Electric Vehicles in Thailand

[ExpatOilWorker]

On 3/12/2025 at 3:18 PM, JBChiangRai said:

Neither Oily nor Vinny are stupid people,

Now that we have established that Vinny and this Oily fellow is the gold standard of EV knowledge, I want to come clean and confess I am in the process of installing solar power.

I know it is a very dangerous and  slippery slope, that over time could lead to an EV, but since I am paying 30 baht/kWh, it is a risk worth taking.

At the moment I am using 12 litre of diesel daily to generate electricity, so the main problem is how to maintain my carbon footprint 👣 when switching to solar 😉. 

 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

I know it is a very dangerous and  slippery slope, that over time could lead to an EV

    

 

OMT  ...  could ... should lead to a BEV.  You'd be a fool not to, if having solar.   Solar cuts about 10k a month off living expense.  5k for PEA savings & 5k from petrol savings.  Come August, and that's 3 yrs having solar, and ROI is more than half done.   And our 'installed' system, wasn't cheap.

 

This guy will talk you through solar installation.  The kid's a genius.  I think key points, are, hook battery up last, and solar panels to inverter at night, when not producing.  Save zapping yourself, as could easily kill you.

 

 

 

[Pib]

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

At the moment I am using 12 litre of diesel daily to generate electricity, so the main problem is how to maintain my carbon footprint 👣 when switching to solar 😉. 

 

Are you saying you live somewhere in Thailand without electricity?   Or are you saying you do have electrical service but you figure the electric company burns 12 liters of diesel per day to feed your home with electrons? 

[ExpatOilWorker]

4 minutes ago, Pib said:

Are you saying you live somewhere in Thailand without electricity?   Or are you saying you do have electrical service but you figure the electric company burns 12 liters of diesel per day to feed your home with electrons? 

We are a group of 19 villas that run on a communal generator. The generator is way oversized, 60 kVA, and burns through 3,600 l of diesel ⛽️ every month.

[UWEB]

2 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

At the moment I am using 12 litre of diesel daily to generate electricity, so the main problem is how to maintain my carbon footprint 👣 when switching to solar 😉. 

 

Just do it like the Farmers everywhere, just burn your Trash daily. As more smoke as better for your Neighbors.

[Pib]

1 hour ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

We are a group of 19 villas that run on a communal generator. The generator is way oversized, 60 kVA, and burns through 3,600 l of diesel ⛽️ every month.

OK...I understand now....thanks. 

 

You do understand as a "life long oil man" if you take this radical path to installing solar panels you could be excommunicated from the Retired Oil Workers Assn, Drill Baby Drill Cult, and possibly lose your seat on the Illuminati High Council.   Heck, John Wick might even come looking for you!   😁😉

 

[motdaeng]

12 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

We are a group of 19 villas that run on a communal generator. The generator is way oversized, 60 kVA, and burns through 3,600 l of diesel ⛽️ every month.

 

... what a mess ... your group solution sounds not very sustainable ... 

[JBChiangRai]

13 hours ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

We are a group of 19 villas that run on a communal generator. The generator is way oversized, 60 kVA, and burns through 3,600 l of diesel ⛽️ every month.

 

1 hour ago, motdaeng said:

 

... what a mess ... your group solution sounds not very sustainable ... 

 

Oily really does do his bit for the Dino juice industry.

 

I find it strangely pleasing that he pays over the top for his proclivity.

[Andrew Dwyer]

7 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

 

Oily really does do his bit for the Dino juice industry.

 

I find it strangely pleasing that he pays over the top for his proclivity.

Yup, job security at its finest !

[ExpatOilWorker]

6 hours ago, motdaeng said:

 

... what a mess ... your group solution sounds not very sustainable ... 

Solar was in its infancy and prohibitively expensive when the generators were installed 15 years ago. They have done well and been a reliable source of power, but lately time, weather and geckos are starting to play tricks on various control boards.

Thanks to the price drop in solar, it is time to move on.

By the way, PEA is still running the rest of the island on 8 huge generators and are bringing in tons of diesel ⛽️ every second night.

 

[BritManToo]

19 hours ago, KhunLA said:

 

OMT  ...  could ... should lead to a BEV.  You'd be a fool not to, if having solar.   Solar cuts about 10k a month off living expense.  5k for PEA savings & 5k from petrol savings.  Come August, and that's 3 yrs having solar, and ROI is more than half done.   And our 'installed' system, wasn't cheap.

 

Alternatively, you could learn to use less.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Alternatively, you could learn to use less.

Nah ... I like a cool house, even the AC overnight instead of the fan.  Cleaner air & lower RH.    Also, have to drive around doing nothing.  And if less than 250 kms R/T ... free.

 

If I had to buy petrol to explore locally, I wouldn't bother, as nothing really worth spending money to see.

 

We could seriously get by on 25 kms a month, and not even have to be the car, which is only 300 kms a year, and yet, 1st year put on 20k, and shy of 20k the following 18 months.