josephbloggs

11 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

 

Posts a Clickbate YouTuber as “Evidence”  

 

 

 

 

What's your problem? He looks completely impartial to me.

35 minutes ago, henrik2000 said:

Hello, the bill at the 7-11 was 59 THB. I opened my wallet and saw that i only have some 1000-Baht-bills. i showed 1000 THB, asked in Thai, “dai mai khrap?” (can do?) and  the cashier murmured something jolly confirming. 

I received the change of 41 baht. After some fruitless waiting, I said “I still need 900, because I gave you 1,000”. The cashier said “no, you gave me 100”. A tense discussion ensued. At one point someone like perhaps a supervisor counted all the 100 THB bills and the 20 THB bills in the cash register without commenting on it. Stupidly I didn't check if there was any 1,000 THB bill.

My cashier said something about “Thailand Thailand” which I didn't understand. He seemed to insinuate that I confused the 100 and the 1,000 TBH bills because of their slightly similar colors, but I am 1000% sure that I gave him 1,000, and I can distinguish between the two very well. 

Now 4 or 5 staff watched us. Then he opened the cash register again and showed me that there was not a single 1,000 THB bill in it. I hadn't looked for that when they had opened it first for me, but of course my 1,000 THB could have been hidden anywhere, not the least under the stack of 100 THB bills that were there.

Finally I said, “okay up to you”, took my two small things, my 41 THB and left. On the spacious parking lot was my blinking bicycle (7 pm). At least one staff member observed me through the window. I was hoping they would come down, but they didn't and let me leave.

When cycling home I thought, I should have not taken anything - neither the 41 THB change nor the two small things - and should have said instead, “okay, please wait a little, I come back with police”, and see if they follow me to the parking lot. (I would have never contacted police anyway.)

How would you deal such a situation?

Backgrounds: 

It is the 7-Eleven in Samut Songhkram, the one next to the Don Hoi Lot landmark, about 3 km away. I believe that 7-Eleven doesn't get many foreigners. I had shown upon entering the cashiers two photos of anti-mosquito things I had snapped at friends’, and one had helpfully accompanied me to the 2 different shelves where I could find the items. I think I overheard them saying “oh, he speaks Thai” (and they can't know that I understand much less than I speak). They were much more personal with me than, say, a 7-Eleven cashier in Jomtien. 

I believe that I was dressed politely enough (not in sports garb, not in beach garb), but of course seeing me with a bicycle is a minus normally (I think I didn't see more than 3 bicycles total in several days of cycling around the province and locals told me it was silly and dangerous to bicycle; on the same morning a dog had bitten me physically because I bicycled).

Again I know very well that I gave 1,000 in the 7-11, as I am aware that I spent my last 100 THB bills for fish and rice at the Don Hoi Lot market. 

Your take?

 

PS

If you have a comment on getting bitten by a dog that clearly belongs to a rural 1-family-home next to a regular paved road I am interested too.

In any 7-Eleven I've ever been in (in Bangkok at least) they always say out loud what note you have given them. If I have handed over a thousand they will say, in Thai, "you've given me one thousand" and then count the change back, every single time.

I have to say 7-Eleven staff are amongst the best trained in Thailand and I have never once been scammed in 28 years, in fact quite the opposite; when I have accidentally given too much they point it out and hand back the extra.

Not saying there isn't a rogue 7-Eleven cashier somewhere but it doesn't gel with my experience, their training, or the fact that all cashier areas are covered by CCTV so there is zero chance of them getting away with it if you ask to see the CCTV.

3 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

I can accept that some folks are fans of ICEVs but I don’t understand the anti-EV stance that they possess.
 

Granted, if you live in a condo without charging facilities, if you drive long distances regularly, if your employer forces you to make a 300 km journey at a moment’s notice, then an EV should not be your vehicle of choice.

 

However, how can anyone be opposed to reduced air and noise pollution, particularly in urban areas? In fact, the government can reduce or take away the subsidy for EVs but give a subsidy for a solar installation if done in conjunction with an EV purchase. This can reduce the demand on the grid and at the same time, promote better living conditions for the majority. 
 

Everyone that has sat in my EVs has been extremely impressed by the ride and build quality of the current China made EVs. When they hear that I am able to travel hundreds and thousands of kilometres on fresh air and sunshine alone, they all wish they have one as well. 
 

Again, an EV is not suitable for everyone but I believe it’s suitable for the majority of road users, here in Thailand.

I also don't understand it. I have a petrol turbo car (have always has petrol cars) and I love it. I also really like and admire EVs. I don't understand why the two sentiments have to be mutually exclusive, but for the anti-EV posters it is almost a hate position and they dream up fantasy scenarios why they don't work which just shows a closed mind. They may not be right for you, but why can't you admire the technology and benefits they bring to other people?

Do diesel lovers hate petrol cars? No. Do petrol lovers have hate for diesel drivers? Nope.  But mention EVs and it gets a certain section of ICE people getting quite upset, I don't get it - it is just another propulsion method at the end of the day, albeit a cleaner and quieter one.

And I think your point about people who have been in yours really liking them and wanting one is telling. I too was very skectical and, as a petrol head, thought I would never enjoy an EV.........until I tried one. Sadly the most vehemently anti-EV poster will never likely try one, again showing a closed mind.



 

7 hours ago, vinny41 said:

I think that given that the battery pack is approx 65%-75% total cost of the vehicle if you include removal of battery pack costs, replacement battery cost's and re-installation of battery pack both the rental agency and the renter should be taking pictures of the battery pack before rental and end of rental

I'm not aware of any EV that has visible battery packs you can take a picture of. They are encased and protected and often built into to the chassis of the car, for obvious reasons. Do you really think they are hanging off the outside of the vehicle?

Do you ask to take photos of the fuel tank when you rent a car because, you know, the previous renter might have damaged it and there could be a dangerous fuel leak? (Hint: fuel tanks are also generally not visible as they also don't hang off the sides of the car)

48 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

I am pretty sure even a battery stored in the middle of the vehicle would survive that kind of impact, it's not severe enough. I've seen vehicles almost cut in half by side impacts in real life collisions.

It's reminding me of how Volkswagen fudged the diesel emission figures.

My point was that if a car has been smashed enough to damage the battery the rental company would not be handing it out to the next driver as the car would be so severely damaged as to be unusable. So your argument that EVs are bad because you might rent one and you don't know what the previous renter did to the battery is just nonsensical. You are inventing ridiculously far fetched scenarios each time.

5 minutes ago, Lee65 said:

 

That video was supplied by EV maker BYD!  I kinda doubt they'd upload an unsuccessful crash test.

Ah, so they faked it. You really have an extremely closed mind.

Here's the Euro NCAP video of their test. Is this staged too?

2 minutes ago, Homburg said:

Those who need their EV for work are entitled to suffer from range anxiety.  In the real world one is not always able to find a working charger when one gets home after work and then the boss calls first thing to tell you to travel 300km to an important client meeting to cover for someone who has called in sick.  You are correct about chargers needing a phone signal, but no network has 100% coverage and the signal used by the charger may not be on the same network that your cell-phone uses, and your point about installing chargers only where there is a phone signal also explains why it is more challenging to use an EV outside of an urban environment - because there are very few chargers.  By comparison my ICE vehicle can travel 1000km between refuelling stops and so, until I retire from work, I am reluctant to switch to an EV.  

Guess what, if you have a job where your boss can call you on a whim to drive 300kms straight to a meeting then an EV is probably not right for you. No one is saying they are perfect for everyone. Personally I'd consider a new job but that's just me.

How often does that happen by the way? Is it about as often as a motorway being unexpectedly closed and you being diverted tens of kilometres through deserted forests? Or does it happen more frequently than never?

10 minutes ago, Lee65 said:

 

None of those are subject to extremely intense and rapid combustion as is a damaged EV battery.

 

Never know what the previous driver of an EV rental did with the car.  

Here's a video of an EV being smashed up. And then you see the battery is removed in perfect condition, placed in another car, and it works perfectly.  

If the previous driver of the rental had smashed the car badly enough to damage the battery I am pretty sure the rental company would notice it. Do you think these batteries are on the outside of the car and made of cheese?

Surprised you (or any of the others) haven't trotted out the "but what if it rains and the road floods" yet. Come on, you're missing a trick!

6 minutes ago, Lee65 said:

 

Good point.  And it might be a damaged 4-year-old battery.

 

(As, incidentally, might be the case for an EV rental car ...)

 

Surely you're just dreaming up hypothetical scenarios that have nothing to do with the topic in hand. I could rent a car with a faulty gearbox, or with timing issues, a loose clutch. That has nothing to do with anything.

And I believe the battery swap is a subscription so you are changing them after every charge is depleted and it takes the same amount of time as filling up with petrol. You don't keep the battery they give you.

3 hours ago, Homburg said:

I read the Guardian article on "range anxiety".  I found it to be superficial and deceptive. It suggests that range anxiety is about only two factors:  that batteries don’t have enough capacity for journeys and that there is a lack of chargers.  It IGNORES the issue of time taken to recharge, the issue of non-working chargers (when was the last time you found a gas pump that did not work?), the issue of cell-phone signal (because the chargers won't work if you can't get a signal),

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the issue of potentially spending significant time in an otherwise deserted car-park at night-time waiting for the battery to recharge (would you be happy for your wife or daughter to do that?) 

It ignores the issue of "charge evaporation" when the temperature drops (less of an issue in LOS, but certainly an issue in Europe & much of North America as even Florida gets frosts sometimes).  It ignores the issue of unexpectedly closed freeways/motorways with unplanned diversions of tens of kilometres through sparsely populated countryside  - with potentially zero charging facilities available.  It assumes that every EV will start a journey with a full charge - this can be really challenging for those without dedicated parking who may need to drive to a charging point some considerable time before setting off on any journey, so drivers may need to get up an EXTRA hour or more early to drive to a meeting because of the need to charge the EV prior to setting off.  Unlike The Guardian I find that range anxiety is real and completely justified and I suspect that the Guardian is being intentionally dishonest.  Those who read the Guardian regularly may not be surprised at this suspicion.

Hilarious. You accuse the Guardian of being superficial and deceptive then you go on to come up with most extreme examples of things that could maybe possibly happy.The Guardian was talking about general real-world ownership and typical usage.

 

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It IGNORES the issue of time taken to recharge, the issue of non-working chargers (when was the last time you found a gas pump that did not work?),

No it doesn't IGNORE that, it talks about it. It also talks about the 55% increase in the number of public charge points globally in 2022, and a 43% increase in fast charging in the UK in the past year. They also said there are still concerns about finder a reliable charger in the UK but that is being resolved quickly. 

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the issue of cell-phone signal (because the chargers won't work if you can't get a signal),

Seriously? They are installing charges in such remote uninhabited areas that there is not a phone signal? Why would they do that when a) people need to use a phone app to use them, and b) the stations themselves need a signal to operate? 

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the issue of potentially spending significant time in an otherwise deserted car-park at night-time waiting for the battery to recharge (would you be happy for your wife or daughter to do that?) 

How often are you left in an otherwise deserted car park in the middle of the night to charge? Again another ridiculous example plucked out of thin air and never likely to happen. How many charging units are installed in deserted car parks? Anyway I would tell my wife or daughter to not be so stupid as to run out of battery in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere.

 

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It ignores the issue of unexpectedly closed freeways/motorways with unplanned diversions of tens of kilometres through sparsely populated countryside  - with potentially zero charging facilities available

So the article should discuss every perceivable scenario no matter how ludicrous or ridiculous or unlikely?  Yes, it ignored that scenario. It also ignored what would happen if a space ship landed to steal your battery for fuel.

Let me ask you, how many times have you experienced an unexpectedly closed motorway with an unplanned diversion through tens of kilometres through sparsely populated countryside? And on the occasions it did happen, how many petrol stations were in this sparsely populated countryside?

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It assumes that every EV will start a journey with a full charge - this can be really challenging for those without dedicated parking who may need to drive to a charging point some considerable time before setting off on any journey, so drivers may need to get up an EXTRA hour or more early to drive to a meeting because of the need to charge the EV prior to setting off.

If you really needed to leave for work an EXTRA hour earlier to get a charge your EV then you were an idiot for buying one as it clearly doesn't work for your needs. The Guardian did not say every single person should have an EV. If it works for your circumstances (ie you have home charging and don't do weekly journeys of several hundred kms at a time) then great. If not, stick with ICE or a hybrid. But inventing these silly scenarios that have no relevance to the article just shows you are coming in to the argument with a pre-conceived mindset and, let's be honest, makes you look a bit foolish.

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Unlike The Guardian I find that range anxiety is real and completely justified and I suspect that the Guardian is being intentionally dishonest. 

You mean unlike the Guardian that said: "There is no doubt that range anxiety is real."  Just admit you didn't read any of the articles, it's fine.

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Those who read the Guardian regularly may not be surprised at this suspicion.

This is exactly why I ended my post with "(Yeah yeah, the Guardian, lefty liberal, pushing the woke agenda, blah blah)", because there's always one like who will come out with comments like that, and almost always without reading the articles (like you). I am not an EV evangelist. I am not even an EV owner. I just found the articles informative and pretty well balanced. You might too if you try reading them and doing so with an open mind.