 / kWh so THB 675. Time wise, I'd reckon on BKK-CM being around 8-9 hours including stops. Now, if I had to do it as quickly as possible, I'd take my petrol-powered car (2.0L Turbocharged) Then I'd be going quite a bit faster than 110-120 kmh. But it would take at least a full tank (50 litres plus) because it runs anything from 5-15 km/l. I prefer to use Benzine 95 which is around THB 45 / litre. So fuel cost of at least THB 2,250. Probably also have to factor in 2 or 3 THB 500 speeding tickets ...

I assume they do, in either English or Chinese. I've turned all that stuff off though. Audio volume / source / phone etc can all be changed through steering wheel buttons, which is what I like. The a/c is a bit of a pain because it's only adjustable through the touch screen, but it's pretty straightforward.

Book 'Em, Danno.