Pib

DLT registration stats are out for July. 1st snapshot below is the DLT summary line for the R.Y.1 category (ie.., passenger vehicles carrying no more that 7 people). At total of 40,817 vehicles were registered of which 5,468 were BEV (100% electric) which equates to 13.4% of the total. For a comparison to the previous month (i.e., Jun) a total of 43,147 R.Y.1 category vehicles registered with 5,657 of them being BEV which equates to 13.1%. June to July showed a further slump in regristrations probably due to a challenging economy, tighter loan requirements, people gunshy to buy with the ongoing price-cutting, etc. For July For the previous month (June)

I also read the "2023" chart as 64 LDV per charging point. However, two years earlier the "2021" stats (chart below) showed Thailand with around 15 LDV per charging point. Wow....a healthy change for the worst from having 15 electric vehicles per charging point in 2021 to have 64 electric vehices per charging point in 2023. However, I don't think it's because Thailand is not adding charging stations at a good clip but because in 2022 and 2023 there was an explosion of BEV car sales in Thailand. Although a lot of charging points have been added since 2021 the number of EVs sold has grown faster. And I'm not sure the number of home chargers has been adequately considered in these charts. Now IMO there are plenty of charging stations along most major highways for long trips, but is there enough in the right places for "everyday" charging" in your local area "if you do not have a home charger?" I think the corect answer is No. But if you do have a home wallcharger which several EV brands provide for free in Thailand to include most to all of the installation costs then a person's need for public chargers for everyday, local driving is pretty low...maybe zero.

Well, the charging gods smiled upon me today. The wife and I went to the MIL's house in the Mueang Nakorn Pathom area...about 50Km outside Bangkok...the wife wanted to see a brand new addition (i.e., baby) to the immediate family. On the way back we came back a slightly different and longer way to our Bangkok home which allowed us to pass by a couple of ReverSharger Red Pin chargers...maybe they would have some available chargers...the app showed both locations had 1 of 2 DC chargers available each time I looked at the app. Got to the first place which was BYD dealership with 1 of 2 DC charger cables still available. I plugged in the Atto with about 76% charge level with fingers crossed as to what would happen....would automatic Plug & Charge start?---and it did!!!!! I didn't have to scan any QR code on the charger or press anything in the app....it just started charging automatically after about 1 minutes of the charger and Atto communicating with each other....and 25 minutes later the Atto reached 100% charged and the charger stopped automatically....since the Atto was pretty full already the charging rate was only 32KW which is normal for the Atto charging curve....if it had been down around 50% the charging rate would have been around 88KW. The charger's display and the phone app displayed Bt122 worth of electrons being pumped into my car but also with a Bt122 credit for a net charge of "zero." And no charge hit my credit card. Success!!!! When I pulled out there were two Atto's in a queue waiting for my departure. And as it turned out after we drove some more on the way back to Bangkok the app showed another Red Pin charging location with 1 of 2 DC chargers available. I'm only down to 97% charge at this point but decided if we would atttempt a charge at this location also...would only need to charge but a few minutes to get back up to 100% and rack up another successful "free" charge....I didn't consider such a short charging period to be hogging-in. HOWEVER, I drove by the location by mistake...thinking it was another BYD dealership when I should had been looking for a Bangchak station....a U-turn in the terrible traffic would have probably taken me at least 20 minutes to get back to the station and maybe that available charger would no longer be available. So we continued on home. Would have been nice just to give some free charging a second try today as that's the only reason I wanted to give the 2nd location a try. Anyway, I got some free electrons today--finally!!! I now know for sure I can get free charging at a Red Pin charger with the charging process being super easy with automatic Plug & Charge...but the problem remains in finding a Red Pin charger that is not already being used.

Actually the chargers at Shell stations can also be "seashell" Pins (not free)...along with the Rever Black Pins not being free. The ReverSharger app displays Rever Black, Rever Red and Shell seashell Pins. Three different Pins on the app...only the Red Pin chargers are free for some BYD owners.

1. Yeah...you need a foreign address on file with SSA to do IDD which which also means you'll get a 7162 form each year to confirm you are still kicking. 2. Sign up for IDD by completing the IDD form for Thailand....and provide to Manila SSA. No can sign up for IDD using your SSA online acct. https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-1199.html

I agree.

It's 10:10am and I just checked the two Red Pin free charging locations that about a 20 minute drive from me here in Bangkok. Both DC locations are in use/charging right now. I checked it a few times last night also up until closing time for these locations....DC charger in use the whole time. Once I saw one of the charges open for about 5 minutes....then it went into use also. I have officially given up in "intentionally" driving to one of the Red Pin locations to try to get some free charging. Now if I happen to be driving by one on my way to somewhere else I may stop to see if I can get some free electrons.

No, you do not need to contact your in-Thailand/local Bangkok Bank branch. However, please take note of an important IMPORTANT NOTE that you did not include from my earlier post..see the bold text part below. For reoccurring US govt payments like social security, military pension, etc., arriving via ACH the transfer must be going into a "special/restricted" Bangkok Bank acct; not a regular/unrestricted acct. If not going into a "special/restricted" acct setup for these types of transfer your Bangkok Bank branch will reject the payment eventually....how long it takes your branch to spot it's a reoccurring govt payment, from the 1st payment to years later, will vary. About a decade and half ago when I tried it for my military pension it got spotted on the 2nd payment by my branch here in Bangkok. The payment got put onhold, the branch sent me a letter saying such and I needed to come in an open a special/restricted acct to receive the reoccurring US govt pension payment....it's a completely separate account from a person regular acct. If you don't want the a special/restricted acct and for your payment to go into "any" regular savings acct in any Thai bank (to include a regular Bangkok Bank savings acct) then you must use the IDD vs ACH method.

Well, on the way back to my home in Bangkok I drove by the ReverSharger DC charger close to the MIL's house again....both DC chargers were being used...and a couple other BYD vehicles lined up waiting to use them. And I'm now pretty sure why that charger is very popular now because before it wasn't. It's now popular because it's a "Red Pin" ReverSharger." I explain below what a Red Pin ReverSharger charger is. Just before getting back to my home in Bankgok I drove to another ReverSharger "kinda" close to my home....about a 15 minute Bangkok traffic drive away....it was at a Shell station. This will be the 3rd ReverSharger charger I tried in my attempt to get some free charging under the BYD promotion talked earlier. Now this charger worked really well in terms of the display icons responding when you pressed them, scanning hte QR caused an immideate response, etc. However, autocharging didn't work like it did at another charger....I had to start the charging process the normal way of scanning the QR code on the screen. I stopped the charging after Bt20 worth of electrons to see if my credit card was charged or I got the electrons free---my credit card was charged...no free electrons. Durn, once again, no free charging even through the ReverSharger app shows my account is activated for free charging. While racking my brain as to why I'm not getting free charging especially since the free charging is activated in my ReverSharger app account a Google Translation of the BYD free charging promotion flyer noted the free charging rights were only available at "Red Pin", repeat, Red Pin ReverSharger DC chargers. See 1st snapshot below. Now all three of the three chargers I had previously used are "not" identified as a Red Pin charger but simply as Shell station chargers identified by a seashell Pin (i.e., symbol). So, that's surely why I didn't get free charging....I had to pay for it. See 2nd snapshot below of the different pins shown in the ReverSharger app.....like a Red Pin, a Black Pin, and a Seashell....this snapshot is for the Chiang Mai area. And see 3rd snapshot below for ReverShargers in the "central, highrise" part of metro Bangkok were many, many BYD vehicles surely live/work but as you'll see there are few ReverSharger Red Pin chargers (but many ReverSharger Black and Seashell Pin chargers. Now I don't live in central Bangkok but over in lowrise "western" Bangkok. The ReverSharger app shows three Red Pin chargers within about a 15 minute drive of my home...and the app shows all of those DC chargers in use at time of me writing/posting this. So, if you have registered for the free/reduced rate charging "and" lucky enough to easily access a ReverSharger DC charger and that is identified as a "Red Pin" charger then you should be able to get some free charging. Take a look in the ReverSharger app for the Red Pin charger locations (i.e., free charging)...and remember the Black and seashell Pins do not provide free charging--you get charged as normal...usually a 9 to 10 baht per KWH rate. Snapshot 1 of Free Charging Promotion till 3 Jan 2025....note it says the free charging rights can only be used at "Red Pin" DC chargers. Snapshot 2 from ReverSharger app: ReverShargers in the Chiang Mai area....notice some are Red Pin, some are Black Pin, and some Seashell pin. Remember, only the Red Pin chargers can provide the free charging....use a Black Pin or Seashell Pin charger and your card will be charged. Snaphot 3 from Reversharger app....just zoming in to the "central, highrise part of the metro Bangkok area....very few Red Pin chargers to offer free charging to the MANY, MANY BYD vehicle owners which surely live/work in this area of Bangkok.

I mean loging into your MySSA online account.

I'm visiting the MIL right now about 60km outside Bangkok. But there is a BYD dealership on a few kilometers from the MIL'S house. The app showed they have 4 charging connections...2 DC Fast and 2 AC Slow. The Reversharger app showed both DC connectors in use....and I went there to confirm they were in use. But the 2 AC slow chargers were available. I decided just for giggles to see if either of the 2 AC chargers might start charging automatically when I plugged in my Atto...neither did. Neither has a display...just a QR code to scan. And I'm sure not going to scan the AC charger QR code to get a charging session going as I as my Credit Card would surely get charged. I expect only the DC charger with display has the capability to initiate auto charge where a person would hopefully get free charging. I'll try again for free charging in Bangkok at a DC Fast charger over the next few days

So, they did respond to you with those instructions just to let autocharge begin? How do you "stop" the charging as I pressed the stop icon on the charger display numerous times and nothing would happen until I scanned the QR code on the charger.

@Gweiloman Did you get a response yet?

The wife and I transition from SSA Username/PW to via login.gov went easy; however, she could not get login.gov to accept her DTAC phone number (post paid...had the number for over a decade and half). Login.gov keep giving an error message saying it's a VOIP number and VOIP numbers are not accepted...and when trying the call option it said login.gov can't make voice calls to Thailand along with the VOIP msg. So she set it up to use Authenicator and Backup Codes for 2FA authorization. She tried again just a few minutes ago to see if it would accept her DTAC mobile number....once again rejection as a VOIP number (which it is not). Now, I already had a login.gov acct I had to setup about a year ago to access some other govt agency website and that agency used the same process as SSA didg to transition from Username/PW to going thru the login.gov portal ....and login.gov accepted my DTAC phoneu number....DTAC post paid number just like the wife's...our numbers were issued by DTAC on the same day over a decade and half ago by the same DTAC shop. And my y login.gov access is NOT a full blown identify verificaiton where you just apply to login.gov with all your IDs, etc. That other govt agency used the same process as the SSA is using for the switch from Username/PW to login.gov. So, when the wife's DTAC number was not accepted by login.gov but my DTAC was accepted "about a year ago" I just figured login.gov had underwent a policy change over the last year or so regarding Thailand phone numbers for text or call. But I do see some folks with Thailand mobile numbers are being accepted as valid numbers like in your case. Oh well, she has 2FA authorization access via Authenicator app (setup in MS Authenicator and Google Authenicator along with Backup Codes) for login via the login.gov portal.

Well, here's my experience today in trying to use the free/reduced charging for old BYD customers. Went to the nearest ReverSharger DC charger to me here in Bangkok (only a few minutes away at a Shell station). Simply could not get it to start charging....when scanning the charger's QR code the ReverSharger app kept saying something along the lines of: "Invalid charger/QR code." Didn't matter whether you scanned the QR code or selected the charger in the app. I completely started from scratch several times (i.e., diconnect/reconnect the charging cable, etc). So, I assumed the charger was defective. Just when I was backing out to go to another charger a Thai guy in another Atto pulled in....I watched him for about 3 minutes and could tell he was running into the same problem I experienced...I then went an talked to him for about a minute to confirm he couldn't get the charger to work either. So, we both left. I now went to the next closest ReverSharger also at another Shell station. I had better luck at this charger but ultimately I did not get any "free charging"...my credit card got charged twice as I tried charging two times. . During the first charging attempt/session I did get a pop-up on the app to complete the Tax Information menu where I used my Thai Pink ID card number...accepted no problem....then it continued on to authorize "Plug & Charge." Ok, now we are cooking....the charger started charging. I let it charge for a few minutes and when wanting to stop the charging even though I would press the Stop icon on the charger display and a similar icon on the app it simply would not stop. And when scanning the QR code on the charger which is part of the start and stop process instead of getting some type of indication the scanning of the QR code successfully occurred what would happen you would just need to scan the code for about 10 seconds (i.e., keep the phone camera on the QR code for about 10 seconds) before you would "hear" the charger reacting that it had successfully scanned the code...and about 10 more seconds later the charger display indicated it had stopped. And at the end of the charging session my credit card was indeed charged. OK, I look at my ReverSharger app Wallet and at the bottom the "Privilege of free charging thru 3 Jan 2025 is now showing and marked active." So, I shouldn't have got charged but I did...and no other transaction record anywhere like in Wallet History saying there was an offsetting credit. I checked my credit card online acct the charge had indeed occurred. I now think that maybe the 1st charging session during which the free charging privilige was activated that it just didn't work for the first charge. So, I try a second charging session only for about a half a minute and once again my credit card was charged....no free charging I emailed ReverSharger Customer support identifying the problem with snapshots from the app showing the free charging privilege was active and the two credit card payment/receipts. That was about 6 hours ago....mid day Friday. No response as early Friday night around 8pm. And in the Rever Automotive app I told them what happenned and once again asked why no free charging for 12 months as being talked in newspapers. I got a response within about an hour saying once again the current promotion only gives free charging to Group 1 folks till 3 Jan 2025 (i.e., 5 months of free charging)...this is there group I'm in since I bought by Atto before 31 Dec 2023. Group 2 which is for folks who bought BYD's between 1 Jan-4 Jul 2024 get free charging only until 30 Sep 2024 and then a reduced rate to Bt4 per charge (I think they really mean Bt4/KWH but in their response to me they say Bt4 per charge) from 1 Oct 2024 to 3 Jan 2025. Group 3 which is for folks who bought/buy BYDs between 5 Jul 2024 till 31 Aug 2024 don't get any free charging and just get a reduced rate to Bt4 per charge (I think they really mean Bt4/KWH) from 1 Aug 2024 till 3 Jan 2025. Yeap, after asking Rever Automotice yesterday about the free charging for 12 months which they answered yesterday and asking them again today where they gave a longer answer that really said the same as their response yesterday the free charging for "certain BYD owners" only applies thru 3 Jan 2025....that is according the 3 groups I talked above. And as I mentioned early in this post where I should have got free charging in my two charging sesssions today I did "not"....still awaiting ReverSharger Customer Support answer---not to be confused with the Rever Automotive Customer Support answers. I also tried calling ReverSharger Customer Service but when you press the button for English language you immediately get a recording saying your "Call has been acknowleged and they'll call back" with an immediate hangup at that point. And they don't allow you to leave a voice mail as to why you are calling...I guess they just record your number and they are suppose to call back later to ask why you called. I called yesterday for some info and today regarding the two credit card charges and got the same response both times of "Call has been acknowledged and they'll call back" and then it immediately hangs up. Summary of today: Couldn't get the first ReverSharger charger to work....got the second charger at another Shell station to work and my free charging privilige activated...BUT there was no free charging as my credit card was charged for both charging sessions. Now, "maybe" there is the possibility the two credit card charges which are currently in Pending status (standard practice for credit card purchases) may not move to Posted status and simply disappear in a few days which would mean the charging sessions turned out to be free after all, BUT that's only a hope right now as my gut is telling me the charges will move from Pending to Posted status within a few business days. Time will tell...maybe ReverSharger Customer Support will respond and come to the rescue.

Whoops...where I said 3 months above I meant to say 5 months....that is from 1 Aug 2024 till 3 Jan 2025.

Depends on the immigration office as to what they charge for a COR. When I use to get my CORs at CW there was no charge (other than a small mailing fee as they mailed the COR to you)...couldn't get same day. Over the years I seen several posts where people had to pay Bt500 at their particular servicing immigration office. At BOI/Chamchuri Sq Immigration they charge Bt500....you get it one hour....no option to have it mailed to you at possibly a lower cost/just a mailing fee. This Is Thailand.

I just got a a And I just got a response from the message I sent from witihn the Rever Automotive app where I asked for details on the "1 year free charging" talked about in news articles over the last 24 hours or so. Basically the response was to go to below webpage, enter your BYD VIN to see if your BYD qualifies and which category it falls in for free/reduced ReverSharger rates. You check the two blocks at the bottom, enter you VIN, and a page will come back saying if your BYD qualifies, whether you get free charging for 3 months (not 1 year like we've been hearing) and/or a reduced 4 baht rate. https://sharge.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/Existing_BYD_Customer_Privilege_Check.html As shown in an image when you first go to above webpage there is no "1 year of free charging listed"....the longest is 3 months till 3 Jan 2025 depending on when you bought your BYD and VIN number. When I entered my Atto's VIN number (I bought the Atto in late 2023) I can get free charging till 3 Jan 2025 according to below response I got...see snapshot below. Once again, no mention of 1 year of free charging like we saw in news articles over the previous 24 hours or so. I wonder if the news articles were just wrong....BYD changed their minds....OR maybe they will only issue out 3 months of free charging at a time which can be extended up to 1 year's worth. Or maybe where it say's "Starting from 1 Aug 2024 - 3 Jan 2025" since it says "starting" that just means the signup window and if registering during that window you then possibly get 1 year's worth of free charging depending on your model/VIN/when bought. And if you click How to Register Plug and Charge it just takes you to a Facebook video in Thai langague showing how to register for Plug and Charge at a ReverSharger charger. Clear as mud.

Update in getting the ReverSharger app to accept one of my cards. As mentioned earlier I had only tried my Bangkok Bank debit card several times over the last several months and once again today and the ReverSharger app would never accept it. This afternoon I gave one of my US credit cards a try and the app accepted it no problem. So, now I'm signed up under 6 charging apps used in Thailand...AND I should be able to give the Free Charging for Old BYD Customers using a ReverSharper charging app a try. As @Gweiloman recommended above I'll delete my Atto VIN from the app which I had added months ago when first trying to get the ReverSharger app fully setup but never could get a method of payment entered/accepted...but before I had only tried my Bangkok Bank debit card which had been accepted no problem on other charging apps. And if I remember right when I set the PEA app for Plug & Charge charging (late last year) it also generated a popup during my first or second charging session saying my Atto was compatible with the PEA charger for Plug & Charge use (the charger and EV talking to each other)....the PEA asked me during a charginng sesssion to enter my Tax invoice info and my car license plate number which I did and it was accepted for Plug & Play charging. Based on @Gweiloman experience with the ReverSharger BYD Free Charging for Old Customers setup it appears to work in a similar way to get the Free Charging privilege activated for your ReverSharger acct.

Thanks. Did you charge at a BYD dealership, a Shell station, etc.

I expect the BYD Free charging will be very, very similar to their current promotion offering old customers a 4 baht charging rate for a few months. Basically the person would need to register for Plug & Charge which is basically where the charger and BYD EV talk...exchange some info....and then charging "automatically" begins. See below partial quote/translation from the Rever Automotive website talking their 4 baht/KHW charging promtoion for old customers....I bolded one paragraph talking the Plug & Charge setup. Now if a person must have a payment method onfile before beginning the charging session---which is probable--then a person could even begin the process to setup Plug & Play. PEA chargers have a similar setup for "some EV" where you can just plug the PEA charger into your EV, charging will begin automaically without needed to use the PEA app at all if so desired...and you can stop the charging by pressing the button on the charger or if using the PEA app by pressing the stop icon. I've used this several times with my BYD Atto on PEA chargers.....pretty much as easy as plugging in your smartphone to charge it up. But on the PEA app before you could setup the Plug & Play you had to have a payment method onfile...and PEA accepted my Bangkok Bank debit card...and without looking again I think the PEA app also accept QR payment....but the Rever app does not accept QR payment. Oh well, hopefully more details on the free charging coming soon https://www.reverautomotive.com/en/news/existing-customers-privilege-campaign

Do you have "details" on this program which started appearing in newspapers yesterday & today? Maybe a weblink to the details...how to signup for the free chraging, etc.? This morning I messaged my dealership customer service "and" Rever asking about it....so far as of mid day no answer. And I didnt' see any info about in on the Rever webiste. What little I know is I'm assuming the free charging will be via the ReverSharger charger network/app. And if they are going to offer free charging via this charging network they would need to provide some type of credit or something on their app maybe by providing some kind of activation code or something. I fully expect a person will need to registered/apply for the free charging to prove you are a old BYD customer. And yea, the Rever apps didn't accept my Bangkok Bank debit card either....but the same card has been gladly accepted on other charging systems/apps like PTT, PEA, and several other charging apps here in Thailand. Edit: just go a response to my mesage to my dealership which was: "Please call to BYD 02-045-8888" Dialing that number comes us a BYD Roadside Assistance. I called and had to leave a voice mail asking about details of the free charging program....now I wait to see if I get a call back.

Maybe you are talking new EV prices in your home country, but in Thailand many new EVs are not expensive especially those EVs which don't incur an import tax nor have a hefty excise tax under trade agreement like Chinese made EV such as those shown on Bandersnatch's post above. And EVs continue to get cheaper (big time) as cut throat pricing for about a year now has been underway in Thailand for EVs (which are selling very well)...and many ICEV have also jointed the pricing war in trying to remain competitive. Now the used car ICEV and EV resale markets in Thailand are undergoing a major, major change right now due to the new car cut throat pricing, EVs cutting into ICEV market share, Thai banks tightening up on financing for all types of loans (especially new car loans), etc. If one of my Thai in-laws who sells used cars is right he has said it's much harder to sell a used car today than two years ago due to more people perferring to buy a new vehicle and new car cut throat pricing over the last year. The ongoing new and used car price reductions is being driven by generational and technological changes primarily driven by Chinese vehicle manufacturers and EVs finally taking away a big piece of ICEV sales. Times do change.

Nothing like letting the free chatging begin already (i.e., today) without any details being given already.

The article uses "sales" numbers which autolife somehow collects, makes-up, etc., and of course some of these sales fall thru due to financing or takes numerous months to finally be approved to where the vehicle can be registered. And some people just backout of the sale before it's finalized. But DLT stats reflect "registrations" that means a sale 100% completed with issue of ownership books and license plates. IMO sales numbers are ballpark figures...probably pretty close in some cases and maybe not in other cases. And sales numbers will never match with govt DLT regristration stats for various reasons. But sales numbers are still a good indicator if they are honest numbers vs intentionally inflated numbers. Example of inflated numbers would be when Trump estimates the size of his campaign rallies.