matchar

13 hours ago, vinny41 said:

ChangAn Deepal SL03, 100% electric car, launched in Thailand at the end of 2023, 79.9 kWh battery, price comparable to C-Segment.

 It is expected that the price will be in the range of 1.1-1.3 million baht.

https://autolifethailand.tv/changan-deepal-sl03-coming-soon-thailand-2023/

Looks nice, a shame about the Lithium Ternary (NMC) battery though.

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Sure, but probably with money ???? they scammed out of Chevron. 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-chevron-idUSKBN26N1V5

And that's why electricity has been so expensive. The dispute meant domestic gas production massively declined and Thailand had to rely on more imported gas.

Massive Prayut own goal and consumers are paying the price.

11 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

i think a few years have passed already ... it well could be a few years too many ... 

Yes they are a bit late to the party but Thailand is a very important market for Toyota.

My 22 year old Toyota ICE still runs fine and I'm happy to wait for the right time to upgrade to an EV. If I needed one right now I would choose MG but I still have some doubts about how well they will hold up after 20 years.

2 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

How many have seen headlines like this from Toyota? 

 

 

People forget that Toyota has been making claims about solid state batteries since 2014. 

 

 

I have written off Toyota long ago

 

Yes I would take their solid state battery claims with a pinch of salt but there are plenty of Chinese CATL batteries available that they can use for their next EV model (just as Tesla does).

The reason the bZ4X is so expensive in Thailand is because it's made in Japan and subject to import duties unlike the Chinese rivals.

Give it a few years and I expect Toyota will have a decent reasonably priced EV made in Thailand probably with a Chinese battery.

4 hours ago, Pib said:

I'm seriously considering buying either BYD Atto 3 EV or MG ZS EV.....really torn between deciding between them. The wife and I visited BYD and MG dealerships today/19 Sep and test drove a MG ZS EV this afternoon....I was impressed with the drive quality and power.   We also visited the BYD dealership this morning to look at the Atto 3 and also could have done an offerred test drive but didn't take them up on the offer....but going back tomorrow morning and do a test drive.

 

For the Atto 3 Extended Range model with 60KWH battery the price is Bt1,199,900 until the end of November when the govt subsidiary will dry up for that BYD model.   The freebies include:

 

- a basic warranty on vehicle 8 yrs/160Km,

- Traction battery warranty is also 8 yrs/160Km,

- Free Maintenance for 8 yrs/160Km,

- free road service 24 hrs a day for 8 yrs,

- free 1st class insurance for 1 yr, 

- free home wall charge (7KW) including installation,

- free portable (granny) charger,

- free Vehicle to Load adapter, 

- free car registration,

- and free matching carpet matts, rear luggage, license plate frames

 

Now for the MG EZ EV with 50KWH battery the price is Bt1,013,000 until the end of September....only another 10 days or so....appears the govt subsidiary on this model goes away before the subsidiary for the Atto 3.....beyond my brain power to figure out why the govt subsidiary length of time is shorter on the MG model vs the BYD model....but it is what it is.   But here are the freebies included in the MG dealership quote today:

 

- Free 1st class insurance for 3 (three) years....normally it's 1 yr but a special deal right now adds 2 more free years for a total of 3 yrs 1st class insurance

- free labor for 5 times/visits

- basic warranty on vehicle 4 years/120Km

- traction battery warranty 8 year/160Km

- free home wall charger (7KW) and installation

- free portable (granny) charger

- free ceramic windows film (40/60/80% light blocking)...I would go with 80% on the side window/sunroof and 40% on the front window

- free vehicle to load adapter

- free roadside assistance 24hrs/day for 4 years

- free towing 100Km in case of emergency

- free spray rust proofing

- free car registration

- free license plate frames

 

Yeap....seriously considering these two models.  I need to sh$t or get off the pot deciding on which one especially since the govt subsidiary soon runs out, especially for the MG at the end of September/this month....got until end of November for the Atto 3.  

 

The BYD warranty coverage pretty much 8 yrs/160Km across the board for the car and traction battery is better than the MG car warranty of 4 years/120Km & 8 yrs/160Km for the traction battery.    The MG free 1st class insurance for 3 yrs vs only 1 is definitely a good thing as 1st class insurance ain't cheap.    For the external appearance of both the MG and BYD the wife and I like them both....but when it comes to the interior we undecided on which is best.  The interest of the BYD is definitely bigger probably due to its chassis being designed solely for an EV whereas the MG chassis was originally designed for a combustion engine and adapted for an EV/electric motor.   The MG interior is more classic where the BYD interior is more eccentric but still nice....much of this is a matter of opinion that will vary from individual to individual.

 

Wish the wife and I luck as to "if" we can decide to buy either the MG or BYD....but if we are going to do it we do to do it ASAP if wanting either car at a much lower price due to the soon to go bye-bye govt subsidiary although there is talk the subsidiary may continue in a new form/lower amount in the coming months/for 2024 but I doubt any future subsidiary will be a good as the current one.

 

P.S.  I currently drive a 2009 Toyota Fortuner 3.0L diesel which I will be keeping....a great car that I bought brand new, kept well maintained, and it still runs and looks great with 315,000Km on it's odometer.   But at the same time I want to get an BEV....have one car that totally electric...cheap to drive at least "fuel" wise.

 

 

 

I could be wrong but I'm betting even after the subsidies end the prices will stay the same or fall due to increased competition.

Battery prices are coming down and EV prices are still trending downwards in China after the subsidies ended.

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

I think they can catch up on technology but supply chains will be much more difficult, I am specifically thinking about batteries.

 

Tesla & the Chinese have spent a lot of time securing their battery supplies.

More than enough batteries to go around right now:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Caixin/Chinese-battery-makers-brace-for-price-war-to-supply-EV-producers

PS if you reach the limit for free articles clear your cookies or open in an incognito tab.

Don't be so quick to write off legacy carmakers such as Toyota. They have the means to catch up with the Chinese and first movers can actually end up at a disadvantage if technology rapidly improves since they have invested a lot in R&D and may end up with stranded assets that are made redundant.

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Toyota-gigacasting-prototype-cuts-production-from-hours-to-minutes

40 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Battery prices plummet as electric cars approach ‘tipping point’ (msn.com)

 

The cost of batteries fell by nearly 10 per cent in August, taking them past a key milestone that is seen by energy analysts as a “tipping point” to supercharge the transition to electric vehicles.

The price of lithium-ion battery cells, which power everything from smartphones to the International Space Station, fell below $100/ kilowatthour (kWh) last month – a 33 per cent drop from March 2022 and an 8.7 per cent month-on-month drop.

Energy analytics firm Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, who compiled the figures, noted that battery pack prices need to reach $100/kWh for electric vehicles to reach price parity with fossil fuel-burning vehicles.

“Decreasing cell prices could allow [manufacturers] to sell mass market electric vehicles at comparable prices to internal combustion engine vehicles, with the same margin, improving the attractiveness of the EV transition for both consumers and automakers,” said Benchmark analyst Evan Hartley.

“Falling cell prices are of particular concern for companies investing in cell production outside of China, particularly when there is already concern surrounding the profitability of factories in regions such as Europe.”

The drop in price could also have implications for other technologies, the report noted, including for solar and wind installations that need to store excess energy during periods of overproduction.

“The energy and transport revolution continues,” energy analyst Gerard Reid wrote on LinkedIn.

“Lithium battery cell prices are now below $100 per kWh, down 80 per cent in a decade. Going forward we will see even lower costs and better performance, which is why the death of the internal combustion engine is near.”

 

(Benchmark)© Provided by The Independent

The falling prices have been attributed to decreasing raw material costs, with lithium prices more than halving since the start of 2023.

The price could continue to fall following the discovery of massive lithium deposits in recent months, most notably within an extinct supervolcano on the border of Nevada and Oregon.

The McDermitt caldera could contain up to 120 million tonnes of lithium, according to recent estimates from geologists, which could potentially meet global battery demand for decades.

Yes I'm still waiting for further price cuts. The competition is just heating up and China has a massive oversupply of batteries. The fear of the Thai government subsidies running out soon might be driving sales in the short term but I don't think the car companies are passing on the full subsidy to the customers anyway.

10 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Neta V is a great car and fantastic value.

It's cheap but you get what you pay for. I think the MG 4 is better value for money (based on specs) although I haven't tried either yet.

22 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

Nice to see BYD e6 EV taxis at Suvarnabhumi Airport yesterday 

 

Until they start hogging all the public chargers in Bangkok...

This topic is bound to cause a lot of debate but I think the batteries in electric cars are designed and tested to be much much safer than the cheap batteries in cheap no name scooters.

This is the test drive form in Thai. I'm not sure if it's the same for all dealers.

Has anyone been for a test drive with MG? I had booked one for today but they just told me there's no insurance and I have to sign a contract for liability in case of any accident so I think I'm going to cancel.

Too many uninsured drivers around in Thailand...

Has anyone been for a test drive with MG? I had booked one for today but they just told me there's no insurance and I have to sign a contract for liability in case of any accident so I think I'm going to cancel.

Too many uninsured drivers around in Thailand...

https://www.topgear.com/car-reviews/byd/seal

https://thedriven.io/2023/09/01/kia-ev5-lands-in-china-with-surprisingly-low-affordable-price-for-small-electric-suv/

The new Kia EV5 looks interesting with very competitive pricing China. It would be nice to get some more affordable choices in Thailand apart from MG but I expect the price will be much higher if it ever launches here.

Surprisingly though, the Kia Carnival is available in Thailand at less than half the cost of a Toyota Alphard.

1 hour ago, Furioso said:

That's a pretty good deal but I guess you have to finance to get it.

 

I'm looking at paying cash and getting at least 10% off, 1 year insurance + free tint all windows. 

Cheers, let us know how it goes. 10% off is better than the 2 years insurance (worth around 40k).

12 hours ago, Furioso said:

My neighbor has a 2021 HS, he bought it for under 1 million baht. He has driven it all over Thailand and had zero problems. However, he does take outstanding care of it, very clean(spotless lol), premium petrol, and all maintenance done on time.

 

These MG's may not be as reliable as Honda or Toyota but for many it's really tough to pay their prices. I'm not big on the MG5 or ZS but I do like the VS and HS SUV's. The MG4 EV is highly rated and cheap here compared to the UK(5,000 pound less and you can talk them down even lower). 

 

Are there any other major car brands here in Thailand that will give you over 10% discounts? 

How much lower will they go on the MG4? It already seems like a bargain with the 3 years free insurance promotion.

https://www.mgcars.com/en/Promotion/Detail/new-mg4-electric

10 hours ago, still kicking said:

Nonsense I had my business for 25 years do you know how much tax I paid?

Notice how I said most not all. There are exceptions to every rule.

1 hour ago, DiDiChok said:

What a gloomy lot of people in this thread!  Yes, we're all going to die, but not today for most people.  Immigration Officers are Police, in the Government scheme and will be all right when they retire.  However, I do agree that this is not so for many other occupations.  In my village we've got all kinds of Government ex-employees who are comfortable and others have various ways of getting income including skimming from their children as mentioned before.  Is nobody thinking that the real reason for raising the pension age is caused by the lower numbers of contributing younger people these days?

 

Pensions are something that you have to contribute to over many years, as I did over 40 years and I can tell you that it wasn't cheap either.  But I was educated about it before I was 20 by my parents and I'm now over 70.  Thailand has only just woken up to Pensions and most wouldn't pay into one even if they'd got the money to do that.  The part of the Thai mind set that thinks about the future is not as well set up as it is in the west, but that is now changing at last.  An insurance broker and financial adviser lives nearby and he tells me that now, retirement planning is one of his best business aspects.

 

I remember bursting out laughing in my 20's when I met someone for the first time who he told me that he hadn't got a pension.  I thought it was a kind of April fools' joke.  When I started work you had to join the pension scheme or you couldn't have the job.  I had just been assuming that everyone else was in the same situation and they aren't.  You cannot base your retirement on a plan based on winning the lottery.  I blame the "woke" generation to whom everything is now optional when to us "Boomers" it plainly isn't.

The problem with most boomers is they didn't pay enough taxes to cover their government pensions due to massively increased life expectancy...

So now it's up to the younger generation to make up the shortfall with sky high taxes to support a rapidly ageing population.

18 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

It is more expensive than charging at home, but it’s still a lot cheaper than petrol or diesel.

 

350 baht for 400km in an MG4 or equivalent.

Yes it's a lot cheaper than most cars but it's also a lot of hassle charging in a condo. Assuming MG 4 efficiency of around 6km/kWh I estimate 1.2 baht/km

But a Toyota Yaris Ativ has a very efficient petrol engine (23.3km/L) which works out around 1.7 baht/km with the current high price of oil.

If gasohol goes back down to around 30 baht then the running cost should be roughly the same. Obviously for those with cheaper home charging an EV makes a lot more sense.

10 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

It could be 3 phase 22Kw, which means your car will draw whatever on-board charger it has.  

 

Most on-board chargers are 7.2Kw, a few are 11Kw, very few are 22Kw (It's a 100,000 baht option on a Porsche Taycan for example).

 

In the 2nd graphic you posted, they are talking about 22KwHr delivery, they don't specify the Kw.

 

I think you can be confident it will deliver 7Kw so it's a rate of about 7 baht / KwHr which is not unreasonable, if you can charge at 11 or 22Kw then it's a bargain.

Thanks for the info, that makes more sense and 7 baht/kWh seems a bit expensive for slow charging at home.

No wonder hardly anyone uses it, especially considering the hassle of moving the car when finished to avoid overtime fees of 100 baht/hr.

I guess I'll have to move to a house before buying an EV.