Big push for EVs on the way

By THE NATION

 

Sontirat

 

The Energy Ministry will soon launch a comprehensive package to facilitate the production of electric vehicles (EV), said minister Sontirat Sontijirawong on Wednesday (August 28).

 

The package will provide incentives on investment, component and battery production, he added.

 

It will also include measures to encourage wider usage of EVs among the public amid environmental concerns.

 

The ministry will team up with the Finance and Industry ministries as well as the Board of Investment in drawing up the comprehensive policy. 

 

It will also consult experts in the field to build up demand for EVs in the local market and to draw suppliers worldwide to the Kingdom.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/business/30375509

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-08-29

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17 minutes ago, webfact said:

will also include measures to encourage wider usage of EVs among the public amid environmental concerns

Need the charging infrastructure first .. And cost of E V's is still prohibitive .. 

 

27 minutes ago, Justgrazing said:

46 minutes ago, webfact said:

will also include measures to encourage wider usage of EVs among the public amid environmental concerns

Need the charging infrastructure first .. And cost of E V's is still prohibitive .. 

 

Agreed - how many of us would be driving a Tesla if the costs of the vehicle were the same as in the US... unfortunately the prohibitive costs of the EV's combined with the lack of charging infrastructure make EV's a no-goer in Thailand.

 

With the above mentioned measures taken to improve these aspects progress can be realized, until then this is nothing more than media lip-service....  Will those who profit from the Taxes brought in by the importation of foreign vehicles ever allow tax to be lifted from imported EV's such as Tesla ???

 

A Tesla Model 3 costs US$35,000 in the US (1.07 MB) - I just can't see a day such a car costs that much in Thailand. 

Start with Bangkok Tuk Tuks.

Thais are addicted to diesel......

42 minutes ago, mok199 said:

Thais are addicted to diesel......

Thats unfair...  The whole world was addicted to diesel. The major EU car manufacturers drove the popularity of diesel cars.... they even cheated on the emotions tests to get their diesels through the stringent emissions tests - right up until a the US EPA caught them utilizing a software 'cheat device' (which controlled the emotions if the steering wheel did not move: i.e. in lab conditions).

 

Now everyone is aware of NO2 and its risks diesels are not so popular anymore and the governments are no longer pushing them. 

 

Thailand just has to catch up, thats all, and it will.

 

If Diesels can meet emissions tests in the 'real world' I see no harm in them, the problem is they can't and the governments are too soft in allowing the manufactures to manipulate the tests rather than insist on 'real world' testing. 

 

 

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Thats unfair...  The whole world was addicted to diesel. The major EU car manufacturers drove the popularity of diesel cars.... they

Your optimism is noted ,let me rephrase....Thais are addicted poorly maintained diesels...have a good one sir...

Edited August 29, 20196 yr by mok199

It's frustrating that Thais always seem to approach every problem from the wrong (insoluble) end.

 

The bus hasn't pulled out of station 2.0 yet and here they are planning the glories of Thailand 6.0. They are condemned to reach their goal perhaps never or at least after decades of wasted effort and cost.

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The package will provide incentives on investment, component and battery production, he added.

At this same time last year the Thai Board of Investment launched an incentive package for foreign investors to build EVs in Thailand.

Presumably that promo was a failure so now they pull another one out of the hat.

The irony is that (electric) vehicle manufacturing plants need a of of electricity 24/7. Thailand's electricity supply is dodgy at best. Their well meaning concentration of solar and wind power production comes up short for industrial use. They will either need to built a clean coal fired plant or buy hydro power from Laos. Until they do something serious about power generation their Eastern Economic Corridor is dead in the water.

https://www.smart-energy.com/industry-sectors/business-finance-regulation/thailand-ev-companies-investment-growth/

does this mean "short circuit" will officially replace "the brakes failed" as an excuse for 99% of accidents

32 minutes ago, grumbleweed said:

does this mean "short circuit" will officially replace "the brakes failed" as an excuse for 99% of accidents

???? plus you can't drill holes in the exhaust to make it really loud and big bore exhaust workshops will all go out of business.

Edited August 29, 20196 yr by overherebc

Can't understand why hydrogen isn't the alternative to petrol/diesel rather than batteries.

No need for an expensive recharging system, vehicles can be refuelled in next to no time and can be either fuel cell or a retooling of existing petrol engines.

1 minute ago, edwinchester said:

Can't understand why hydrogen isn't the alternative to petrol/diesel rather than batteries.

No need for an expensive recharging system, vehicles can be refuelled in next to no time and can be either fuel cell or a retooling of existing petrol engines.

It was some time ago, I admit, I read one of the biggest problems was getting a really good system for the storage in the tank. 

Now you mention it I might have a google around and see if things are improving.

I agree with you on hydrogen. All it produces when used as a fuel is water.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

It will also include measures to encourage wider usage of EVs among the public amid environmental concerns.

Good luck finding a charging point !

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Big push for EVs on the way

Err, isn't 'push' the wrong choice of words.

Or perhaps not, as Cadbury mentioned just now about the unreliability of the electricity supply.

Where is all the nickel, cadmium and cobalt going to come from to manufacture the batteries that EVS are powered by ? Also, when those batteries are spent, where will they be disposed of ?

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

It was some time ago, I admit, I read one of the biggest problems was getting a really good system for the storage in the tank. 

Now you mention it I might have a google around and see if things are improving.

I agree with you on hydrogen. All it produces when used as a fuel is water.

Australian scientists have developed a membrane that extracts hydrogen from liquid amonia easy to transport and can be installed into service stations and pumped like regular fuel.

5 hours ago, sunnyboy2018 said:

Start with Bangkok Tuk Tuks.

A few electric tuk tuks already in Chiang Mai, totally quiet and quite smooth.

19 minutes ago, scorecard said:

A few electric tuk tuks already in Chiang Mai, totally quiet and quite smooth.

When we were kids we used to stick a well folded bus ticket in the wheels that made it sound

( to us ) like a motorbike when it was flicking on the spokes. Don't tell the electric tuk tuk drivers. ????????

we used playing cards for the same thing

What about flares, great spectacle and loud but hideous serious burns if your leg got in the way etc.

 

Actually this was in Vietnam during the conflict, some officers did this to the bicycle of another officer they hated (because he was a nasty piece of shxx, always seriously punishing private soldiers for very tiny infractions that didn't need punishment at all). The hated officer did get seriously burned and he was quickly medivaced home.

 

 

9 minutes ago, jimmyyy said:

we used playing cards for the same thing

Bloody luxury. We used to dream about using playing cards.

Edited August 29, 20196 yr by overherebc

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Thats unfair...  The whole world was addicted to diesel. The major EU car manufacturers drove the popularity of diesel cars.... they even cheated on the emotions tests to get their diesels through the stringent emissions tests - right up until a the US EPA caught them utilizing a software 'cheat device' (which controlled the emotions if the steering wheel did not move: i.e. in lab conditions).

 

Now everyone is aware of NO2 and its risks diesels are not so popular anymore and the governments are no longer pushing them. 

 

Thailand just has to catch up, thats all, and it will.

 

If Diesels can meet emissions tests in the 'real world' I see no harm in them, the problem is they can't and the governments are too soft in allowing the manufactures to manipulate the tests rather than insist on 'real world' testing. 

 

 

Back in the 2006, the Norwegian government advised everyone to buy diesels cars, and guess what, thats what all the naive Norwegians did, now they have been pushing for electric cars, they are literally playing cat and moves with their citizens...

 

it”s not that hard when the people are dumb as <deleted> and belive everyhing the government/media tells them.

 

there is only one world mr and Thailand is part of that one.

The hypocrisy about cars running onfossil fuel and how bad it is and bla bla bla, just shows how naive the average person are these days,they literally belive everything they are told and with higher taxes we can save the planet, retared generation.

I was in Holland a few months ago and learned a lot about modern diesel engines,my brother manages a large bus company and those modern diesels run very clean!!!

There is a product called 'ad blue;and it is injected into the exhaust system and reburns whatever is left in there.Seems to work very well.

I also got to use his car,a Tesla,talk about a nice ride and fast!!!0to100km just under 4 seconds.

I hear the electric Porsche is even nicer.

I hope i am driving my last diesel powered truck here,fuelcel or electric is the future!

1 hour ago, Thingamabob said:

Where is all the nickel, cadmium and cobalt going to come from to manufacture the batteries that EVS are powered by ? Also, when those batteries are spent, where will they be disposed of ?

Hell just throw the used batteries in the water off Pattaya beach...The ocean is already colored black so no one will notice the difference...

I do not see any advantage in electric vehicles in Thailand yet when the energy source is still 

coal or gas fired. You are just moving the pollution from one place to another.

The Energy Ministry could spend their time better planning for clean energy rather than jumping on the bandwagon promoting electric vehicles (except for export of course

EV's... There is the problem of disposal of worn out batteries, which last 5 to 7 years. (And you do not want to know the cost of a new battery pack). Anyone want to buy a 5 year old Tesla? Nope.

 

Infrastructure? Charge points? Don't even ask.... this is Thailand.

 

As for Hydrogen, it is the ultimate solution, but expensive to make a car that runs on it. Also 2 million US$ to open a gas station that can handle Hydrogen. The big upside for our one and only planet is that the only by product of Hydrogen combustion is water.

 

We will get there in the end and I predict Hydrogen will kill the EV. Just don't hold your breath waiting... or maybe you should, due to the pollution we currently have to put up with.

 

Here is a pic of a Tesla model 3 battery pack (yes it is a bit bigger than your mobile phone battery!) No wonder the guy is scratching his head.

 

 

Edited August 29, 20196 yr by DaRoadrunner

A few myths that keep getting repeated:

1.  No sense going with an EV if the grid is using fossil fuels.

False.  A modern coal power plant has about 43% efficiency, and natural gas is closer to 62%.  A car engine is around 28-30%.  Centrally treating emissions is significantly more effective than attempting to do it on each vehicle.  Even taking in 10% distribution losses, EVs are still more efficient/green when powered by the dirtiest fuel source, and any renewable power just makes them even better.

 

2.  Battery packs only last 5-7 years, and then they go to the landfill.

False.  Some cars may only last 5-7 years before the remaining capacity drops below 80% of original, but the batteries can (and have been) easily be re-used for stationary applications down to 50% of capacity (closer to 12 years).  At that point, recycling is possible and economically viable.

Can you imagine the wiring