Pib

No education papers required for a LTR pensioner visa. Pensioner required docs here: https://ltr.boi.go.th/documents/Required-docs-Wealthy-Pensioners-14-05-2024.pdf

Yea...those 66 registrations in Jan 2024 was probably Toyota doing some accounting/tax smoke-and-mirrors by selling all their Thailand bZ4X's stock to its Toyota Sure used car division or maybe selling them wholesale to some overseas buyers. Just some accounting/tax transaction to get them off their new vehicle stock. Seems like only yesterday when the Toyota bZ4X went on sale in Thailand but it was almost two years ago in Nov 2022. And according to the article below Toyota hoped the bZ4X would keep them on top of EV sales rankings. Whoops....that didn't work out as hoped...those durn Chinese EVs got in the way.😜 https://thethaiger.com/hot-news/technology/subsidised-toyota-bz4x-finally-on-sale-in-thailand

Yea...if that Bt30K was earned under below BYD promotion from reading the details it sure looks like the privilege will be linked to the VIN number of a BYD vehicle "you" own as proved by ownership document (i.e., vehicle bluebook). And I think there have been similar promotions which also allowed charging credit for "up to 3 BYD vehicles" a person can prove he owns. https://www.reverautomotive.com/en/news/friend-gets-friend-campaign

I guess it could possibly have something to do with available electrical power at certain locations and the BYD dealership/Bangchak station could only get the servicing electrical company to hookup the charger to the electrical grid "if", repeat, if the charging location agreed to only operate the charger during Off Peak Hours/Days which is 10pm-8am Mon-Fri and 24 hours Sat & Sun even though that has nothing to do with what the charger will charge per KWH....like the ReverSharger chargers that charge Bt8/KWH 24 hours a day....no off peak rates at ReverSharger chargers. Or the BYD dealership/Bangchak station have the chargers in a location that is kinda disruptive to that location's main line of business of selling & serving BYD vehicles and/or gassing-up ICEV. Like at several BYD dealership's I've charged at their chargers are located at spots that would definitely impact "non-charging" customers during prime business hours of Mon-Fri. Typically these are small dealerships with little land for parking. And one Bangchak station I've used only has little parking available for venders who rent there and I guess they don't want one or two EVs (and maybe another one or two queuing) to use the charger during key business hours as they feel "non-charging" customers would provide more business for vendors renting at the Bangchak station. It just seems the locations where they have limited hours/days are those locations with little parking space based on the dealerships/stations I've actually visited with limited charging hours/days. By the way, the wife and I did a 247km route trip western Bangkok to Kanchanaburi (Bride over River Kwai) today and although I had no need to do any supplemental charging since my BYD Atto has around a 400Km real-world range and I was starting with a 97% charge I did stop at a Red Pin BYD dealership on the way back for about 10 minutes in Muang Kanchanaburi to top-up to 85% and take a bathroom break. It was pretty much plug-in...make good use of the bathroom...then come back to the car which was almost at 85%....as soon as it hit 85% I unplugged and continued on. Why only to 85%? Well, the charging curve of my Atto drops from around 58KWH to 32KWH when reaching 85%...to go from 85% to 100% would have taken another approx 23 minutes and I figured I could probably fully top-up at another location just before getting home. No one was queuing to charge behind me so I didn't affect anybody. And then about 20Km from getting back home to Bangkok I stopped at another Red Pin BYD dealership which is one of those only during Off Peak charging locations with chargers at a funky location due to limited parking space at the dealership and I charged to 100%....no one queuing behind me. Then back on the road again....20Km later I'm home with 97% charge remaining. I had never used either of these dealerships before....so I can now add two more Red Pin locations to my list of "Red Pin Locations Used." 😜

Yeap....for those folks who have wall chargers and not doing daily trips exceeding the range of their EV (which is probably going to be at least 300Km...and a lot more for many EVs and newer EV coming out) there is no need to use a DC Fast Charger. Since I got my BYD Atto EV almost one year ago I've only needed to use a DC Fast Charger on a western Bangkok to Ban Chang/Pattaya round trip where I added 25% charge over 20 minutes at Pattaya to ensure I had enough battery charge to get back to Bangkok. This was my first long trip with my EV. And as it turns out if I had "not" add that extra 25% charge I would have still made it back to my western Bangkok home with about 5% charge left. But I have used DC Fast Chargers to just ensure the 6 charging network/app I registered with really works...or like I doing right now since 1 Aug in getting "free electrons" at BYD ReverSharger DC chargers thru 2 Jan 2025....haven't used my wall charger since early August. But come 3 Jan 2025 when the current free electrons promotion ends I will once again only be using my home wall charger except when I need to make a long trip that exceeds my Atto's range (a real world range of around 375-400Km at above 90KmH highway speeds...but around 420-440Km at lower speeds).

I did watch it....I understand what this study says can be the detrimental effects....effects with no "specific metrics" as to how much degradation may be caused such as reducing battery life span from say 15 years to 12 years....reducing battery Km life span from 400,000 to 350,000, etc. And at the the 17 minute point of the 18 minute video the guys says the study he primarily talked admits another study has different results that there is more battery capcity fade if consistently keeping the LFP battery charged to lower levels as compared to higher levels. Which study do you believe. And regardless of which study is correct it sure would be nice if the studies gave some "specific metrics" as to what the typical EV driver should expect in terms of less or more battery life after X-amount of years/kilometers.

Here's what the BYD Atto manual recommends for SOC recalibration and also if not using the EV for over one week.

I don't know....I've seen that in other forums like on reddit from everyday folks like myself...but I've never seen any of those posts provide some reference from the EV manufacturers.....like a quote from the EV manual, some EV technical/specifications document. Personally, I think it probably would provide a "little bit better balancing" due to less battery heating & stress and giving the BMS more time of around 9 to 10 hours to fully recharge with a 7KWH wall charger compared to around 1 hour with a DC Fast Charger. And don't ask what a "little bit better balancing" means in specifics as I don't know.....just like battery studies/reports that don't give specifics on just how many more or less years/kilometers a battery might last if Fast or Slow charged.

Question: I haven't see in any of these reports/studies giving specifics examples of "how much more longevity" really is. Is it another 100,000km...is it another 2 years? And the studies/reports also talk the EV battery is going to probably last a long time even if DC Fast Charging all the time. It's like it's probably detrimental but we really can give specific numbers as to how many less Km's/less years of life that means. Unless a person plans on keeping the EV well past the battery's warranty period like for example BYD's battery warranty period of 8 years/160,000Km (whichever comes first). And where I saw "....well past..." I mean a person is shooting for say 15 years/300,000Km then i really can't see babying the battery, doing more frequent charging because a person keeps the EV well below 100% charge, etc.

Edit: durn....I was still typing out my long winded post talking the same video JB posted above....passing in the night....didn't see he has posted the video just minutes below until after I posted my post. A pretty good 18 minute video on EV LFP NMC/NCA battery charging from several standpoints of EV usage and battery life. And it even talks that recent study talking how always keeping your LFP charged to a high level might be detrimental to its life span...and this guy points out that recent study acknowledges another recent study indicates keeping the EV LFP highly cared (except for extended storage/non use of months) does "not" affect the LFP battery lifespan. And for those listening-in don't confuse Lithium NMC/NCA EV batteries with Lithium LFP batteries....two different battery chemistries with two different best care & charging practices. For Lithium NMC/NCA type batteries EV manufacturers recommend only charging to 80% except when you need to take a long trip and want to start off with max range at 100% charge. Whereas Lithium LFP type batteries EV manufacturers recommend a weekly-to-monthly charge to 100% to recalibrate the charge percentage indicator and every 3 to 6 months letting the battery drop to 10% and recharging to 100% which accomplishes a full recalibration of the charge percentage indicator.

I don't as I pass by several Red Pin chargers on my weekly MIL visit and my several times a week groceries run. Today on the way back from the MIL's I charged-up twice at two different Red Pin chargers. One at a BYD dealership about half way home/30 minutes after leaving the MIL's house... and then about 20 minutes after leaving that charger and within 10Km of my Bangkok home I topped up at another Red Pin charger. At the first charger (a BYD dealership) I pulled-in literally when one of the two EVs charging finished charging....my queuing time was about 30 seconds....I charged from 72 to 100%. Then at the second charger (a Bangckak station) both chargers were available....I topped up from 97% to 100%....took 4 minutes. By the time I finally got home I was setting at 98%....ready for a probable 300km roundtrip this weekend unless the funky, rainy weather continues in the Bangkok area. Nope, my limit for queuing is around 10-15 minutes max if I really want/need some free electrons; otherwise, I just wait until I'm able to plug-in to an immediately available Red Pin charger. Fortunately, on my MIL weekly run I drive by 3 Red Pin chargers and I almost always able to find one free....sometimes all three have available slots as I drive by. And on a frequent groceries run to Foodland I now have 3 Red Pin chargers I drive by and almost always there is an available slot at one or more of them as I drive by. I'm lucky in having this easy Red Pin access in my western Bangkok and just west of Bangkok frequent day-to-day travels.

IMO the most important factor is how many chargers are actually available under the BYD Free/Reduced Rate Promotion as signified by the "charger PIN color" 24 hours a day like shown in the images at the bottom, And there are not nearly enough in many locations for those folks who want to take advantage of the promotion without encountering usage obstacles such as middle of the night charging, needing to drive numerous kilometers to the nearest Red Pin charger, etc. - a "Red Pin" charger (i.e., a Red circle with R) versus being a Black Pin charger where the promotion is available 24/7. The chargers everyone wants to be nearby. Fortunately, during my particular driving in western Bangkok and some provinces due west of Bangkok I have fairly easy access to around a half dozen Red Pin chargers which I don't need to go out of my way to use....and I don't have to queue more than 10 minutes or even queue at all. But I know for other folks Red Pin chargers are a ring that is hard to reach. - a Black Pin charger where the promotion is "not" available 24/7...not available on any day or during any hours "unless you want to pay Bt8/KWH" then charge all you want at most any time. Maybe due to charger technical limitations, etc. - a Gray Pin charger which typically means the promotion is only available during certain hours like only Mon-Fri from 10pm to 8am (a great time if you are a Vampire or a Werewolf but not so great if you like to sleep at night) and also available 24 hrs on Sat/Sun. Or a Gray Pin can mean "only" available on Sat/Sun; no Mon-Fri free hours....all depends on the location. And a Grey Pin can also mean the charger is in-operational (i.e., broke). Basically Grey Pin chargers have charging limitations under the promotion "unless" you want to pay full rate....then charge all your want at Bt8/KWH. These limitations are probably due to technical limitation of some of the ReverShargers chargers and/or some locations like some BYD Dealerships who have limited parking space want to make the maximum parking space available for "potential vehicle buyers" and vehicles needing servicing during the normal Mon-Fri daylight business...they just don't want charging vehicles to take away from their limited parking space during Mon-Fri daylight hours. Whatever the reason(s) Gray Pin charger locations have usage limitations but such chargers are endorsed by the Vampire and Werewolf Union. Due to ReverSharger limitations/availability across many parts of Thailand too bad BYD did make a deal with say the PEA and/or PTT charging networks to where free charging would be available "assuming the PEA/PTT chargers have the ability to read the VIN number during the charging process and if a VIN number of a BYD vehicle covered under the promotion then no charge occurs. I'm pretty sure PEA chargers can read VIN numbers as they also have AutoCharge capability just like the ReverSharger Red PIN chargers. A couple snapshots from the ReverSharger app of certain areas that have few Red Pin chargers at any time or on any day....or only service vampires and werewolfs.😜 Central, highrise Bangkok Chiang Mai

Yea, but, the countries generally rated with the best retirement/pension systems are also generally the countries with the highest taxes. Easy to fund retirement systems if they are funded by high taxes during a person's work career. Snapshot of the report ranking the best retirement systems....see weblink for entire report. https://rpc.cfainstitute.org/-/media/documents/article/industry-research/mercer-global-pension-index-2024.pdf Snapshot of "HIGH" tax countries https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/highest-taxed-countries

I just took a look to see if the PEA, PTT, EA Anywhere, Elexa, and Altervim charging network apps show the charging percentage of a charger in use like the ReverSharger app. PEA does but not the others.

I agree...that's a nice feature...I've relied on that feature a lot as once you've compared lights to the actual charge level a few times you have a good ball park estimate of the EV charge level by just looking at the lights....no need to get out of your EV to check the the actual charge level. However, based on my experience all of the Bangchak ReverScharger chargers do not have the large scrolling LED light feature at the top....most seem to but definitely not all based on my experience in/around the Bangkok area. One example is a Bangchak ReverSharger charger about 10 minutes from me that I noticed "always" seem to only have 1 of 2 DC charging connector in use. Last week I got the chance to swing by that particular charger and neither connector was in use...and no fancy scrolling lights on top either. I pulled in, plugged-in and charged up. But then I finally realized why 1 of 2 connectors "always" showed as available in the app and that was because one of the connectors was a Chademo connector which few EVs use now days. And when I looked closer at the tiny print on the app it did show 1 of the 2 connectors as being Chademo...I had missed that when previously looking. Plus there was only one parking slot for the charger...there was no room/no designated spot for a 2nd EV to charge at the same time if 2 EVs, one with a CCS2 connector and one with a Chademo connector, wanted to use the charger at the same time. So, that's why it never showed both DC connectors in use. And another example is when I dropped by another Bangchak ReverSharger one time on the way back from central, highrise Bangkok but both CCS2 connectors where in use and the charger was a different model with no large scrolling lights at the top....it was identical to the ReverSharger chargers I've seen/been using at several BYD dealerships that do not have the large lights on the chargers....must check the display screen for charge percentage.

Although I would "not" be using ReverSharger chargers (since I have a home wall charger) and already registered with multiple other charging apps/networks for those long road trips since the free electrons BYD promotion are only dispensed from designated ReverSharger chargers I was forced to register/use/try ReverSharger chargers. I have come to like them a lot when I do need/want to use one "mainly because they support "AutoCharge." PEA chargers also support AutoCharge. And the new ReverSharger app feature of being able to see on the current charging percentage of their chargers in use is nice....let's you know even before getting to the charger if you will need queue, estimate the queue time, etc. Now AutoCharge is a different protocol from the competing Plug & Charge protocol but both basically do the same thing. See this webpage for an explanation of both. https://cloudics.com/difference-between-autocharge-and-plug-charge/ Basically if your EV is equipped with AutoCharge capability (which BYD vehicles do have and not to imply other brands do not) once you register your vehicle with ReverSharger for Autocharge (it's an easy process done during a charge session and doesn't have to be done again) then all you have to do to get a charge session going is plug-in the charger to your EV....and then within about 30 seconds charging will be underway automatically. Ditto for PEA DC chargers. No need to scan QR codes on the charger to start and stop the charging session. Almost as simple as charging your smartphone. Now after the BYD promotion is finished and in those rare cases where I would need to use a DC charger like going on a long trip where I will need to charge on the road then ReverShargers and PEA chargers will be ones I first look for since they both support AutoCharge and since their pricing is fair enough. ReverSharger DC chargers charge Bt8 per KWH, PEA Bt6.9 per KWH, PTT chargers charge Bt7.7 per KWH, EA Anywhere Bt6.76 per KWH (they have come down in price a good amount), Elexa Bt7.5 per KWH, and Altervim Bt7.5 per KWH. I'm registered with these different charging networks and that's the pricing they showed when I opened-up each of their app's a few minutes ago to get the latest pricing. Now although ReverShargers cost a little more per KWH than most other chargers their AutoCharge capability is maybe worth the extra little bit to avoid/minimize the QR code scanning starting/shutdown process. Plus, now that I'm comfortable with ReverSharger chargers that's just one more network of chargers available to me on long trips. I'm now signed up for 6 different networks mentioned above....PLENTY of DC chargers for long trips.....not to imply there are enough chargers "all over Thailand" for easy day-to-day/local travel charging when a home wall charger is not available. And of course a person always should do some advance charger planning for long trips and not let their EV charge level drop too low as one of Murphy's Laws will surely strike like the charger you were planning to use is really broke although the app shows it operational...and then the next charger is "butt-puckering" (remaining charge-wise) distance down the road.

Below post describes my experience so far with the BYD Free/Reduced Rate Charging Promotion that runs from 1 Aug 2024 until 3 Jan 2025. All of my charging sessions have been free.

Yes it does now show percentage of charge completed which is an outstanding feature IMO. With this new feature you don't need to stop, get out of your EV, and then physically touch the charger's display to estimate when when the charging EV will reach 100%. See if you want to wait....and then charger's displaying the charging EV(s) still has a long way to go to 100%....that's always a let down. By being able to see the charging percentage completed "before" getting to the charger it allows a person to decide if they even want to stop & queue. With me my queue limit is around 10 minutes especially when taking advantage of this free BYD charging promotion....I'm not the kind of person who will queue for long unless I've got no choice. Fortunately, I've had to queue few times and for no more than 10 minutes. So far since 3 Aug when I got my 1st free bucket of electrons I've availed 32 free charging sessions worth Bt5,046 for 641 KWH of free electrons according to my ReverSharger wallet history. I'll probably be able to avail of around Bt10K of free electrons before the current promotion ends 3 Jan 2025...and I hope BYD extends it but I'm not holding my breath. All of these free sessions have been on my way to or from a location like visiting the MIL, a grocery store run, etc. No trips have been made solely to get free electrons. I've started sessions where I still had 96% charge remaining to 28% remaining. Quite a few times I've filled-up with free electrons at a charger close to my MIL's home and then on the way back to my Bangkok home about 55km away I get lucky and able to top-up again at a red pin charger about 10km from my home....then by the time I get home I'm setting at around 98%. But on the "average" from my free charging history I start the charging around 67%...basically adding one-third of a battery tank of electrons. Yeah...I've been pretty much availing myself of these free electrons whenever I can "but only" when I'm doing a routine trip like a MIL vist, groceries run, etc. Me like free electrons. And I haven't used my home wall charger since around 1 Aug.

Musk's robotaxi didn't impress investor's on 11 Oct 2034. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/11/tesla-tsla-stock-drops-in-premarket-after-cybercab-robotaxi-reveal.html Tesla shares drop 9% after Cybercab robotaxi reveal ‘underwhelmed’ investors Tesla shares closed down nearly 9% on Friday after the electric vehicle company’s long-awaited robotaxi event failed to impress investors.

Now even some hybrid buyers get to experience some buyer's remorse in terms of wishing they had waited longer to buy. Yeap, EV, HEV, and ICEV buyers just never know if there may be a big price reduction not too long after they buy with "not too long" defined as 1 year or less. This transition for ICEV to Hybrid to EV is creating price drops unseen before especially for Thailand buyers who have been use to HIGH new and used vehicle prices. Times are a'changing.

No longer available. They are back to using email versus the pull down menu which basically created an email to them with the necessary info they needed like your name, address, birthdate, SSN, etc.

Unless something has changed BOI did accept "investment" type funds such is IRA type funds during the first 3 months or so of the LTR program to meet the $100K self-insure requirement....this was back in the Sep-Nov 2022 timeframe as the LTR program began accepting application 1 Sep 2022. Then around Dec 2022 BOI did a flip-flop and applicants who tried to use "investment" type funds to self-insure were being rejected based on posts in this and related LTR threads....BOI started requiring the $100K to be in a regular type savings/checking bank account vs stocks. And Certificate of Investment (CD) type investment typically offered by banks was acceptable if a "monthly" statement for the past 12 months can be provided. I asked BOI about using a CD in mid 2023 and below is a partial quote of their answer.

Above article also shows how we seem to have two different "electric" vehicle worlds where battery technology is all important. The China electric world which is running towards electric vehicles (and taking SE Asia with it) and then much of the rest of the world that's slow-walking towards electric vehicles. Below figure from above article shows China quickly moving to LFP battery technology while the rest of the world is moving much slower.

Here's a much of monthly and quarterly stats for BYD Jan-Sep 2024 sales and also previous years....stats summary statements quoted below. And see the China New Energy Vehicle (NEV) Post weblink at bottom for a bunch of BYD sales charts where on a "long term" basis (i.e., annual) all are heading north. Year-to-date performance In the January-September period, BYD's NEV sales amounted to 2,747,875 units, up 32.13 percent year-on-year. Its passenger NEVs sold 2,736,401 units in January-September, up 32.18 percent year-on-year. Commercial NEVs sold 11,474 units in the first nine months, up 22.28 percent year-on-year. BYD's passenger BEVs sold 164,956 units in January-September, up 11.56 percent year-on-year. Passenger PHEVs sold 1,566,822 units in January-September, up 53.33 percent year-on-year. BYD sold 297,881 units overseas in January-September, up 104.7 percent year-on-year. BYD's installed capacity of power and energy storage batteries amounted to about 127.720 GWh in January-September, up 26.54 percent year-on-year. See below weblink for complete article with lots of charts. https://cnevpost.com/2024/10/01/byd-sales-sept-2024/

Good ol' Toyota....below 4 Oct 2024 news article talks how Toyota will delay EV production in North America from 2025 to 2026. A master of EV delay....new technology always just around a the corner....on the horizon. But just hang in there a little longer Toyota customers who want a Toyota EV....in the meantime I'm sure Toyota recommends you buy a Toyota Hybrid while you wait for a Toyota EVs. The article focuses on how "trade protectionism" in some countries/regions like the US and EU is impacting EV sales and prices. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Electric-vehicles/Toyota-s-EV-delay-reveals-price-of-protectionism-against-China?utm_source=paid.outbrain.com&utm_medium=content retargeting&utm_campaign=IC_broad_CORE&utm_content=RSSfeed&dicbo=v4-T8CWB0Z-1131228701-1