idealistic123

Sure, we also try to combine charge stops with lunch or extended coffee breaks but after 7,000km and some longer trips with my Sealion 7 I have to say that everything that takes longer than 25-30 minutes feels like waiting and is kind of annoying. So if the charging infrastructure was better then I would definitely prefer one of these cars that support faster charging speeds.

The specs on the Long Range and Performance models of the MG are definitely better than the Sealion. But as a Sealion driver myself I would say that the Sealion is more suitable for Thailand's (current) charging infrastructure and therefore better value for money. I live near Pattaya and even in this well developed area it's extremely rare to find charging stations that offer more than 120-180 kWh. In fact I've seen only one station that had 300kWh near Central Rayong. Even newly installed chargers by EV Station or Spark peak at 180kWh. That's why I think that cars like the IM6, Zeekr 7x, Xpeng G6 will be toothless tigers as long as there are hardly any hyper chargers with 300kWh or more.

I'm not an expert but when I fast charge my Sealion 7 I usually see something around 600V. How is that possible? Shouldn't it actually be an 800V system then?

Instead of replacing the 120kw chargers they should install them additionally. Even though there are usually a lot of PTT and other gas stations with chargers within a short distance it's annoying that there are normally just two DC charger heads sharing the power of the charge point. So in many cases the 120kw are only worth 60kw when another is charging at the same time. That's why I really wish that they had bigger charging parks like in the EU with 6, 8, 10, or 12 chargers. I know that there are a few from Spark and PTT called EV-Hub but it isn't enough in my opinion considering the popularity of EVs. Some weeks ago I went on a road trip from Pattaya to Kamphaeng Phet to visit my girlfriend's family. I decided to charge near Nakhon Sawan (Asian Highway connecting south to north) but had to pass three gas stations (including two U-turns) until I found a charger that was available. Due to the limitation of the charger mentioned above I was only able to change with 60kWh. We had lunch so it wasn't too bad but it still felt a bit like an inconvenience. I hope that they will continue investing in the infrastructure so that cars with higher charging speeds actually make sense. Right now I'm not sure if it's worth buying something like an Xpeng G6 with 451kWh peak because there are hardly any charger that support these speeds.

Don’t know the source but I’ve seen the parking lot by myself. It’s massive. There are mainly Aions and Wulings. It is located near Bang Phra. You can even see the cars on the Google Maps satellite image. https://maps.app.goo.gl/xREU351MbTo6PbMUA?g_st=ipc

Thanks for the detailed description and the picture. Makes it easier for me (who has no clue about electrical installations) to understand the whole process. It seems like I'm lucky then because the main fuse box of the house is located in the garage right next to the car.

Hey guys, I just got a BYD Sealion 7. Some days ago they started to roll out an OTA for software version 3.0. My car is still on Version 1.0 and there is no option to update yet. What's your experience with OTA updates for the Seal? How long does the rollout usually take?

Thanks for your input! I haven't received the wall charger yet so let's see what I'll do with it. Currently I use the granny charger (8amp charger at 1.7 kWh) which is actually enough to top up 30-50km within a few hours. I usually don't drive more than in a day anyways. So the wall charger would be nice to have but not essential to use the car.

I got my BYD Sealion 7 Premium two weeks ago and I'm really happy with it! Already took it on a road trip to the northwest and distances of 500km+ are definitely doable on a single charge. We also got a free home charger (including installation). The problem is that we don't own the house. The landlord would probably be ok with us installing the wall charger though. Now my question: If we decide to move eventually how difficult would it be to take off the wall charger and build back everything?

Could you be more specific? When I went there with my Ford Ranger they made me a similar offer compared to what I received at Honda or Toyota dealerships which was 40% less than what I paid a year ago. Seems like the standard devaluation for most cars is 30-40% within the first year. So I wouldn't be offended if the offer was low. You also have to factor in all these huge price cuts for the Seal which impacts the used car market quite heavily.

Yeah, I'm thinking about getting a Seal using the promotion. They offer 670k for my old car which is pretty much the same as you would get at the tents + 240k on top. The rest has to be financed (48 months, 1,98%). The monthly rate would be 11,009 THB for a Seal Premium which seems to be a quite decent deal.

Any estimate when your car will be delivered? A few days ago I went to a showroom in Chonburi and the sales person said that the demand is huge for the Sealion 6 DM-i and new orders will hopefully be delivered at the end of the year with the possibility of having to wait until next year.

Could be an accident with the motorbike (Grab Driver) behind them and they wait for insurance agents / police.

Agree. I wanted to replace my Ford Ranger with a CX-30 and they offered a discount of 170k (girlfriends owns an old Mazda 2). That's why I'm familar with their current promotions. However, after test driving the Atto 3 this week I really can't justify buying an ICEV anymore. Especially these old engines that are sold in Thailand and haven't been updated for years.

Mazda is offering 100-140k (Mazda 2 - 100k, CX-30 - 140k) throughout their line-up. If you or someone in your family already owns a Mazda there will be another 30k discount.

Already saw it at the dealership yesterday. If I bought an Atto 3 then it would this color combination.

Before writing my verdict about the last few days with the BYD Atto 3 I want to point out that this has been my first experience using an EV as my daily driver. Due to that I haven’t been able to sign up with all the companies that provide charging stations. In fact I only charged at PEA Volta stations since I wasn’t able to use my Thai Debit card with most other providers. (The bank still has my old phone number that’s why I couldn’t receive the OTP-Code that you need for verification...my fault). I really like the Atto 3. It’s fun to drive, comfortable and spacious. The only thing I don’t like is the interior. But that’s just my personal taste. So would I buy an EV? Absolutely, going back to oil, gas and all the mechanical parts feels like going back to the past. Also driving an EV in Thailand is so much cheaper than driving an ICE. (EV: ~100 THB / 100km @ 15kWh and 6 THB per kWH - ICE: ~270 @ 7liter and 39 THB per liter) But can I imagine owning an EV without having a Wall Box at home? Unfortunately, no. Granny charging is ok but at the 1,8 kWh that I got at our house you need 9 hours to add 100km of range. Better than nothing but not really satisfied with this idea. The public charging infrastructure is ok as well. However I passed a lot of charging stations throughout the days and many were occupied. Sometimes even with people waiting in line. Also charging speeds are rather slow. (Claimed 120kW stations only charging at 45kW) All in all I’m just not the type of guy that enjoys driving to gas stations and sitting there for 30-60 minutes. Currently sitting in the car for 40 minutes already while writing this post and I’m already kind of annoyed. So my verdict is: EV yes if I was able to install a wall box at home and charge there more efficiently. Ideally combined with some solar panels. I’m just a tenant so this isn’t an option at the moment. Being dependent on public chargers and planning my daily life so that I only visit places with chargers nearby isn’t an option for me.

Following up on this topic and to get some real world experience I just picked up a BYD Atto 3 for the next three days. Just drove back to Pattaya from Suvarnabhumi and also charged for the first time at a PEA Volta station. Setting up all the apps is a bit of a hassle at first. But I guess once you're all set it's nothing to worry about anymore. What I'm worried about though is the availabilty of vacant chargers . At the two EV Stations close to my new house that I mentioned above there are only four chargers in total. I passed them twice today and both times all were occupied. Tonight I will give the granny charging a try.

I moved to the east side of Pattaya close to the highways. So within a radius of 5km there are two PTT gas stations with charging stations. Besides that there are probably a lot of options in and around Pattaya city. My monthly mileage is 1.500km with 90% short rides (<60km). So considering all of that my profile would be more or less ideal for an EV. Which EV does give you a range of 580km? BYD Seal?

Does anyone own an EV but can’t charge at home? I just moved to a new house (rental) and can’t / don’t want to install a wallbox. However there is a gas station with chargers just around the corner. That’s why I’m wondering if some people here rely on public chargers only?

I'm interested in buying an electric car but know already that Thailand will only be my home for the next 3-4 years. That's why I'm wondering if anyone has already sold an used electric car? Is there an actual used car market for these vehicles? If yes, how are the prices compared to regular cars?