Electric Vehicles in Thailand

[Bandersnatch]

52 minutes ago, CLW said:

From browsing on Thai FB EV groups, many people complained that the EA anywhere chargers are the worst: Not working, frozen UI, can't charge for whatever reason, firmware update of the charger, etc.

Anyone can confirm that?

I have used EAA chargers a few times and they have always worked fine.
 

My only problem with them is they required a credit card. I had a credit card when I used to work here but when I tried to renew it without a work permit SCB wanted ฿60,000 deposit to get ฿30,000 credit limit (minimum allowed)

 

I applied for a preloaded card which EAA seemed to think was a credit card.

 

 

I see that EAA is now planning a wallet system 

 

[JBChiangRai]

I have tried 2 EA chargers, one in Chiang MaI and the other at Robinsons, Kampgaeng Phet, neither would work.  Fortunately the slow AC charger next to the EA one in Robinson's would work and @FarangRimPing was on hand to whisk me off on a tour of temples for a couple of hours.

[Gweiloman]

On 2/20/2023 at 2:53 PM, CLW said:

From what I have found out, PEA Volta only has slow chargers. How are you going to manage the whole trip, i. e. waiting times when slow charging. 

From what I have seen, the majority of PEA Volta chargers are 50kWh chargers which is fine for me as my car can only take 47 kWh max. Some newer chargers are 120 kWh.

 

The main problem is the BMS. At some chargers, I am easily getting 40+ kWh, at others, I only get 11. I think this is likely due to the battery temperature. Amazingly enough, when I run the battery down and drive on hybrid mode for a while, the battery does cool down a lot and my next charging session is at a high rate.

 

When I’m able to charge at a fast rate, it only takes about 40 mins to get from 0% to 80%. Hardly enough time for me to have a meal.

 

The first day, I left CM around 2 pm and it was smooth sailing with a couple of charging stops. The first stop in Lampang was over 40 kWh, the second stop at 11 kWh. I decided to overnight in Nakhon Sawan. The next day, my first charge was at over 40 kWh. I decided to push a bit harder and so didn’t do any charging until I got to Chumphon. My car returned an amazing 7l per 100 km in hybrid mode. The next day, I charged up in the morning and charged again in Hat Yai, after which I overnighted in Sadao.

 

So I didn’t achieve my initial goal of travelling only on battery power but with the low consumption I was getting, I was not too bothered. If I had a full EV, it would have been much more challenging.

[Gweiloman]

On 2/20/2023 at 5:51 PM, BKKBike09 said:

I just spent a week or so in Pattaya. Decided to take the Atto to see how practical it would be. From Bangkok to where I was staying is about 130 km. From just shy of 100% charged, I got there with battery at about 65% courtesy of some spirited (for an Atto) driving. 

 

After a few days driving around and down to about 40% I figured I'd try charging it a bit - my first time trying this away from the comfort of the free home charger. First stop, big PTT station in South Pattaya while on way to find some dinner with the family. It has two chargers. One was occupied by some fancy Audi saloon, the owner of which was nowhere to be seen, so no idea how long he/she was going to be. The other charger had a handwritten sign saying 'broken'. 

 

Went back next day at 1045. One car already plugged in (a Neta). Another waiting (an MG). The MG driver said "I'm booked for 11 - would you like to charge for a bit before then". Kind offer, but then I realised I had to set up the app etc. She helpfully also told me the next available charging spot that day was 3 pm.

 

I then went to PEA Volta in South Pattaya Road. A Grab taxi MG was charging there. There's only one charger and only one high-speed DC charger cable (CCS2). The driver helpfully told me that I could try to charge using one of the slower cables but that there might not be enough power for it to charge two cars at the same time. He was right. However, he was finished in 5 mins and then he showed me how to work the app. All good; I couldn't be ar$$ed to spend more than 20 minutes charging but that put in about another 20%, so battery up to 60% something. While I was there a Neta turned up. Young couple who also were first timers so I showed them how to work the app etc.

 

I went back to the PEA Volta a few days later when battery back down to 40%. An MG was plugged into one of the slower AC charging cables. I asked if he'd be long and the guy was a bit of a tw@t ["I'll be done when I'm done"] so I plugged in the DC 'fast charge' cable. It worked ... but the total 50KWh capacity of the charging station meant the tw@t got 22KWh and I got 28 KWh ... so I did 20 mins and off I went.

 

Went back a third time equipped with coffee and laptop (HOT TIP: there are no coffee shops that I could see anywhere near the PEA place, not even at the Shell station across the road). No-one charging, so I plugged in and then spent 5 minutes trying to get the charger to talk to the car. Finally it was happy and I started charging. Literally one minute later a guy drives up in a Neta and pleads with me to let him charge because he's in a rush to get back to BKK to pick up a customer etc etc. I debated making him wait but I played nice and said he could charge for up to 20 mins, if that would work for him. Which it did. I then plugged back in and spent 45 minutes sitting in my car drinking coffee and working, so the time wasn't wasted. Pulled the plug when the battery was at 95%.

 

Charging at PEA is not priced clearly: one charge cost THB 4.5 or so per KWh (on a Sunday), others cost THB 6.7 or so (on weekdays). Go figure. Maybe TOU pricing? But the PEA app is simple to use and you simply top up credit using a credit card [of course, if you don't have a Thai credit card that may be a problem, and I also have Thai nationality so that may make it seem easy].

 

So ... my take on it all is that charging at public chargers is pretty hit and miss, especially if you 'walk in' rather than pre-book. On principle, booking a time to charge my car goes against the grain, but maybe it's part and parcel of the EV ownership 'experience'.

 

 

The booking system for PTT EV chargers is absolutely idiotic. It works for people staying near the charger who either doesn’t have home charging or doesn’t want to charge at home. For someone doing a road trip, it is completely impractical. Also, most of these stations seem to have only one charging unit.

 

PEA is infinitely better (for me). Most have 2 units and 50 kWh is good enough for me as my car can only take 47 kWh max. Payment is super easy as you top up the wallet and the amount is automatically deducted at the end of the charging session.

 

PTT and PEA both have on peak and off peak rates. That accounts for the different pricing. Elexa does not have off peak rates but the chargers are very new and fast. Payment is done at the end of the session with a debit or credit card. This adds an extra minute to your charging session compared to PTT or PEA.

 

 

[JBChiangRai]

39 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

The main problem is the BMS. At some chargers, I am easily getting 40+ kWh, at others, I only get 11. I think this is likely due to the battery temperature. Amazingly enough, when I run the battery down and drive on hybrid mode for a while, the battery does cool down a lot and my next charging session is at a high rate.

 

You might find there is a setting to pre-condition the battery for charging, on my car selecting "Sport Plus" does that.

[KhunLA]

8 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

You might find there is a setting to pre-condition the battery for charging, on my car selecting "Sport Plus" does that.

'sport plus' is in the driving mode ?

For MG ... eco, normal, sport

 

At MG & PEA CS, don't notice any difference timewise in charging, though didn't pay attention to actually kW reading.  Only time I noticed a difference was at MG/Hua Hin, noticeably slower, but charging cable was noticeably thinner, so either original was smaller or replaced with smaller cable than local PKK/municipality's MG dealer's cable.

[JBChiangRai]

9 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

'sport plus' is in the driving mode ?

For MG ... eco, normal, sport

 

 

Not an MG, I have another car with two extra modes, Sport Plus and configurable for power, suspension & lots of other bits.  

 

Sports Plus pre-heats or cools the battery for optimum power/charging, makes the gearbox use the lower gear on partial throttle opening etc.  The GPS also pre-conditions the batter if you program a CS as the destination/way-point.

Edited February 23, 2023 by JBChiangRai

[Gweiloman]

26 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

You might find there is a setting to pre-condition the battery for charging, on my car selecting "Sport Plus" does that.

Unfortunately my car doesn’t have this pre-heat/cool functionality. It only has a on-the-fly “pack plug in” battery conditioning system when slow charging. My battery is only 34 kWh, small compared to full EVs and I guess Haval needs to save costs wherever they can.

[CLW]

2 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

The booking system for PTT EV chargers is absolutely idiotic. It works for people staying near the charger who either doesn’t have home charging or doesn’t want to charge at home. For someone doing a road trip, it is completely impractical. Also, most of these stations seem to have only one charging unit.

 

PEA is infinitely better (for me). Most have 2 units and 50 kWh is good enough for me as my car can only take 47 kWh max. Payment is super easy as you top up the wallet and the amount is automatically deducted at the end of the charging session.

 

PTT and PEA both have on peak and off peak rates. That accounts for the different pricing. Elexa does not have off peak rates but the chargers are very new and fast. Payment is done at the end of the session with a debit or credit card. This adds an extra minute to your charging session compared to PTT or PEA.

 

 

so from your experience plus comments on Thai FB groups I would conclude that for on-the-road charging PEA volta and EGAT elexa are probably the best choices?

[BKKBike09]

3 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

You might find there is a setting to pre-condition the battery for charging, on my car selecting "Sport Plus" does that.

BYD Atto doesn't have this. However it has some sort of power battery temperature control function because a little message sometimes appears during charging to say 'power battery temperature regulation in progress' or something like that. BYD has a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery which I think I've read heats up less when charging / discharging.

[JBChiangRai]

1 hour ago, BKKBike09 said:

BYD Atto doesn't have this. However it has some sort of power battery temperature control function because a little message sometimes appears during charging to say 'power battery temperature regulation in progress' or something like that. BYD has a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery which I think I've read heats up less when charging / discharging.

Lithium Iron Phosphate( LFP or LiFePo4) is the best chemistry for Thailand, twice the charging cycles as NMC and tolerates hot temperatures better without premature degradation.  NMC is more energy dense.

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

Lithium Iron Phosphate( LFP or LiFePo4) is the best chemistry for Thailand, twice the charging cycles as NMC and tolerates hot temperatures better without premature degradation.  NMC is more energy dense.

I wonder if that’s the reason that Thailand only get 2 LFP versions of MG4 , while in the U.K. they get 2 NMC versions and only 1 LFP ??

[BKKBike09]

20 hours ago, CLW said:

so from your experience plus comments on Thai FB groups I would conclude that for on-the-road charging PEA volta and EGAT elexa are probably the best choices?

Another thing to bear in mind is that - of the admittedly small number of outdoor chargers I've seen - none of them have cover for your car. Charging in the rainy season will be fun. I mean, standing in a puddle, in the rain, holding a high-voltage electric cable, in Thailand .... what could go wrong?

 

[macahoom]

15 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

Another thing to bear in mind is that - of the admittedly small number of outdoor chargers I've seen - none of them have cover for your car. Charging in the rainy season will be fun. I mean, standing in a puddle, in the rain, holding a high-voltage electric cable, in Thailand .... what could go wrong?

 

I really wish people would do some research before coming on here and talking codswallop.

 

A quick Google came up with this:

 

"You can charge an electric car in the rain. In fact, charging an electric car in the rain is no different to charging it in any other weather condition, as the charging systems on EVs are designed to withstand the elements and remove any potential risks associated with charging in the rain. This means that, no matter what the weather is like, EV charging is always possible.

 

Is it safe to charge an electric car in the rain?
Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe. The  EV charging components is entirely sealed and built to withstand water intrusion, so there’s no danger of electrocution. So, if you're worried about charging your electric car in the rain or any other type of weather, don't be - it's 100% safe."

 

And if you haven't seen many outdoor chargers in Thailand, maybe you should get your eyes tested.

[Gweiloman]

22 hours ago, CLW said:

so from your experience plus comments on Thai FB groups I would conclude that for on-the-road charging PEA volta and EGAT elexa are probably the best choices?

Yes, I would prioritise PEA and EGAT for on the road charging between the hours of 09:00 - 22:00 on weekdays. Prioritise EGAT due to its higher speeds. Between 22:00 - 09:00, prioritise PEA due to off peak rates followed by PTT which also have off peak rates if the timing is right and the chargers are available.

 

What I mean by timing (assuming the charger is available) is that you are only able to charge for 55 min max (from the start of the hour till xx:55). Charging will then automatically stop at the 55 min mark. If you need more time than that, you should book the next hour as early as possible. A real pfaff.

[KhunLA]

23 hours ago, CLW said:

so from your experience plus comments on Thai FB groups I would conclude that for on-the-road charging PEA volta and EGAT elexa are probably the best choices?

If wanting, needing fast chargers.   MGs for instance will only accept about 76kWh. along with most battery packs in the MGs are 50.3 kWh (46.3 usable), so shouldn't really need much more than 30-45 mins to top back up.

 

Charging from 80-100% slows down a bit as cell are balanced.  Why they state in promo 30-80% in about 30 mins, reads better than 50-100, as taking a bit longer.

30ish % to 100% takes about 45 mins, and a welcomed rest stop after 3 hrs on Thai roads.

[BKKBike09]

3 hours ago, macahoom said:

I really wish people would do some research before coming on here and talking codswallop.

 

A quick Google came up with this:

 

"You can charge an electric car in the rain. In fact, charging an electric car in the rain is no different to charging it in any other weather condition, as the charging systems on EVs are designed to withstand the elements and remove any potential risks associated with charging in the rain. This means that, no matter what the weather is like, EV charging is always possible.

 

Is it safe to charge an electric car in the rain?
Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe. The  EV charging components is entirely sealed and built to withstand water intrusion, so there’s no danger of electrocution. So, if you're worried about charging your electric car in the rain or any other type of weather, don't be - it's 100% safe."

 

And if you haven't seen many outdoor chargers in Thailand, maybe you should get your eyes tested.

While I approve of using the word 'codswallop', here it's a little misplaced. Since you used 'codswallop' I imagine you are also familiar with the concept of 'tongue in cheek'? My post was really a swipe at the fact that none of the outdoor chargers I've seen offered any shelter from the elements. So while you may be perfectly safe charging in a downpour, you'll likely become quite moist doing it. While the people filling their cars up with petrol will remain dry as a bone (even if they were doing it themselves, rather than having some minimum wage person do it for them).

 

Perhaps you'd like to suggest some outdoor charging stations that do offer shelter from the elements?

 

 

[Bandersnatch]

[macahoom]

29 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

So while you may be perfectly safe charging in a downpour, you'll likely become quite moist doing it. While the people filling their cars up with petrol will remain dry as a bone

I have read your post again, and it seems pretty clear to me that you are concerned about getting electrocuted whilst charging in a downpour. Sorry if I got that wrong.

 

Regardless, you seem to be now saying that the point of your post was to highlight the fact that, without shelter, people charging are gonna get wet.

 

When charging there's no need to stand beside your car, so a simple umbrella would keep you dry for the short time it takes to hook up to the charger.

Edited February 24, 2023 by macahoom

[BKKBike09]

2 hours ago, macahoom said:

I have read your post again, and it seems pretty clear to me that you are concerned about getting electrocuted whilst charging in a downpour. Sorry if I got that wrong.

 

Regardless, you seem to be now saying that the point of your post was to highlight the fact that, without shelter, people charging are gonna get wet.

 

When charging there's no need to stand beside your car, so a simple umbrella would keep you dry for the short time it takes to hook up to the charger.

No apologies required. I'm not really concerned about the risk of electrocution although 30 years of living in Thailand has provided many salutary examples of hapless folk being killed or severely injured by faulty electrical equipment. 

 

I am indeed highlighting the fact that, without shelter, people charging are "gonna get wet". I also rather doubt that "a simple umbrella" (or even a complicated one) "would keep you dry for the short time it takes to hook up the charger". 

 

Which rather brings us full circle: wouldn't it just be better all round if outdoor charging stations offered shelter from the elements?

[Yorkshire Tea]

4 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

wouldn't it just be better all round if outdoor charging stations offered shelter from the elements?

Yes, including sunshine.   Imagine arriving to charge in the middle of a full on tropical downpour & farting around with an umbrella getting blown inside out ???? I guess electric car drivers are made of sturdier stuff ????

Edited February 24, 2023 by Yorkshire Tea

[digbeth]

the location of charger close to amenities like entrance and toilets is already making the spot being iced, if the charging spot is the only spot with roof in car park/ service station without roof, it's even more tempting to be blocked in by clueless ice drivers 

[Yorkshire Tea]

10 minutes ago, digbeth said:

it's even more tempting to be blocked in by clueless ice drivers

Or clueless ev drivers who don't need to charge.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Whatever happened to the Neta U Pro ?, saw a few videos when it was at the Motorshow a while ago ? Seemed like it was in contention with its 610 km range ( NEDC ) decent specs and a great size boot.

A bit bland in style inside and out perhaps but with a rumoured price of 900k thought it might have made an appearance by now.

[vinny41]

8 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Whatever happened to the Neta U Pro ?, saw a few videos when it was at the Motorshow a while ago ? Seemed like it was in contention with its 610 km range ( NEDC ) decent specs and a great size boot.

A bit bland in style inside and out perhaps but with a rumoured price of 900k thought it might have made an appearance by now.

Launch Date 23rd March at Motor Show

[CLW]

Last weekend I was enquiring at car dealers about my two current favorite EVs, MG 4 and BYD Seal.

 

BYD dealer said they have no information regarding a possible launch date of the Seal. "Within this year maybe", the sales said. BYD will bring the Dolphin to Thailand before the Seal and announce more information at the BKK motorshow end of March. Asking further about the Seal, salesman said he has no information from BYD HQ regarding some updates during motorshow. But he also aware that many people asking about BYD Seal being the only affordable EV sedan in the market.

 

Next off to MG, quite short visit. It's a new dealership and they currently didn't have an MG 4 in the showroom or for test drive. Sales going to call this week to have a look and test drive once they have a show car available. 

 

Conclusion so far, MG 4 has received excellent reviews and being named best compact SUV in Europe above class leaders such as VW ID.3, Cupra Born and Renault Megane e-tech. 

Given to unsure release date of the BYD Seal and don't want to wait until end of this year, I am leaning towards the MG4. If the test drive is satisfying, I am very close to buying it.

[Andrew Dwyer]

11 minutes ago, CLW said:

Last weekend I was enquiring at car dealers about my two current favorite EVs, MG 4 and BYD Seal.

 

BYD dealer said they have no information regarding a possible launch date of the Seal. "Within this year maybe", the sales said. BYD will bring the Dolphin to Thailand before the Seal and announce more information at the BKK motorshow end of March. Asking further about the Seal, salesman said he has no information from BYD HQ regarding some updates during motorshow. But he also aware that many people asking about BYD Seal being the only affordable EV sedan in the market.

 

Next off to MG, quite short visit. It's a new dealership and they currently didn't have an MG 4 in the showroom or for test drive. Sales going to call this week to have a look and test drive once they have a show car available. 

 

Conclusion so far, MG 4 has received excellent reviews and being named best compact SUV in Europe above class leaders such as VW ID.3, Cupra Born and Renault Megane e-tech. 

Given to unsure release date of the BYD Seal and don't want to wait until end of this year, I am leaning towards the MG4. If the test drive is satisfying, I am very close to buying it.

Yup, the MG4 is getting some great reviews and at 869/969k is an excellent price. I’m currently torn between the MG4 and the Atto 3 .

 The Neta U Pro might be another one to consider  ?

[vinny41]

another one for march 2023 is

MG EP Facelift 2023, 100% electric car, expected to debut in this Thai Motor Show.

https://www.autospinn.com/2023/02/mg-ep-2023-93862

[In the jungle]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2shibi6T5mc

 

An interesting video from the Electric Viking on rust problems with the BYD Atto 3.

 

For now this is enough for me to cross all BYD cars off the list as it seems to be due to a fundamental flaw in their build process.

 

[JBChiangRai]

2 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Yup, the MG4 is getting some great reviews and at 869/969k is an excellent price. I’m currently torn between the MG4 and the Atto 3 .

 The Neta U Pro might be another one to consider  ?

I got an MG4 three weeks ago, it's a great car.