Electric Vehicles in Thailand

[Pib]

The Atto owner is probably a young man based on the accessories added...wants the "sportiest" BEV available within his price range....and the BYD Seal just became his new crush....now trying to dump the old crush (Atto) and chase after a new crush (Seal).  And then repeat this process every year or two as newer models come along.  Oh, to be young again.  ????

[churchill]

was thinking Volvo EX30 but the Seal looks really good value , very tempting .

 

servicing for me also much easier in Surat rather than a drive to Phuket .

 

 

[macahoom]

Just got confirmation from my salesman that all Seals come with a clip-on glass roof screen.

 

Very pleased about this.

 

[mistral53]

There are ever so many subtle differences between the EU spec Seal and what is sold in Thailand - e.g. we get 2 GB per month free Internet (10 GB for EU) the interior is in black only, the center console is downgraded, the rear view mirror is standard (frame-less in EU) the V2L is 2.2 KW here, 3 KW in the EU, the on board AC charger is 7 KW here, 11 KW in the EU, etc......... still an exceptional value. Signed up for the Performance version, delivery middle of next week from Phetchaburi dealer, 15 minutes from where we live.

[Andrew Dwyer]

54 minutes ago, Pib said:

The Atto owner is probably a young man based on the accessories added...wants the "sportiest" BEV available within his price range....and the BYD Seal just became his new crush....now trying to dump the old crush (Atto) and chase after a new crush (Seal).  And then repeat this process every year or two as newer models come along.  Oh, to be young again.  ????

Yup, EV’s are evolving so fast they have become like the iPhone, or any other advance in technology for that matter, you just get used to the new toy and an updated version comes along !!

[Pib]

The Seal is now appearing on the Rever Thailand website....earlier today it wasn't listed yet.

 

https://www.reverautomotive.com/en/model/seal/overview

 

 

[Alotoftravel]

missing from the Dolphin ( although the camera can be bought and fit to the Dolphin very easily ).

 

andrew,

I was informed by sales that it would void my car warranty if I installed BYD camera that fit into the dolphin . Has to be an external camera I believe , unfortunately . 

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 hour ago, Alotoftravel said:

 

missing from the Dolphin ( although the camera can be bought and fit to the Dolphin very easily ).

 

andrew,

I was informed by sales that it would void my car warranty if I installed BYD camera that fit into the dolphin . Has to be an external camera I believe , unfortunately . 

The video I saw shows that the cable is already installed and it is just a question of removing the cover, plugging the cable in, snapping the camera into position, rebooting the system and you are good to go.

 

Many have fit them already as readily available from Lazada, Shopee and AliExpress.

Not doubting the sales person told you this but i would like to get a second opinion. Seems a bit harsh when all parts are already there for fitting. Wonder why the decision to remove the camera was made ?

 

I suspect it might be a similar case for the Seal as the camera housing looks the same as on Atto 3 but no mention of the video recorder in any of the info or videos i have seen.

@Bandersnatch , maybe you could ask the void warranty question if it turns out a recorder is not fitted ?

[vinny41]

57 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

The video I saw shows that the cable is already installed and it is just a question of removing the cover, plugging the cable in, snapping the camera into position, rebooting the system and you are good to go.

 

Many have fit them already as readily available from Lazada, Shopee and AliExpress.

Not doubting the sales person told you this but i would like to get a second opinion. Seems a bit harsh when all parts are already there for fitting. Wonder why the decision to remove the camera was made ?

 

I suspect it might be a similar case for the Seal as the camera housing looks the same as on Atto 3 but no mention of the video recorder in any of the info or videos i have seen.

@Bandersnatch , maybe you could ask the void warranty question if it turns out a recorder is not fitted ?

I have seen some posts on Facebook where people purchased the camera themselves and then asked the service centre to install it

the camera in question is a Byd part

some people have stated picture quality not good and no sound no sure if it will read a number plate

[Bandersnatch]

7 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

 

@Bandersnatch , maybe you could ask the void warranty question if it turns out a recorder is not fitted ?

OK will ask the girl today.

 

Just for information, when I ordered my 2 MG EVs both times I was told “cannot fit any after-market electronic devices as this an electric car.  Can only use devices that fit into USB/cigarette lighter power supply not wired into the car” Had to sign a paper to that effect.

 

I ordered a MG branded dashcam from the dealer and they wired it in for me

 

 

[sirineou]

FYI , scanning the news headlines today and came across this one , concerning DC charging that I am sure it would make all of you happy.

"After studying 12,500 Teslas, Recurrent concluded that “the results show no statistically significant difference in range degradation between Teslas that fast charge more than 90% of the time and those that fast charge less than 10% of the time.” " 

 https://news.yahoo.com/study-reveals-truth-effects-tesla-050000840.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9uZXdzLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAACjLkSvsYS0waMbgGlgnQ56BRs6IwFMovqHu7VH0JkthoJd7xJ-bOhdE8tfIpKMcxfgkG3xs_iSxh32WRKj6M_2pQeLb2K-R-5Npf1bc69dxVQbGgylF6RnWFsHe5P-fOI0Ux2JhAs6HDgArF1Q3qHEM9ywj3rLszDUBuII9VhyS

[Andrew Dwyer]

7 hours ago, vinny41 said:

I have seen some posts on Facebook where people purchased the camera themselves and then asked the service centre to install it

the camera in question is a Byd part

some people have stated picture quality not good and no sound no sure if it will read a number plate

Yes the lack of sound is annoying and i have also seen reports that the resolution is not as good as some after market dash cams.

A shame BYD haven’t ( apparently ) resolved these two things for a premium car like the Seal.

While it is easy to purchase a good quality dash cam it means it will have the cable trailing down to the plug, unless hard wired, as no usb socket behind rear view mirror like MG and GWM.

Seems like BYD missed an opportunity to improve the video recorder quality and add to the list of new tech.

[Andrew Dwyer]

40 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

OK will ask the girl today.

 

Just for information, when I ordered my 2 MG EVs both times I was told “cannot fit any after-market electronic devices as this an electric car.  Can only use devices that fit into USB/cigarette lighter power supply not wired into the car” Had to sign a paper to that effect.

 

I ordered a MG branded dashcam from the dealer and they wired it in for me

 

 

Thanks, good to know.

I do see a lot of people “diying” the video recorder and electric tailgate into the Dolphin, likewise many fitting the kick sensor to the Atto 3, wonder if they are aware of any possible warranty issues.

[Andrew Dwyer]

Some might be wondering how to gain access to the low voltage battery on the BYD Seal with the front compartment completely sealed ( pun intended ) with the frunk ?

Well the battery is actually located under the rear seats, not sure how accessible it is .

If connection to another vehicle’s battery is necessary for starting there is facility in the frunk compartment or a push button inside the driver’s door to facilitate starting.

I suggest prospective buyers, and I include myself here, to educate themselves on these procedures before venturing too far.

 

refer pages 100 and 197 of this European manual for clarification:

 

https://www.bydauto.nl/app/uploads/2023/09/BYD-SEAL-Owner_s-Manual-Left-hand-Drive.pdf

[vinny41]

1 hour ago, Bandersnatch said:

OK will ask the girl today.

 

Just for information, when I ordered my 2 MG EVs both times I was told “cannot fit any after-market electronic devices as this an electric car.  Can only use devices that fit into USB/cigarette lighter power supply not wired into the car” Had to sign a paper to that effect.

 

I ordered a MG branded dashcam from the dealer and they wired it in for me

 

 

I assume this one is hardwired in as in the description it states Ready to record images automatically Even without starting the engine

and as you can see they are using the MG Maxus 9 in the video

 

[JBChiangRai]

I wonder when we will start to see 12v Lead-Acid car batteries replaced with Lithium types.

 

A friend of mine died in a motorbike accident and he was selling 12v Lithium batteries for scooters and big bikes, my two daughters have his batteries in a Ninja 400 and Honda Scoopy.  The batteries have a built in BMS and are basically, fit & forget.

[vinny41]

13 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Some might be wondering how to gain access to the low voltage battery on the BYD Seal with the front compartment completely sealed ( pun intended ) with the frunk ?

Well the battery is actually located under the rear seats, not sure how accessible it is .

If connection to another vehicle’s battery is necessary for starting there is facility in the frunk compartment or a push button inside the driver’s door to facilitate starting.

I suggest prospective buyers, and I include myself here, to educate themselves on these procedures before venturing too far.

 

refer pages 100 and 197 of this European manual for clarification:

 

https://www.bydauto.nl/app/uploads/2023/09/BYD-SEAL-Owner_s-Manual-Left-hand-Drive.pdf

Where is the main battery located this facebook post indicates it below the boot is that correct

"My girlfriend's heart is that she wants Atto because it's versatile and a higher car is safer for swimming."

About the battery under water. They explain that Seal is safer than Atto.

Because Seal's battery is better covered and protected than Atto and placed inside the trunk of the car. It's not on the bottom like Atto, so it can swim safer than Atto for sure. The flood is about 60cm.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bydthailand/permalink/674977811275670

[Bandersnatch]

This is a good video from TiY a Thai living in China who used English subs:

 

Screen Shots:

 

 

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

13 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

Where is the main battery located this facebook post indicates it below the boot is that correct

"My girlfriend's heart is that she wants Atto because it's versatile and a higher car is safer for swimming."

About the battery under water. They explain that Seal is safer than Atto.

Because Seal's battery is better covered and protected than Atto and placed inside the trunk of the car. It's not on the bottom like Atto, so it can swim safer than Atto for sure. The flood is about 60cm.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bydthailand/permalink/674977811275670

I saw a FB post yesterday ( cannot find it now ) with a schematic showing the location and a couple of photos.

It certainly looked to be under the rear seat and there was an access panel, not sure if access is from the front or rear of the seat although I would imagine it has to be from the front.

 

Just re-read your post and it seems to be about the main ( EV ) battery which is in the normal BYD location ( between the axles and danger of flood damage, I was talking about the 12v battery.

[Bandersnatch]

Tiy fits the Captain America  Sun Shield.

 

Start the video at 13:10 minutes

 

 

[Pib]

44 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

Where is the main battery located this facebook post indicates it below the boot is that correct

"My girlfriend's heart is that she wants Atto because it's versatile and a higher car is safer for swimming."

About the battery under water. They explain that Seal is safer than Atto.

Because Seal's battery is better covered and protected than Atto and placed inside the trunk of the car. It's not on the bottom like Atto, so it can swim safer than Atto for sure. The flood is about 60cm.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/bydthailand/permalink/674977811275670

That FB post is confused....talking that the 12V lead acid and lithium traction battery as if they were one in the same but they are two different batteries.  On both cars the lithium traction battery is on the bottom of the vehicle but for the Atto the 12V battery is high in the front drive/engine compartment and apparently for the Seal the 12V battery is in the rear seat/boot area.

[Alotoftravel]

Anyone know if the ByD seal moved to one pedal brake driving . I know the dolphin and Otto did not subscribe to one pedal ( Volvo and Tesla uses one pedal)  i am not sure if it is better with one pedal braking , just different tech as   BYD does a similar regen process that uses the brake too for regen for a moother ride ).

[Andrew Dwyer]

Okay, just to clarify what I was talking about the Seal 12v battery location, it is under the rear seat ( behind the passenger ).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[macahoom]

8 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Okay, just to clarify what I was talking about the Seal 12v battery location, it is under the rear seat ( behind the passenger ).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About 1972, I was a rear seat passenger in an elderly VW Beetle and, if my memory serves me well, the battery, which was under the rear seat, went on fire as we were driving along. Much hilarity!

 

I think we managed to put it out quite quickly. Not sure if we were able to continue our journey though.

[Bandersnatch]

26 minutes ago, Alotoftravel said:

Anyone know if the ByD seal moved to one pedal brake driving . I know the dolphin and Otto did not subscribe to one pedal ( Volvo and Tesla uses one pedal)  i am not sure if it is better with one pedal braking , just different tech as   BYD does a similar regen process that uses the brake too for regen for a moother ride ).

I am not sure if you saw the posts above about adjusting regen levels? On my test drive, the BYD girl didn’t know how to adjust regen. My Regen was set to std and it was certainly was not one pedal. I could see the power meter go negative kW as I lifted off. 

[mistral53]

53 minutes ago, Alotoftravel said:

Anyone know if the ByD seal moved to one pedal brake driving . I know the dolphin and Otto did not subscribe to one pedal ( Volvo and Tesla uses one pedal)  i am not sure if it is better with one pedal braking , just different tech as   BYD does a similar regen process that uses the brake too for regen for a moother ride ).

Definitely NOT one pedal driving, one of the points criticized about the Seal. Its just a different driving philosophy, more akin to a standard car. It does have brake blending, i.e. it does regen when braking.

[vinny41]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

That FB post is confused....talking that the 12V lead acid and lithium traction battery as if they were one in the same but they are two different batteries.  On both cars the lithium traction battery is on the bottom of the vehicle but for the Atto the 12V battery is high in the front drive/engine compartment and apparently for the Seal the 12V battery is in the rear seat/boot area.

I think the FB post must be confused about safe wading dept for seal has mixed cm with mm  as it mentions 60cm and it states seal is better than atto 3

Seal Ground Clearance Unladen (mm) 120  (12cm) 

Atto 3  Ground Clearance Unladen (mm) 175 (17.5cm)

Seal Overall Height (mm) 1460 ( 146cm)

60cm wading for seal would equal 41% of total height of seal

I think Ford ranger with standard wheels has a safe wading dept of 800mm (80cm)

60cm for seal would be impressive if correct

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

31 minutes ago, macahoom said:

 

About 1972, I was a rear seat passenger in an elderly VW Beetle and, if my memory serves me well, the battery, which was under the rear seat, went on fire as we were driving along. Much hilarity!

 

I think we managed to put it out quite quickly. Not sure if we were able to continue our journey though.

Hopefully battery technology has moved on and safety is improved .

 

My current car has the 12v battery in the boot with the hybrid battery but restricts storage space, under the rear seat is logical as is wasted space ignoring the lack of access and , some might say !, safety issue.

[Bandersnatch]

12 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

 

@Bandersnatch , maybe you could ask the void warranty question if it turns out a recorder is not fitted ?

During the test drive she that the seal had a dash cam but today she said 

 

“ไม่มีค่ะ

ลูกค้าต้องติดตั้งเองค่ะ 
มีกล้องบันทึก เฉพาะ ATT03  ค่ะ“

 

Not have

 

Customers must install it themselves.

 

There is a recording camera, only ATT03
 

????

 

[vinny41]

14 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

During the test drive she that the seal had a dash cam but today she said 

 

“ไม่มีค่ะ

ลูกค้าต้องติดตั้งเองค่ะ 
มีกล้องบันทึก เฉพาะ ATT03  ค่ะ“

 

Not have

 

Customers must install it themselves.

 

There is a recording camera, only ATT03
 

????

 

Byd offical name is vehicle travelling data recorder 

no sound