JBChiangRai

Have you checked your testers against chemical tests? I'm concerned the digital things are pseudo science.

Where can you still get free charging in CM? My daughters are charging at home and that house doesn't have solar so I'm paying for it.

To get the price, for the first system I sourced the inverter and panels on Lazada, a friend recommended someone in BKK who configured my order for Aluminium mountings, and I ordered the cables etc. My local electrician installed it under my supervision, and he charged me 10k for the day for himself and 2 young guys. On the second system, I bought the 2 hybrid inverters direct from MUST in China and sent them "Thailand Special Line" with no VAT/Duty payable. I paid half the best price available on Lazada. They didn't do what I wanted (a decent amount of export to PEA) and sounded like jet engines so I bought 3 grid-tied inverters on Lazada (paying double the price I could get them in China but I wanted them immediately) and configured the Hybrid Inverters as UPS. PV panels, cables, mountings etc from Lazada and my local electrician charged me about 30k to install. The unrepeatable bargain was the LFP batteries, my friends Chinese ex-wife sourced them, 60k THB for 28.8 KwHrs, 10k THB shipping special line so no duty, and another 10k for my friend to assemble them with BMS & Active balancers into steel cases. On a Grid-Tied system, if you're careful, you can get these prices, not on batteries I think. Having installed both, I wouldn't go with anything other than Grid-Tied. Grid-Tied inverters do exactly what they say, silently. I am open to finding a Hybrid Inverter that will export to PEA "ALL" surplus solar and sync with other inverters to get >15Kw, but so far, I haven't found one. The other issue is batteries, unless you buy from a reputable supplier like Tesla, what are you going to do when your battery fails because one of the many cells fails? The best warranty you will get in Thailand isn't worth the paper it's written on.

I have doubts over the chemistry for this. Acid will increase conductivity, as will salt and any other kind of "salt" in the chemical definition of a salt. The only reliable way I can think of is using a chemical reaction and looking at the colour of it. So any accurate device would have to be topped up with reagents and use a colour sensor. Silver Nitrate is one of the reagents for testing salt level, I do that test, but it's one of the more complicated ones. I once bought an electronic salt measuring device, needless to say it didn't work, it simply measured conductivity and it could be anything in there that affects that.

I did go to Robinsons in KP, the fast DC Charger (EA Anywhere) wouldn’t work with my BEV car, neither would another EA Anywhere charger in Chiang Mai. It’s an issue with only 1 brand of german car apparently. There are 2 fast DC Chargers within 10km North & South on highway 1 within about 10km according to an app on my phone, I was going to detour to one of them when my friend told me there was an AC Charger at my hotel. I was even happier when it turned out to be free.

Noone can deny diesel is more convenient to fill up on long trips, but it really isn't that difficult to top up a battery EV. If you're making one long trip every 6-12 months, I wouldn't hesitate to choose a BEV. I have made one long trip in the last 3 years, to a party in Kamphaeng Phet. I stopped for a coffee and noticed a fast DC Charger so tried it out, 11 minutes later with +25% more capacity, I was on the road again to KP. At the motel in KP, they had a complimentary AC Charger, I charged up overnight to 100% to drive back the next day. My fuel cost for the 1,100km trip was 80 baht (I do have solar btw). I was anxious about making long trips until I made that trip. On the way back I made a point of slowing down and checking out highway 1's service areas. Generally, there was a fast DC Charger every 30-40km, mostly empty and none without capacity for another car. I drive every fortnight or so to Chiang Mai, about 180km, it uses less than half the battery on the MG4. 8 months ago, there was nowhere enroute with fast DC Chargers, now I counted 4 and a lot of coffee shops have AC Chargers. Chiang Mai itself has dozen's, possibly hundred's of fast DC Chargers.

I would say a PEA bill of 4-5k per month is the sweet spot for a 6Kw Solar system (I mean Kw not KwHr, probably 30 KwHr per day average) if you're careful it should cost you 120-140k.

Actually, there are 2 very, very regular posters here who drive Porsche Taycan's, both of them also have an MG EV. One of them probably prefers to remain anonymous.

If you install a grid-tied system and choose your supplier/installer carefully, typical payback can be as short as 3 years. On my previous house I paid 120k THB for a 6 Kw inverter and 22 panels (8.6 Kw) 4 years ago, ROI was running at 3 years. On my current house I paid 500k THB for 18 Kw grid-tied inverters, 16.5 Kw UPS inverters, 28.8 KwHrs of LiFePo4 batteries and 54 panels totaling 21.6 Kw, ROI on this system is looking like 5 years. At just short of 2 years I have generated 191k THB in power. In terms of useful life, they reckon solar panels will lose 20% of their capacity every 25 years.

Nicely put.

I'm not sure whether it has changed, but Japanese manufacturers had to pay (I think) 20% import duty for BEV's whereas Chinese paid nothing. If that's still the case, it's going to be difficult for the Japanese to gain market share with "late to market" and therefore less well developed BEV's compared to the cheaper Chinese. I would take a BYD ATTO 3 over the bZ4X every time.

It comes down to the law and practicality. The law says that the shop owner cannot acquire a better title to the phone than the person who sold it to him, who had no title. Practicality, the police are unlikely to want to get involved, you need to negotiate with the shop owner, he doesn't want to be accused of handling stolen property, he is out of pocket to the tune of 2,500 baht, a fair solution he will probably accept is if you pay him the 2,500 baht by putting it to him in a way that flatters him and makes him feel good.

It's very difficult once you have owned an EV to go back to a smelly, noisy, sluggish, unresponsive, vibrating ICE vehicle.

You're missing the point with Tesla. The model 3 is about 50% more here than China. Tesla is outsold in China to a significant extent by BYD. There have been 6 price reductions on Tesla in the USA since they launched here but no price reductions here (yet). I wouldn't consider buying a Tesla here unless they gave me 2 years price protection and they are not going to do that. Buy a Tesla here and you're going to get burned. And we haven't even debated that the model 3 & Y do not have a premium cabin and are plagued with poor quality control issues.

I would change that statement a little "I believe the very overpriced Tesla & European car brands will have to normalize their prices with the many coming premium Chinese car models from China entering Thailand." Whilst I am sure Tesla will drop their prices massively, I am less certain about other premium brands like Audi, Porsche, BMW & Mercedes who target a different kind of buyer.

Been to another Asian country whilst awaiting my new passport, no problems at all.

Ask them to ship THAILAND special line, the freight is a bit more expensive, but it includes duty and it works out massively cheaper

So you like two hours do you, Charlie, you must have a lot of stamina!!!

I ordered this body kit from my local MG dealer, 13,500 baht installed. I haven't ordered new wheels and tyres though.

Air Asia is my least favourite airline, but sometimes there's little choice. you also have to be darn sure you will fly as getting a refund is nigh on impossible. I have a friend still awaiting his promised refund from early Covid days. You get better prices for Air Asia with Booking.com than their own website/app.

I always chat to people in queues, I can't recall most of the older Russians, but the younger one I heard him talking to his girlfriend and greeted him and asked if they were Russian, that broke the ice and we talked. I do remember one of the older Russian's, a lady, actually she talked to me, I lost my hat in the sea at Kata Noi and told my son & his wife in the hotel pool and she overheard and said she had lost hers too. To be fair, all the older Russian's I spoke with were in fact on holiday and quite pleasant, the exception being when I wore my Puck Futin T-shirt, I had my children & grandchildren with me, there were 10 of us and I sat in the corner facing out, making it impossible to accidentally spill a drink on me ???? We all felt the hate that night. I also have more T-shirts with the Ukraine colours and Russian Warships Go "procreate" yourself.

I have talked with about half a dozen, only the young couple queuing before me for an ice cream were anti Putin & his war and were extremely worried about where they could go next.

They can also fly with Emirates & other Gulf Airlines, they still fly into and out of Russia.

A lot of the Russian's here are hypocrites, they support Putin and his war, they just don't want to fight in it. It tends to be younger generation who are opposed to Putin & his war, this latter group has my sumpathy and should be welcomed with open arms. I have no sympathy whatsoever with Putin supporters.

Yes lots in Kata, I was there last month eating in Pomodoro Italian Restaurant proudly wearing my T-Shirt and I got lots of people looking daggers at me, I can't imagine why.