Pib

Thanks for the info. Today I was able to confirm a mid August appointment with my nearby BYD dealership here in Bangkok to have Rat Guard installed on my Atto...no charge. It's a 1pm appointment and I expect they will tell me to come back around 3:00 to 4:30pm since they close at 5pm and the mimumun appointment window covers a 2 hour time frame even for a simple task that might only take 15 minutes. Now I haven't seen a rat/mouse aroiund my house here in Bangkok for around 5 years"....ever since several stray cats decided to visit our home daily several times a day since the wife puts some food out for them. Now before the cats started standing guard around my house I would see a rat/mouse running around the yard every week or two....and at one time for a few months some rats got into the house attic and you could hear them running around at night, but some glue traps got rid of them (caught 3 big ones over a few weeks)...no more noises from attic. But since the Rat Guard installation is free....why not have it installed. I'm fairly sure this explains/confirms some maintenance I saw at my BYD dealership several weeks ago when I looked in their maintenance bay briefly and saw a technician with a respirator mask on and spraying stuff from a paint gun under the car. The car was up on the lift and he was spraying a pretty clear mist back around the rear axle area and battery. I only watched him do this for about 5 seconds as I walked by the maintenance bay and could easily see it. I expect he could have very well be spraying the Rat Guard stuff....at that time I didn't even realized the Rat Guard service was available/even existed. Yea, big thanks for the Rat Guard for Atto and Dolphin crossfeed.

Mr Toyota is still sending the stuffed envelopes. Take a look at the 29 July 2024 Bangkok Post article titled: "Hybrids still greener, Japan seminar told" The article states/implies Japan believes "hybrids" are the way to go; not BEV especially in places like SE Asia....even specifically talks Thailand.

The main reason ibanking in Thailand (not just Bangkok Bank) is 2 Factor Authorizaiton (2FA) for logon is not required....just need your User ID and Password. But with mbanking 2FA is used via use of a PIN code in addition to User ID and PW. Plus your phone is basically "fingerprinted" hardware-wise by the mbanking to make account access more secure...can only log onto your mbanking acct from that phone. With ibanking you can logon from any computer on Earth...to include the hacker that somehow got your User ID and PW. However, but, anyone's bank account can be hacked when they do not guard their User ID, password, and PIN like it's Fort Knox which unfortunately too many people seem to be nonchalant about. Or malware gets on thier compuber or phone which steals bank logon credentials. Personally, I have no doubt that Thai banks will continue to drift away from ibanking if nothing else to only have one system to maintain/keep secure....plus, many Thai's don't have computers---but they sure have mobile phones!!

Contact Manila SSA and tell them what you want to do. Note: It appears over the last month or so Manila SSA has deleted from their website their "inquiry form" method they have used for years. Or, if that inquiry form weblink is still there it like "if it was a snake it would have bit me" because I no longer see it from looking a few minutes ago. By inquiry form I mean it was an online form with pull down menus where you selected why you were contacting them, what personal info you needed to enter to identity yourself such as name, address, SSN, etc., along with a Remarks block where you could state exactly what your issue is....press Submit and that was transmitted to Manila SSA for review/action/response. But I dont see that anymore....it appears they have went back to preferring an email like it use to be a half dozen or so years ago. See below Manila SSA website on how to contact them. And don't waste you time trying to call them as you would have to be extremely lucky to get a human on the line during their limited call days/hours....use email. Be sure to clearly identify yourself or you may not get an answer or they will come back with a request for more identification. https://ph.usembassy.gov/services/social-security/#small-call-out-carousel OR, call the SSA at their main 1800 number since you still only have a US address onfile with SSA. https://www.ssa.gov/agency/contact/phone.html

As long as your phone is not jail broken and if using an Android phone running Android 8 or higher your phone is good to go for use with Bangkok Bank app. Can't speak to the requirement for an Apple phone. What the bank branch rep said about a weak mobile signal probably causing the unable to verify number error message is laughable answer. The problem is on the Bangkok Bank end...something not fully setup on their end....maybe some typo...maybe needing a few more working days for the setup to be fully completed. If you can't get working by end of day 1 July I recommend you "call" the Bangkok Bank Central main help number to work the issue. Email works fine for some issues but sucks for other issues.

First check with your local/nearby immigration office to get a residence certificate. If for some reason they refuse then just go to BOI/Chamchuri Sq Immigration Office to get one....costs Bt500 and takes approx 1 hour....no appointment needed...just walk in.

Use the 2021 version available from the Manila SSA webpage below. https://ph.usembassy.gov/services/social-security/

Whoops...in the first paragraph were I said "Registered airmail wll cost around Bt50" I meant to say "Regular airmail...." Registered airmail will cost around Bt355.

Yeap. Digital electric meters, whether digital TOU or non-TOU, are going the GSM or RFID communications route as that greatly reduces manpower required to go read the meters every month....no need for a meter-read to go eyeball some dials on a meter. And like you also said digital meters can give the electric company much more detail about how and when a household uses electricity such as a certain TOU meter was installed for EV charging purposes but electrical useage might show it being constantly used or for much longer periods than it typically takes to charge an EV, etc...etc...etc.....an easily tipoff to the electric company that maybe the TOU EV meter is really being used to power big electric motors, a drill press, a metal cutter machine, a welding machine, etc., as the household also happens to run a business where they live such as a 3 story shophouse where the ground floor is a business--LOTS of such townhouses in Thailand. By the way regarding electric meters. My 30/100A analog non-TOU meter (i.e., regular meter) stopped measuring in June...that is, the big rotary dial stopped turning along with its little readout dials. The same thing happenned about a dozen years ago...back then it took MEA 17 days to replace the meter. Well, this time it took them 32 days to replace the analog meter with another analog meter after we followed up around 5 times via email and telephone conversations with the MEA Call Center asking why it was taking so long to replace the meter. But not until we visited a MEA Office in person on a Friday afternoon to talk this issue that we were told that MEA is temporaily "out of replacment" meters and it might take 3 months to get the replacement meter. We had also talked to the MEA "meter reader" a day earlier who drove around to take the monthly readings in our neighborhood about getting a replacment meter and he said some people have experienced up to an 8 (eight) month delay in getting a replacement meter. But anyway, apparently our in-person MEA office visit on a Friday made a difference as Monday morning our meter got replaced. And for anyone wondering how MEA charges a person when the meter is inop/can't be read, well, the MEA office rep said they charge based on the "average" of your last 3 monthly bills. However, when we got our bill for the one month the meter couldn't be read (i.e., still broke...still awaiting replacement) MEA charged us "exactly to the stang/number of KWH unit" for what you had been charged for the previous month....not an average of the last three months. Oh well....but I'm not upset as I know I probably used at least 10% more than the previous month.

Believe me....you want to get the Bangkok Bank mbanking app working. It provides more security than their current ibanking, more electronic banking options, makes banking easier, etc...etc....etc. Plus, Thai banks are slowly drifting towards getting rid of ibanking in favor of only offering mbanking. KrungThai Bank and SCB have already discontinued ibanking....only mbanking now available. Use of a VPN provides practically zero extra security because when logging onto ibanking it uses HTTPS which means a Secure/encrypted connection. By using VPN you are only doing another encrpytion "around" the already encrpted HTTPS connection...and this VPN encryption is only between you and the VPN server....not between the VPN server and the site you are connection go such as the Bangkok Bank ibaning site. You'll be sorry later if you don't get the mbaning working....it may be months or years from now but you will be sorry.

From looking at the latest MEA, repeat, MEA (not PEA) EV Charger Promotion it does not show or mention use of a 2nd meter like their earlier EV charger promotions. MEA is for the Bangkok metro area. The latest promotion (below) which seems to address the case of needing a 2nd main line from the meter to a circuit breaker box shows a Main Line to the home main circuti box and also a 2nd Main Line going to the EV charger circuit breaker. I fully expect the 2nd main line would be an above ground even if a person current main line is underground.. Apparently both main lines merge and then connect to "one" meter on the pole...does not show an option for a 2nd meter like maybe a TOU meter (or even regular meter) for the EV charger. Instead only one meter would be used....the resident would probably need to chose to run the entire home and EV charger under regular meter tarraff or TOU meter tariff...not allowed to have a regular meter "and" TOU in a typical residential situation. I expect most (not all) people would go with the regular meter tariff since the power used by home (i.e., A/Cs, TVs, heaters, etc.) throughout a 24 hour period 7 days a week would probably exceed EV power usage used periodically thru the week for a short period(s). And a person would probably prefer not worrying about trying to avoid peak usage periods when powering the home electrical equipment like A/Cs, TVs, water heaters, etc). But I realize some people can get by just fine using a TOU meter 24/7 and actually save a significant amount....each person's power usage requirements will be different...especially when they need to use certain electrical equipment and various other reasons. https://www.mea.or.th/other-services/ken/S3Lhgkpt/ev-charger

Well, some people use Thai registered airmail....I guess some have used EMS....maybe FedEx also. But EMS and/or Fedex will be expensive....probably aorund Bt1500 or more. Registered airmail will cost around Bt50. Now if using registered airmail the tracking via U.S. Postal or Thai Postal will probably stop once it enters the U.S.....usually on the East or West coast International Service Center for the US Postal System. The tracking may no longer show any updates as the mail makes its way to Wilkes Barre...the mail appears to go MIA but should arrive no problem. And since it's going registered airmail it will probably take 2 to 4 times longer than regular airmail as the registered airmail receives speical handling which slows things down...but that special handing typically stops once it enters the U.S. where it will then enter the regular USPS 1st Class Mail system. Regular airmail should arrive Wilkes Barre in around 2 weeks....registered airmail will probably take around a month unless you get lucky. I based the mailing times on my personal mailing tests of mailing regular airmail and registered airmail envelopes from Bangkok to Houston/LA where I was notified the day the envelopes arrived Houston/LA. And it might be a good idea to make a good/clear copy of the 7162 in order to mail it again via regular airmail say around 2 weeks after mailing the original back to Wilkes Barre. And if you get another 7162 from Wilkes Barre in the Sep/Oct time frame that means they didn't get a reply from you to their first mailing "in time enough to avoid their 60 day cutoff" which then triggers another mailing from them to you. Yeap, if they send you another 7162 be sure to complete and mail back regardless of how many others you have already mailed back...or if you have confirmation your previous mailings made it to Wilkes Barre.

Good report...thanks. Since the bank account is brand new maybe it will start working on the mobile app (i.e., mbanking) after several business/work days have passed...like 3 or 4 business/work days...don't count the acct opening day or weekends/holidays. I know you got setup for ibanking mmediately, but maybe the mbanking takes longer since they are two separate systems. And the opening deposit amount requirement was only Bt500....it's not a fee...just a deposit which you can literally withdrawl the next day (or maybe sooner). Seems a Bt500 opening deposit requirement is pretty standard across the great majority of Thai banks when opening a regular savings account. Basically BOI has vouched for you with Bangkok Bank allowing the easy opening of a bank acct....or maybe it's more accurate to say Bangkok Bank knows you went thru quite a documentation vetting process in obtaining an LTR visa which more than satisfies Bangkok Bank for account opening purposes. Edit: and remember, you can also open a bank acct with Kaiskorn Bank using your LTR visa....no need to first go thru BOI to arrange a K-bank appt....you can just go direct to a K-bank branch....but I would take along a printout of below BOI webpage in case you get a deer-in-the-headlights look from the bank rep. BOI has a deal with Bangkok Bank and K-bank (only those two banks) regarding easy acct opening for LTR visa holders. https://ltr.boi.go.th/page/opening-bank-account-in-thailand.html

Apparently Mr Toyota's stuffed envelope only funded 2 days of EV misinformation with Nikkei Asia.

I will add that maybe the PEA/Bangkok Post is talking a "TOU" meter for a 2nd meter (but the article does not say that) but would still install a 2nd regular meter with associated non-TOU rates. I could easily see where upgrading a current primarily meter and associated building wiring could be very expensive sometimes in comparison to installing a 2nd meter/wiring...each facility will be different. Now what I can't understand right now is why PEA would not allow installation of a 2nd "regular" meter (i.e., non-TOU meter & rates) because then TOU rates could not be abused based on whatever PEA considers abuse of TOU rates. Hopefully there will be more clarification forthcoming on the PEA policy change.

There is an article in the 27 July 2024 Bangkok Post titled, EV owners upset as second-meter system scrapped, which basically says PEA will no longer allow the installation of a 2nd meter in a home/small business for EV vehicle charging. The article said the policy change is due to misuse of 2nd meter. Now this means a person would need to possibly upgrade their primary meter and assoicated wiring to also handle the extra EV load which could be much more expensive than having a 2nd meter and associated wiring installed. People who currently who have already requested a 2nd meter or have a 2nd meter installed are not affected although PEA said they reserve the right to take necessary action if misuse is identified. I wonder if MEA will follow suit? I also have a gut feeling PEA will soon have to back-peddle on their decision.

Yes...it does....thanks. But you answer raised another question and that is: can you reigister twice? I haven't registered yet, but I'm assuming when a person registers there is some key piece of registration that would prevent a person from registering twice. Like maybe a person's passport number, phone number, etc. UNLESS maybe once registered and you can enter the system to begin online training it offers a car test and then a separate motorcyle test? When you pass one and get a QR code you can then do the other and get a different QR code?

Bangkok Bank website says, Yes, you can. See below partial quote from the bank's booklet giving full details. https://www.bangkokbank.com/-/media/files/personal/other-services/branch-services/international-branches/fcd_expat.pdf

I can't speak from personal experience with Kaishorn Bank as I don't have an acct with them....but I've always heard they are a good bank....many expats talk postively of them. I've been with Bangkok Bank for around two decades (started before my LTR visa)....no problems....good bank. I also have a Krungsri Bank acct for half dozen or more years (also opened before LTR)...once again, no problems...good bank. So those two banks are the only two I can speak to from personal experience/having accts at these banks for many years. Why not just open accts with both Bangkok Bank and K-bank since they smile upon LTR visa holders? Having multiple accts at different banks also increases your Thai baht savings deposit govt insurance coverage in case a bank goes belly-up.

Here are the details on the assistance provided for the two banks involved with the the LTR program which are Bangkok Bank and K-bank. And actually, if going with K-bank no BOI assistance is needed...just provide K-bank the docs identified in the BOI weblink. Now if going with Bankgok Bank, then yes, the weblink indicates BOI needs to know 4 days in advance (this would sure be business/work days) in order to pre-coord with Bankgok Bank. https://ltr.boi.go.th/page/opening-bank-account-in-thailand.html Typically to open a Thai bank acct only a Bt500 opening deposit is required for a typical savings acct....that's not a fee, just the mininum amount to open an acct. After opening the acct you could withdraw the opening deposit if desired. Other types of accts like a Foreiegn Currency Deposit Acct, Fixed Savings Acct, etc., maybe more. But I do not recommend carrying a zero balance. Most Thai bank follow an account activity rule that if there is no acct owner activity (i.e., deposit, withdrawal, transfer) after 12 months "if", repeat, if the balance is below "Bt2K: then they start charging a Bt50/month acct maintenance fee until the acct reaches zero balance and then the acct is closed. Best to keep a balance north of Bt2K if you don't plan to use the acct that often like going back to the home country for a year or more...and when deciding on a balance to keep be sure to take in acct the annual debit card fee which is deduced automatically from the acct on each anniversary, Shouldn't be any monthly fees for a typical savings acct and most any acct. Now the bank will surely try to get you to sign-up for one of their pricey annual fee debit cards/insurance which offer accident insurance and other stuff you'll probably never be able to use. I recommend you decline there pricy stuff (it "not" required to open an acct) and just go with the basic "Mastercard or UnionPay" debit card which has an annual fee in the Bt300-400 ballpark. Some people will say don't even get a physical debit card....just use cardless withdrawal....but the problem with cardless withdrawal you typically can only do that at the ATM of the bank the acct is with...and when you need money from an ATM the only ATM available may be another bank...you know wish you had a phyical card.

Link to full new article and partail quote below. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Automobiles/Honda-to-cut-China-production-capacity-for-gas-cars-by-30 Honda to cut China production capacity for gas cars by 30% Japanese automakers had expanded their presence in China since the 2000s, working with local partners at the behest of the government, which sought to build up the country's auto industry. Japanese players held a combined 20% share of the market at their 2020 peak, thanks partly to a reputation for quality. But their strength in internal combustion engine cars has not helped them keep pace with China's government-led pivot to electric vehicles or compete on price with local rivals. Honda's sales slumped roughly 40% by volume on the year in June. China remains a crucial auto market. Japanese automakers will try to mount a comeback by cutting costs while improving their ability to meet demand for EVs and plug-in hybrids.

I"m surprised they are trying to sell 2022 produciton year models as "new" cars...but hey, they never been sold for the first time so technically they are brand new but just made a couple years earlier.

Apparently these are 2022 models....two year old models....partial quote from the ad below: Clearance Sale, up to 250,000 baht discount for MG ZS EV, 100% electric car, 2022 production year, remaining 699,000 - 799,000 baht, only some dealers left.

But, but, but Toyota said back in early 2023 they must respond quickly wiht a sense of crisis to the soaring popularity of electric vehicles. Maybe he was talking at the speed of a turtle? https://www.nationthailand.com/business/automobile/40026882

@KhunLA Below are a couple of snapshots of the voltage levels reported for my Atto by the Bluetooth Monitor I have installed on the 12V battery....the monitor has a voltage measurement accuracy of +/- 0.03V. - the half volt voltage dip a little after midnight is just the EV during some type of diagnostic it does each and every night sometimes between midnight and 0600hrs..predominately between 0200 and 0400hrs. Maybe talking to the BYD mothership...maybe doing some kind of diagnostic....I really don't know what it's doing in the middle of the night. - at 1127hrs the wife and I go on a shopping run and the 12V charging begins....charging voltage is around 13.73V as shown by the blue vertical line....just before starting the EV the voltage was 12.77V. I doubt there was any "surface charge." - at around 1227hr you see a 1V dip for a few minutes...this is when I parked/turned off the EV and went into the mall for about an hour. BUT NOTICE the voltage jumps back up to around 13.7V...and that's because the EV decided it wants to continue charging the !2V even with the EV turned off. This is very common. - at around 1330hrs we finish the mall trip and start the EV...since the EV was already charging it just continues since we started the EV...you will notce a very small decline of less than 0.1V when I started the EV until 1400hrs when there is a small increase of around a 0.1V...the small 0.1V inceased is due to me parking the car/turned it off at home. - BUT NOTICE the voltage never dropped back down to below 13V as the EV continued charge even with the EV turned off...it continued to charge for two more hours. Once again, no uncommon based on my BT monitor tracking. - At 1600hrs it stops charging and voltage drops to 12.85V for 10 minutes...then increases to almost 13V for 20 minutes (remember the car is turned off)...and then there is a 1V voltage dip for a very brief period (seconds to maybe a 2 minutes) probably caused the EV finally going to sleep...finally going into full standby...and then the battery natually regains voltage back to a little over 12.9V. See the 2nd snapshot below for a close up of the charging/driving period of time. Once again, this is very common....just part of the Atto's charging profile. Yeap...EVs not only charge while while the car is turned on but might also continue to charge when the car is turned off. Different from an ICEV which only charges with the motor is running/alternator spinning. 1st Stapshot: Bluetooth Battery Monitor Snapshot...24 hour chart...one hour increments....from midnight to 7pm on 23 July for my Atto EV. 2nd snaphot: zoomed-in view of above chart of the charging/driving period of time.