Electric Vehicles in Thailand

[Andrew Dwyer]

12 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

I did find a spare wheel / tyre but it's about an inch too wide to sit under the boot floor when the floor is in the raised position. I pulled out the foam insert that holds the inflation kit etc and hoped that it would provide enough depth. I think it will, but the foam is held in place by four threaded bolts (no idea why) which don't really show in the pic above. They either need to be removed or a riser of some sort put in: you wouldn't want a tyre to be lying on those bolt tips. TBH could probably render them harmless with water bottle tops and gaffer tape.

 

 

 

 

 

It's irritating there's no "frunk" because the tire kit could go in that space. Maybe someone will start making an insert; can't think it would be too hard.

 

 

Wonder if they are trying to eliminate those 4 threaded bolts in my previous photo. I would find a big washer and nut and cut off the excess level with the nut.

 

As for a Frunk, there’s a Thai version that looks pretty good and been used for a while.

 

It’s made by a company called Promax Auto, will try and find the info with the all important price !!

Also a 2 x gas strut mod to replace the “ holdthebonnetlidopen” thingy.

[BKKBike09]

On 3/10/2023 at 1:58 PM, BKKBike09 said:

Not So Good

 

1. Cruise control - fiddly to set, very hard to see speed set, only goes up/down in 5 kmh intervals

Tried again to use the cruise control on motorway again today. I'm going to revise my assessment from 'Not So Good' to 'Really Poor'. It could just be me of course, but it's really hard to set (because it's so <deleted> hard to see the speed that's set), it over reacts when slowing down and speeding up, and - worst of all - it won't let you drive without it being 'Adaptive'. Cruise control should be press one button to engage at whatever speed the car is doing when the button is pressed, then toggle to speed up / slow down by 1 kmh/1mph increments - NOT +/- 5 kmh steps. To be fair we have a CRV with cruise control that does this and I still never use it, but the Atto set up is really poor, at least in moderate motorway traffic. Maybe on empty upcountry roads it would be fine.

 

It doesn't matter if the instrument display is set to dark or light (I prefer dark) - the cruise control speed setting is really hard to see.

 

 

 

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

23 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Looks like i spoke too soon, what’s going on here ??

 

I returned to this FB post and it appears the owner is “ butchering “ his car for a stereo ( read ridiculously over the top loud stereo ) so no help in the spare tyre department.

[Yellowtail]

4 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I returned to this FB post and it appears the owner is “ butchering “ his car for a stereo ( read ridiculously over the top loud stereo ) so no help in the spare tyre department.

Do you have a lot of flat tires? 

[Andrew Dwyer]

3 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Do you have a lot of flat tires? 

No, but if you had read the thread you would have realised my info is to assist another poster who is looking at carrying a spare.

[Andrew Dwyer]

20 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

 

As for a Frunk, there’s a Thai version that looks pretty good and been used for a while.

 

It’s made by a company called Promax Auto, will try and find the info with the all important price !!

Also a 2 x gas strut mod to replace the “ holdthebonnetlidopen” thingy.

Apparently it was on sale, first 100 units, at 8,990 but normal price is 12,990 baht, seems to be selling well and shipped to Malaysia also. Gathering a lot of interest in the Aus and NZ gb groups , but they are a little set back by the price never mind the shipping.

Anyway, based in Pathum Thani .

[Andrew Dwyer]

42 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

Tried again to use the cruise control on motorway again today. I'm going to revise my assessment from 'Not So Good' to 'Really Poor'. It could just be me of course, but it's really hard to set (because it's so <deleted> hard to see the speed that's set), it over reacts when slowing down and speeding up, and - worst of all - it won't let you drive without it being 'Adaptive'. Cruise control should be press one button to engage at whatever speed the car is doing when the button is pressed, then toggle to speed up / slow down by 1 kmh/1mph increments - NOT +/- 5 kmh steps. To be fair we have a CRV with cruise control that does this and I still never use it, but the Atto set up is really poor, at least in moderate motorway traffic. Maybe on empty upcountry roads it would be fine.

 

It doesn't matter if the instrument display is set to dark or light (I prefer dark) - the cruise control speed setting is really hard to see.

 

 

 

 

 

Have no advice on this as am not a big lover of CC, much less the ACC and haven’t used it in 7 years here. But your comments are familiar, GWM owners were also trying to remove the A from ACC when it landed in Thailand.

[Yellowtail]

I love cruise control and use it all the time here. I've only used "adaptive" cruise control in US rentals and you could turn it off and on, it was okay. 

[BKKBike09]

2 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Do you have a lot of flat tires? 

I've had three in my other car in 7 years, including two that were tears in the tyre wall, for which foam filler is useless. Luckily that car has a spacesaver spare (especially since two of the flats were upcountry). 

 

1 hour ago, Yellowtail said:

I've only used "adaptive" cruise control in US rentals and you could turn it off and on, it was okay. 

You can't turn off the Adaptive "feature" on the BYD Atto.

[BKKBike09]

2 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Apparently it was on sale, first 100 units, at 8,990 but normal price is 12,990 baht, seems to be selling well and shipped to Malaysia also. Gathering a lot of interest in the Aus and NZ gb groups , but they are a little set back by the price never mind the shipping.

Anyway, based in Pathum Thani

Got to love Thailand - it's still THB 8,990 and the guy is bringing it to me this evening! 

[DrCosmix]

Why would  one bother buying this  kind of vehicle 

[Andrew Dwyer]

2 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

Got to love Thailand - it's still THB 8,990 and the guy is bringing it to me this evening! 

That’s great, was going to recommend another one at 5,000 baht but it’s not a patch on the one you have bought and looks like it would move around.

 

I would say this Promax Auto version is pretty damn inventive, here’s a video with the owner/inventor ( i am guessing ) , it’s in thai but pretty self explanatory.

 

 

There is another video about a guy taking his car for a 20,000 km service and he removes the Frunk , not sure why, in a couple of minutes, couldn’t find that video again .

 

[KhunLA]

????

[Andrew Dwyer]

On my frequent trips ( Ayutthaya to Lat Yao, Nakhon Sawan ) on the 32 highway I like to try and spot some of the newer released cars to see what they look like in the wild ( beats talking to the wife ! )

Today, saw no Atto’s and only 1 Good Cat, finally spotting a MG4 X in white, looking splendid !!

 

I did see a car transporter loaded with Neta V ‘s headed North.

Then I saw a lone Neta V in blue, couldn’t help noticing from the back how tall and thin it looked ( it isn’t that tall but quite narrow ). Made me remember when i lived in Brazil and the Fiat Idea was released and they advertised it as “ the tallest car in its class “ …. guess it didn’t have any other redeeming features !!

 

Funny what your mind brings up when stuck on those long straight highways !!

Should probably get myself a new hobby.

[placeholder]

15 hours ago, DrCosmix said:

Why would  one bother buying this  kind of vehicle 

A better question is Why would anyone bother making your kind of post?.

[BKKBike09]

13 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

That’s great, was going to recommend another one at 5,000 baht but it’s not a patch on the one you have bought and looks like it would move around.

 

I would say this Promax Auto version is pretty damn inventive, here’s a video with the owner/inventor ( i am guessing ) , it’s in thai but pretty self explanatory

Thanks. It seems well designed and fits like a glove. That guy in the video ('Champ') is the Promax owner. He has an Atto - he explained (as in the vid) that a major reason for designing it was to have somewhere to store the emergency charger - see pics below which show that it fits quite happily in the 'frunk'. The charger can stay in the boot, but then the floor has to put in the highest position if you want it out of sight and not sliding around.

 

As per the vid, they did a 3-D scan/CAD model and then made an injection mould. He's patented it here and in China and said he's currently talking to BYD about licensing it to them. It really looks like OEM so he's done a good job.

 

 

 

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

@BKKBike09

 

Regarding these in the tyre well:

 

 

 

I wonder if they are studs screwed into body of the car ( captive nuts ) ?

You could try a couple of nuts tightened together and see if you can unscrew them, look like M6 ( 6mm ) to me.

[Bandersnatch]

Anybody know what  @DrCosmix is talking about?

 

18 hours ago, DrCosmix said:

Why would  one bother buying this  kind of vehicle 

 

Is he talking about EVs in general or a particular car? Not sure how to respond.

 

[Bandersnatch]

4 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

Anybody know what  @DrCosmix is talking about?

 

 

Is he talking about EVs in general or a particular car? Not sure how to respond.

 

You can ignore my previous question  - he joined on Friday and has already made over 60 posts - added to my ignore list

[Yellowtail]

21 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

You can ignore my previous question  - he joined on Friday and has already made over 60 posts - added to my ignore list

I heard he was a psychiatrist in the SIS.  

[KhunLA]

4 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

Thanks. It seems well designed and fits like a glove. That guy in the video ('Champ') is the Promax owner. He has an Atto - he explained (as in the vid) that a major reason for designing it was to have somewhere to store the emergency charger - see pics below which show that it fits quite happily in the 'frunk'. The charger can stay in the boot, but then the floor has to put in the highest position if you want it out of sight and not sliding around.

 

As per the vid, they did a 3-D scan/CAD model and then made an injection mould. He's patented it here and in China and said he's currently talking to BYD about licensing it to them. It really looks like OEM so he's done a good job.

 

 

 

 

 

For those EV owners who want a frunk, but haven't found one available to buy, there is always DIY.

 

As I searched for the ZS, not that I need one, as more than enough room.  Keep the spare tire where all the cables were, and simply have them tucked away.   Don't take much space

 

Anyway, and Irish place does make one for the ZS.  Nothing special, but this guy caught my eye, and simply used some basic stuff to fashion for his ZS ???? 

 

 

 

[Bandersnatch]

 

0-100 in 8.9 seconds!

 

EQB 350 is 6.2 - no information yet

[macahoom]

41 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

0-100 in 8.9 seconds!

I'm surprised.

 

This is not fast compared to other EVs; even my MG is faster. I would have expected a Merc to be much quicker off the mark.

 

Maybe you quoted the figures because you're surprised too?

[Bandersnatch]

11 minutes ago, macahoom said:

I'm surprised.

 

This is not fast compared to other EVs; even my MG is faster. I would have expected a Merc to be much quicker off the mark.

 

Maybe you quoted the figures because you're surprised too?

Underwhelming specs considering the price.

[BKKBike09]

On 3/12/2023 at 1:17 PM, Andrew Dwyer said:

 

I wonder if they are studs screwed into body of the car ( captive nuts ) ?

You could try a couple of nuts tightened together and see if you can unscrew them, look like M6 ( 6mm ) to me.

I'll have a look and report back.

[Andrew Dwyer]

3 hours ago, BKKBike09 said:

I'll have a look and report back.

Wonder if you have tried your full size spare ( 18” ) in the hole  ?

Read a report of a guy using a Rav 4 wheel and tyre as a spare and it fit in on an angle, but it’s only 17” .

 

[Yellowtail]

or buy a cheap donut spare. 

[KhunLA]

6 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

 

0-100 in 8.9 seconds!

 

EQB 350 is 6.2 - no information yet

For all that money,  not impressive at all.  I'm sure, hope anyway, fit & finish is very nice, more comforts & options.  Must be using all the energy & power for options, because it isn't going toward performance.

 

Liking our ZS even more, for less than 1/3 the price.  Might have to top up more often on the highway, and a bit slower, but that 2 mill in pocket, pays for the house & solar system.  2 stats questionable, but close enough, match or better on different sites.

 

[macahoom]

Over the past month or two, I've read great reviews for the MG4 EV. And then yesterday, I saw it was voted car of the year in the UK.

 

My three and a half year old MG ZS EV is a great car and my plan has always been to hold on to it for many years. However, passing an MG showroom this morning I thought, "What the hell! Let's test drive an MG4 and see what all the fuss is about."

 

Well, holy smokes! As wonderful as my ZS is, the MG4 blows it out of the water; renders it old hat.

 

Dare I say it, it drives and feels like it's expensive and European. Handles beautifully.

 

It's so good, I'm sorely tempted to buy one. The problem is, it's difficult to justify getting rid of my ZS. For a start, I'd get peanuts for it - no matter how good it is. 

 

I suppose I may as well test drive the BYD Atto3 while I'm at it.

[KhunLA]

15 minutes ago, macahoom said:

Over the past month or two, I've read great reviews for the MG4 EV. And then yesterday, I saw it was voted car of the year in the UK.

 

My three and a half year old MG ZS EV is a great car and my plan has always been to hold on to it for many years. However, passing an MG showroom this morning I thought, "What the hell! Let's test drive an MG4 and see what all the fuss is about."

 

Well, holy smokes! As wonderful as my ZS is, the MG4 blows it out of the water; renders it old hat.

 

Dare I say it, it drives and feels like it's expensive and European. Handles beautifully.

 

It's so good, I'm sorely tempted to buy one. The problem is, it's difficult to justify getting rid of my ZS. For a start, I'd get peanuts for it - no matter how good it is. 

 

I suppose I may as well test drive the BYD Atto3 while I'm at it.

Them showrooms are a biatch ... I try to avoid them, and those positive YT vids, especially if I respect the reviewer.

 

As silly as it seems to us poor folks, me, I can see how rich people end up collecting a bunch of cars.

 

3 times with wife ... "I'm just going to peek".... "yea right" ... and 3 times upgraded cars ????

 

Luckily we need the extra room of the ZS for out & abouts, so all the new sedans aren't tugging at me.