blackprince

My post is about Nissan UK's plans, that's all. I'll remind you yet again this thread is "EVs of all kinds". Feel free to open your own thread on EV v ICE. But in reply to your off topic "post": In the 1950s the UK was the 2nd largest car manufacturer in the world, and the largest exporter, but of course things change. Detroit knows all about that. I posted an analysis of the EV market future a few days ago, which shows the US is set to be eclipsed by China, and on current trends will lag behind the EU and China in core EV technologies. And China is already the largest car market, and by far the largest EV market. What I have found with EV deniers is that they to be nationalistic and backward looking. Clinging to past glories. In the US usually MAGA boys with a mindest from the 1950s.

Nissan UK "Sunderland plant to play key role as carmaker says it will introduce 23 ‘electrified’ models by 2030" https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/nov/29/nissan-invest-electric-cars-sunderland-plant

On the other hand, "anecdotal accounts suggest the variant may cause less severe illness". Too early for alarm. Let's let the experts do their work before we jump to conclusions. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/30/despite-reports-of-milder-symptoms-omicron-should-not-be-understimated

Well I don't share your idea that it's all a big conspiracy driven by bribery and corruption if that's what you're saying. The opinion of the experts is worldwide. Anyway, this thread isn't the place for that. it's about "EVs of all sort" ???? Sure, the big players will make money. I'm not advocating the dismantling of capitalism 555. Though I'd be happier if the rewards were distributed more equitably. PS. I worked for a major management consultancy back in the 90s as a data science project manager. We had a big hush hush project for one of the leading worldwide tobacco firms. Non disclosure agreements and all that. NDAs are common in management consultancy of course, but the locked doors on this project were a first! Needless to say the firm was being paid big bucks to present the data in the least bad light for big tobacco. It's clear that's what big oil has been doing for a while now. But the cat's out of the bag. Bye for today. Got to get back to real life.

Quite so, Canute demonstrated to his courtiers that it was futile to attempt to turn back the tide. Just as the efforts of the Luddites to turn back the technological changes of the industrial revolution were futile . Just as the efforts of people attempting turn back the current technological revolution are futile..

Well I'd rather follow the recommendations of independenet experts than the vested interests of the fossil fuel industry. Talking of which, fossil fuels are what the world has run on since the industrial revolution (not propaganda). That's what's got us to the current position, warts and all. But yes, maintaining an old Peugeot 205 has its merits. Most of the time I'm in deep country, but my Volvo hybrid does pretty well on our home generated solar electricity. The thing is, we're all of us on the cusp of a major global change, some people embrace it, some people try to resist the irresistible. The Luddites tried to resist new technology (textile machinery) back in the 18th century. Needless to say they failed. The new machinery propelled the UK into the industrial revolution, to be followed by every other nation on earth eventually. King Canute tried to push back the sea, needless to say he failed too.

‘Battery arms race’: how China has monopolised the electric vehicle industry' All new waves of technology impact global economics as well as geopolitics. Here's a few snippets from a very recent article on the impact of EVs. “Tesla’s factory in Shanghai now produces more cars than its plant in California. Some of the batteries that drive them are Chinese-made and the minerals that power the batteries are largely refined and mined by Chinese companies…. China is the world’s biggest market for EVs with total sales of 1.3m vehicles last year, more than 40% of sales worldwide. Chinese battery-maker CATL controls about 30% of the world’s EV battery market… In Europe too, companies are beginning to gain on China’s lead. By the end of the decade, the continent is expected to have 28 factories producing lithium-ion cells, with production capacity due to increase by 1440% from 2020 levels, according to Darton Commodities… The US, however, lags behind, despite a $174bn investment “to win the EV market”, announced as part of President Joe Biden’s $2tn infrastructure package in April, although this has since been slimmed down.” https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/nov/25/battery-arms-race-how-china-has-monopolised-the-electric-vehicle-industry

A very misleading article and a cherry picked quote from you: your quote comes immediately after "Norway’s power comes solely from hydroelectricity". It's obvious that a country that's already running on hydroelecetric power with a very small population like Norway is not going to cut all that much CO2 in absolute terms by using electric cars, but in % terms they will cut a huge anount of CO2 because they will be using clean electricity in their cars, and their domestic consumption is already clean because it's based on hydroelectric. Let me remind you again - this thread is about EVs of all sorts. It's not about EVs v ICE, but feel free to open such a thread if that's what you want to talk about.

That opinion doesn't seem to be shared by US experts: "If electric locomotives have so many advantages compared to diesel-powered locomotives, why aren't they more widespread in the United States? They now lag behind many other advanced nations, which have been investing for many years in electric-powered railroads. https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/history/the-stages-of-us-railroad-electrification/ "Overview of electrification in the U.S. Electrification in the US reached its maximum of 3,100 miles (5,000 km) in the late 1930s. ... In 2013 the only electrified lines hauling freight by electricity were three short line coal haulers (mine to power plant) and one switching railroad in Iowa." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railroad_electrification_in_the_United_States I haven't been able to find hard stats about electricification of rail in the US. Nothing that would clarify in detail freight v passenger trains, or track for example, but the general consensus of US experts seems to be that the US is lagging behind. It may even be worse in the UK: "Just 8.5% of freight locomotives in the UK are electric. " https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/jul/29/electric-trains-offer-the-best-route-to-greener-transport Shame really, given that the UK and the US were pioneeers in the field. Maybe that's the reason - the size of the installed base of old technology is so big.

I haven't told anyone to learn Thai. I've expressed surprise that some people retire here and then spend so much time complaining about Thais. It's also very clear from many threads on TV/AN that many retirees are not happy here. I've worked all over the world. I always try to be respectful to my host countries, their culture and their language. I honestly have no idea why any kind of traveller would do otherwise.

Yes, one wonders why so many monolingual retirees do come to this country to put up with its lazy people. But sadly your views are quite common among western retirees. My guess is that the retirees were perhaps too "lazy" to read about Thailand before they came here. Or perhaps their English literacy wasn't up to it.

I understand your focus on Oil & Gas - after all that's your job. But you'll find that O&G business is also done in Russian, Chinese, Persian/Farsi/Iranian, and other languages. Many of the world's standards were set by the British Empire, including for example time zones and the common law, but that's not the issue of this thread. The issue isn't about general schooling either, as that's not the focus of the English Profile. General schooling is measured by the OECD's PISA test, which is usually published every 3 years, and regularly posted here. The PISA test is also renowned among professional linguists as methodologically flawed, but far better than the English Profile.

There are universities in Thailand full of engineering students who will never study or work abroad. There's plenty of opportunity for them here. It's hard for many foreigners in Thailand to understand, but the Thai world does not revolve around foreigners. On the other hand, all foreigners in Thailand are dependent to a greater or lesser extent on Thais, yet few westerners speak anything more than beginner level Thai, and even fewer read Thai at all.

Here's another EV, but I'll probably have to extend the garage.

As a professional in that industry, I'm sure you'd agree that O&G construction contracts are not the main thrust of the thread. My experience of construction contracts in Thailand is in the civil engineering field. They tend to be in Thai.

The OP's poll is from the US I believe. And yes we know that the issues with politics and covid vaxx denial are particularly pronounced in the US. Here's a graph illustrating pre-covid vaccine hesitancy worldwide.

My comments were specifically about Engineering & Construction contracts, not what the lingua franca may be on rigs in Thailand. I usually confine my comments to areas of personal expertise or experience. But yes I'd guess that the lingua franca on rigs in Thailand would be English, though I have no experience of rigs. In other parts of the world it might be Russian or Chinese or Farsi/Iranian/Persian I guess.

"In the case of O&G work and working in engineering and related fabrication the specifications are always in english. The contracts are in english and the reasons are obvious." I know from my own experience of the Engineering and Construction business in Thailand that contracts are not always in English. The language of contracts depends on the contracting parties, no more no less, worldwide. Specifically re "should" and and "shall", (and "must" and "forbidden" for that matter) Thai has very specific equivalents for the English. In fact, in this area of modality there is strong correlation between Thai and English. The problem with English grammar in general (and vocabulary) is that it's a hodge podge of 5 or 10 other languages, often with conflicting grammar "rules". This is why advanced mastery of English is so difficult, even for "native speakers". Re "Back to the point of learning Thai", the real point here is the English Proficiency Index, which is notorious for its methodological flaws. It even publishes a disclaimer on its own web page. The point of my comparison with westerners' generally very low level of spoken Thai, and zero written Thai, is really to illustrate the adage "people who live in glass houses....". Most Thais in Thailand, the vast majority, have zero need for English (probably more need for Chinese these days). But every westerner in Thailand would benefit from Thai.

There's nothing new about electric vehicles. Electric trains were invented about 200 years ago. And first went into production about 150 years ago I think. Quite a few countries have had 30%+ electric train services for a long time. Then there's electric trams, again dating to the nineteenth century, regarded by many as the most civilised form of city transport. And let's not forget the electric underground/metro/ subway. The big difference now is that many governments regard the move to electrificiation of transportation as a necessity. And as we know: "Necessity is the Mother of Invention".

This question has frequently come up here. Foreign teachers in Thai government schools have never been funded in this way.

The English Proficiency Index is the most methodologically flawed test around. Serious linguists wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. From their own website: "The test-taking population represented in this Index is self-selected and not guaranteed to be representative. Only those who want to learn English or are curious about their English skills will participate in one of these tests. This could skew scores lower or higher than those of the general population." Not 'alf guv. A more telling comparison would be with the number of westerners who gain any Thai fluency after years or decades of immersion in the Thai language.

Peter's story confirms what I have previously said. Getting covid is bad enough for most people. But a foreigner getting covid in Thailand has all sorts of other issues to deal with. For example, being in hospital in a large shared ward (or field ward) where no one speaks English (in most regions). Peter was lucky in that he was hospitalised with his girlfriend. Otherwise he would have been alone with no visitors allowed. Even people with funds or insurance will probably find that there are no private rooms available.

Actually I'm a qualified statistician, at Bachelor and Master degree levels. You seem to be determined to make enemies of your political friends. A more skilled operator would seek to make friends of their political enemies.

Some of us are old enough to remember the progressive maxim "the personal is political". Many of the threads initiated on this subforum are simply projections of the problems in the USA. It seems that American progressives and conservatives have a lot in common - their assumption that the rest of the world shares their problems and fixations.

I've previously given several examples of your confirmation bias, but I see you are still quite happy to display your confirmation bias to everyone here. As I said before you have a tendency to see the world through the lens of the US culture war that you are so heavily involved in.