1 hour ago, Pib said:

The Zhida charger comes with a VCT 3 wire 10mm2 "input" cable (actually VCT-G 2x10/10) rated with at 40C (degrees) continuous rating of approx 47A. Actually the cable is rated up to 70C continuous where the max continuous current would be a little less. However, that continuous rating applies to "conductors....that is, the wires actually carry current''.....since only two of the wires actually carry current (Line and Neutral) a 2 wire conductor rating is approx 51A continuous. And by "continuous I mean it can safely carry that amount of current for decades. Plus these continuous ratings are "conservative" ratings...error on the side of caution. The cable can actually carry much more amps before its insulations would start getting really hot and melt at some point...but that probably would start happening until a 100 to 150A was continuously flowing thru the cable. Numerous circuit breakers would have tripped long before then like the 40A RCBO installed next to the charger and 40A circuit breaker back the home's main circuit panel.

The Zhida charging "output" cable (i.e., charger to EV) is a 4 wire 6mm2 wire as is almost every 7KW charging cable on the market....7KW chargers simply use 6mm2 wire because it's more than enough to carry 30-31A flowing between the 7KW charger and EV. A typical 4 wire 6mm2 wire cable is going to be rated around 34A "continuous;" however, since only 2 of the 4 wires actually carry current up to around 40A continuously....with continuously being 24/7.

As to input and output cable connectors/lugs the wire is crimped into one end of the connector and screwed down on the other end. See below pictures of my Zhida charger when it still had the "original" 5 meter output charging cable...and the new 15M cable I built I installed used the same style connectors/lugs.

"Output"/6mm2 cable connections for Live, Neutral and PE

Closer view....Brown is Line, Yellow-green is PE, and Blue is Neutral...all 6mm2. And lets not forget the all important small red wire which is the Control Pilot (CP) wire that carries communications between the wall charger and EV...that CP wire only carries a 24V rectangular 1000Hz wave at just a few milliamps...that's why a 0.5mm2 wire size is more than enough for the CP wire.

And here's the 3 wire 10mm2 "input" cable (40A RCBO to charger) and how it's installed...type of connectors used. Out of the box the Zhida charger comes with a little over 1 meter long, 10mm2 input cable and connectors. I "think" it came with the connectors that connector to the charger already attached and they just needed to be screwed onto the board. But the other end of the cable which goes to the 40A RCCO the connectors/lugs are not installed in case a person wants to cut/shorten the 10mm2 cable. A person then installs connectors/lugs on that end with a crimper able to crimp 10mm2 wire/lugs (like that crimper I pictured earlier)...the installed lugs now hook to your 40A RCBO.

Zhida 10mm2 input cable....charger to RCBO

By the way, I have been charging my EV for two hours now. Since I read you post before I started charging I took a temp reading with an IR spot temp digital meter of the 10mm2 input cable and 6mm2 output cable before beginning the charge....their temps were 37.6C (i.e., the ambient temp at the time...it's hot today in Bangkok). After two hours of charging at 31A, the 10mm2 cable had a temp of around 39C and the 6mm2 cable around 41C...or said another way they felt "slightly" warmer than ambient temp.

Cheers.

Since you are a perfectionist for your electrical work - do you have one of these, too?

Improper torquing of connector screws is one of the main faults for high current connectors, probably right up there with crimping quality.

I just chat with different LLM's about re-torquing to compensate for guessing how tight to torque, and they all agree - it's not as simple as it sounds:

'Torque Once, Correctly: The single most important step is to tighten the terminal screws to the exact specification in the installation manual using a calibrated torque driver. This is not a job for a regular screwdriver or an impact driver. The correct "feel" is almost impossible to gauge by hand.

1. Inspect, Don't Re-torque: Instead of re-tightening, perform a visual and thermal inspection. Periodically, you can check the connections for any signs of discoloration, melting of insulation, or a "burnt" smell. A non-contact infrared thermometer can be used to check if any terminal is running significantly hotter than the others while the charger is in use.

Keep plugging........you are on the right track

I've still got a torque wrench from my younger days used to tighten nuts and bolts on ICE engines, drive components, etc. A torque wrench I used back in my teens to 40s when a person could work on pretty much any car in their backyard, local auto hobby shop, etc., (to include rebuilding an engine) without the need for any special "electronic" equipment or proprietary manufacturer data.

I was indeed a perfectionist in ensuring engine and other car bolt/nuts were tightened to the specified torque shown in the service manual. But those days are long behind me with current day cars....but that torque wrench still lives in my tool box. 😃

But when it comes to a torque wrench like shown above "me no have." Yeap, electrical connections should be torqued if you have any documentation that specify the correct torque amount but quite often no amount is given. So, I tighten to what I feel is "good and tight" based on what I feel the connection can handle torque-wise...yeap, a shot in the dark, roll of the dice torquing down.

16 hours ago, Pib said:

The Zhida charger comes with a VCT 3 wire 10mm2 "input" cable (actually VCT-G 2x10/10) rated with at 40C (degrees) continuous rating of approx 47A. Actually the cable is rated up to 70C continuous where the max continuous current would be a little less. However, that continuous rating applies to "conductors....that is, the wires actually carry current''.....since only two of the wires actually carry current (Line and Neutral) a 2 wire conductor rating is approx 51A continuous. And by "continuous I mean it can safely carry that amount of current for decades. Plus these continuous ratings are "conservative" ratings...error on the side of caution. The cable can actually carry much more amps before its insulations would start getting really hot and melt at some point...but that probably would start happening until a 100 to 150A was continuously flowing thru the cable. Numerous circuit breakers would have tripped long before then like the 40A RCBO installed next to the charger and 40A circuit breaker back the home's main circuit panel.

The Zhida charging "output" cable (i.e., charger to EV) is a 4 wire 6mm2 wire as is almost every 7KW charging cable on the market....7KW chargers simply use 6mm2 wire because it's more than enough to carry 30-31A flowing between the 7KW charger and EV. A typical 4 wire 6mm2 wire cable is going to be rated around 34A "continuous;" however, since only 2 of the 4 wires actually carry current up to around 40A continuously....with continuously being 24/7.

As to input and output cable connectors/lugs the wire is crimped into one end of the connector and screwed down on the other end. See below pictures of my Zhida charger when it still had the "original" 5 meter output charging cable...and the new 15M cable I built I installed used the same style connectors/lugs.

"Output"/6mm2 cable connections for Live, Neutral and PE

Closer view....Brown is Line, Yellow-green is PE, and Blue is Neutral...all 6mm2. And lets not forget the all important small red wire which is the Control Pilot (CP) wire that carries communications between the wall charger and EV...that CP wire only carries a 24V rectangular 1000Hz wave at just a few milliamps...that's why a 0.5mm2 wire size is more than enough for the CP wire.

And here's the 3 wire 10mm2 "input" cable (40A RCBO to charger) and how it's installed...type of connectors used. Out of the box the Zhida charger comes with a little over 1 meter long, 10mm2 input cable and connectors. I "think" it came with the connectors that connector to the charger already attached and they just needed to be screwed onto the board. But the other end of the cable which goes to the 40A RCCO the connectors/lugs are not installed in case a person wants to cut/shorten the 10mm2 cable. A person then installs connectors/lugs on that end with a crimper able to crimp 10mm2 wire/lugs (like that crimper I pictured earlier)...the installed lugs now hook to your 40A RCBO.

Zhida 10mm2 input cable....charger to RCBO

By the way, I have been charging my EV for two hours now. Since I read you post before I started charging I took a temp reading with an IR spot temp digital meter of the 10mm2 input cable and 6mm2 output cable before beginning the charge....their temps were 37.6C (i.e., the ambient temp at the time...it's hot today in Bangkok). After two hours of charging at 31A, the 10mm2 cable had a temp of around 39C and the 6mm2 cable around 41C...or said another way they felt "slightly" warmer than ambient temp.

Cheers.

Thank you for the photographs!

Mine is certainly 6sqmm input after inspection. They must have upgraded to 10sqmm since then, mine is more than 3 years old already. But from there to the main it's all 10sqmm and 35sqmm to meter.

A good reason for me to change to 10sqmm next time.

The other MG charger I have has a very long gun cable and the input is also 6sqmm. That one is 5 years old.

On 4/11/2026 at 10:45 AM, DavisH said:

While I'm not in the market at the moment, the new mg4 top spec looks good value. 245hp, 350nm, rear wheel drive. The low clearance makes me think twice about it though. Or the s5 for a higher riding position.

The MG S5 also has a low ground clearance which puts me off.

11 hours ago, matchar said:

The MG S5 also has a low ground clearance which puts me off.

We have the MG ZS @ 160mm (10mm less) and have yet to need more clearance. Previous cars, Vios and Mazda 2, having only 140mm, and also never needed any more.

Have you ever posted anything positive about any EV ?

Faster charging is on it's way to Thailand....

As well as the charger pictured, I saw another ad on FB for a 950+ KW charger. It's only a matter of time.

55 minutes ago, Tramboy said:

Faster charging is on it's way to Thailand....

As well as the charger pictured, I saw another ad on FB for a 950+ KW charger. It's only a matter of time.

To use faster charging, you need to have a "compatible" battery ? Which number are you looking for on the battery ?
Example Geely 2 : Battery 39.4 KWH / DC 70KW
Just a simple question for many .

33 minutes ago, khunphil said:

To use faster charging, you need to have a "compatible" battery ? Which number are you looking for on the battery ?
Example Geely 2 : Battery 39.4 KWH / DC 70KW
Just a simple question for many .

Yeah, currently there aren’t many who will benefit from faster charging but there are a few and likely more to come, Zeekr 7X as an example.

My EV takes up to 150 KWH and finding a 180 kWh charger is easy ( Spark ).

But those with the 70/80 kWh charging speed cars most likely have batteries on the smaller side so their overall charging time isn’t too bad ( as we Brits like to say ).

After trying several cheapo phone holders, sticky pad which falls off, clip which broke my air con vent, I decided to go for a Statik, advertised on many pages in Lazada as Satik. I paid Bht 440.

It says it will support 66lbs (not kg?), but DOES NOT SAY that it will only stick to smooth ,flat surfaces, of which my vehicle has none, and that the magnet is so strong, it pulled the metal plate off my phone. They suggested I stick it on the windscreen, which is not at a convenient angle as I use my phone as a dash-cam as well, and I guess it could pull the screen film off. Lazada Customer Service (555) suggested that I send a video as opposed to still photos. Videos of what? The thing falling off.

Have anyone else had, and solved this problem please?

And has anyone got a phone weighing 66lb? 555

57 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

After trying several cheapo phone holders, sticky pad which falls off, clip which broke my air con vent, I decided to go for a Statik, advertised on many pages in Lazada as Satik. I paid Bht 440.

It says it will support 66lbs (not kg?), but DOES NOT SAY that it will only stick to smooth ,flat surfaces, of which my vehicle has none, and that the magnet is so strong, it pulled the metal plate off my phone. They suggested I stick it on the windscreen, which is not at a convenient angle as I use my phone as a dash-cam as well, and I guess it could pull the screen film off. Lazada Customer Service (555) suggested that I send a video as opposed to still photos. Videos of what? The thing falling off.

Have anyone else had, and solved this problem please?

And has anyone got a phone weighing 66lb? 555

Can see by the videos your frustration is rising.

I have given up with phone mounts tbh.

I had a similar phone mount to yours and it didn’t stick to any surface in my car.

The windshield is also no good for the reason of the film and I would be concerned it would just fall off at the wrong moment. The heat on the glass here doesn’t help, a previous dash cam i had would fall off regularly in the hot season.

Those mounts that hook over the air vents are known to break the “ vanes” after a while, plus i have my air vents on swing mode.

Now the only mount I use is when i get a rental car in the U.K. and need to use my google maps, i stick one of these on the dash with a piece of 3M double sided tape. They come with a thin metal plate you can stick to the back of your phone or slide inbetween the phone and case and the magnets are usually pretty good.

The downside being that if you use here it will be permanently stuck on the dash, but I find them infinitely more reliable than the suction cup type.

Available on Lazada/Shopee etc and Mr DIY might have something similar.

3 hours ago, wil iam not said:

After trying several cheapo phone holders, sticky pad which falls off, clip which broke my air con vent, I decided to go for a Statik, advertised on many pages in Lazada as Satik. I paid Bht 440.

It says it will support 66lbs (not kg?), but DOES NOT SAY that it will only stick to smooth ,flat surfaces, of which my vehicle has none, and that the magnet is so strong, it pulled the metal plate off my phone. They suggested I stick it on the windscreen, which is not at a convenient angle as I use my phone as a dash-cam as well, and I guess it could pull the screen film off. Lazada Customer Service (555) suggested that I send a video as opposed to still photos. Videos of what? The thing falling off.

Have anyone else had, and solved this problem please?

And has anyone got a phone weighing 66lb? 555

No suction cup is going to stick to a surface like that - too many places for air to permeate with all those little bumps. They ALL need a smooth flat surface.

Is there an EV on the market that doesn't come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? Surely not?

(Sorry just noticed you aid you want to use it as a dash cam, but that is incredibly inefficient just constantly recording phone video. Just buy a cheap dash cam and use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for your phone needs.

10 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Is there an EV on the market that doesn't come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? Surely not?

Probably not but Google Maps running under Android Auto has less capability than the Google Maps running on a phone. I expect Google Maps running under Apple CarPlay has less capability also.

On my Atto I run Google Maps under GPack which is part of the EV's Infotainment system...it's identical to running it on my phone. But running Google Maps under Android Auto is like using a handicapped version of Google Maps.

3 minutes ago, Pib said:

Probably not but Google Maps running under Android Auto has less capability than the Google Maps running on a phone. I expect Google Maps running under Apple CarPlay has less capability also.

On my Atto I run Google Maps under GPack...it's identical to running it on my phone. But running Google Maps under Android Auto is like using a handicapped version of Google Maps.

Ok, interesting. I use Google Maps on CarPlay and it is a bit more annoying - for example not being able to pinch and scroll around like you can on your phone. Otherwise I don't notice a huge amount of downside.

@Pib

Is Gpack something you side-load or is it a BYD download?

How do I install Gpack and not stuff up my car warranty?

My maps on the SL7 can never get me home doesn't matter how many 'turn left' it wants me to take.

11 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

(Sorry just noticed you aid you want to use it as a dash cam, but that is incredibly inefficient just constantly recording phone video. Just buy a cheap dash cam and use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for your phone needs.

The app I use Droid Dashcam works perfectly, and can be set up to delete videos automatically, or it is easy to delete from your photo Gallery in a minute or so. So I need a holder which holds the phone vertically, which is also good for Maps. If on the dash top, it gets very hot, which is why I tried the air con vane type, now with broken vanes of course.

11 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

not being able to pinch and scroll around like you can on your phone.

That is illegal. You are OK touching the built in screen, to check tyre pressures etc, but DO NOT touch your phone to ask which way to go. 555

11 hours ago, josephbloggs said:

Is there an EV on the market that doesn't come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto? Surely not?

A 12 year old Toyota Vigo is not classed as an EV.

6 minutes ago, wil iam not said:

A 12 year old Toyota Vigo is not classed as an EV.

Ah. Then perhaps you could have picked a different thread to post in. 😅

31 minutes ago, josephbloggs said:

Ah. Then perhaps you could have picked a different thread to post in. 😅

Yes I agree, but I could not start a new topic in Motoring Forum. Mods will move it if necessary. Cheers.

21 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

But those with the 70/80 kWh charging speed cars most likely have batteries on the smaller side so their overall charging time isn’t too bad ( as we Brits like to say ).

Not really! I can easily disagree. Trust me, for me it really sux so much to have a slow charging car.

My longs trips (900km) are:

- Drive 2-3 hours

- Charge 1 hour

A trip that used to take me 11 hours on the Diesel Fortuner, now takes me 15 hours on the BYD Atto 3.

The 88kw charging speed for the atto3, is only during when the battery is below 60% and nobody else using the charger. Most of the time it's going to be 56kW until mid battery and then 20-30kw to reach 100%,

it really, REALLY sux to wait 1 hour every time I need to charge from 10-90%, want to go 100%? sure, it's 1.5 hours.

That is why this I keep saying BYD are toy <deleted>ty cars.

my next car will be 875V and able to charge at 400kW or even 500kW... and 100kWh battery

43 minutes ago, brfsa2 said:

My longs trips (900km) are:

- Drive 2-3 hours

- Charge 1 hour

A trip that used to take me 11 hours on the Diesel Fortuner, now takes me 15 hours on the BYD Atto 3.

This is interesting ... waiting for other comments

36 minutes ago, brfsa2 said:

Not really! I can easily disagree. Trust me, for me it really sux so much to have a slow charging car.

My longs trips (900km) are:

- Drive 2-3 hours

- Charge 1 hour

A trip that used to take me 11 hours on the Diesel Fortuner, now takes me 15 hours on the BYD Atto 3.

The 88kw charging speed for the atto3, is only during when the battery is below 60% and nobody else using the charger. Most of the time it's going to be 56kW until mid battery and then 20-30kw to reach 100%,

it really, REALLY sux to wait 1 hour every time I need to charge from 10-90%, want to go 100%? sure, it's 1.5 hours.

That is why this I keep saying BYD are toy <deleted>ty cars.

my next car will be 875V and able to charge at 400kW or even 500kW... and 100kWh battery

vs 'us', who wouldn't benefit from faster charging cables or charging car. Ours allows 76kW, and car is back to 90-95% before I'm done eating. Eating after I walk the dog and use the toilet myself.

Rarely take it down < 25 %, battery is only 46.3 usable of 50.3. So 30+ minutes charging, if not less. Rarely make it to 3 hrs / 250 kms on any leg of the journey, before someone has to P or gets hungry.

Also at 70+ yrs old, good to get out of any seat, and walk around, to avoid DVT. We're in no hurry to get anywhere. For us, charging the EV doesn't add much, if anything to our journey.

YMMV

1 hour ago, brfsa2 said:

Most of the time it's going to be 56kW until mid battery and then 20-30kw to reach 100%,

If you're charging to 100% all the time, then don't. If your Atto is anything like our ZS, the last 5% takes 20 mins to go in.

Charging 2X to 100% would add 40 mins to a journey for us. That's silly waste of time for 10%.

44 minutes ago, khunphil said:

This is interesting ... waiting for other comments

I'm still learning and experiencing the charging landscape. Own the Jaecoo 5 for 4 months.

My longest trips sofar are Prachuap to Bangkok and back on the same day. The total driving time was 8 hours and 50 minutes charging/eating stop and 30 minutes eating stop. Charging back at home does not count.

Still keep my 10 yr old ICE car, if I need to plan trips on holidays like Songkran with long queue times and in case my EV is waiting for spare parts.

21 minutes ago, 4myr said:

I'm still learning and experiencing the charging landscape. Own the Jaecoo 5 for 4 months.

My longest trips sofar are Prachuap to Bangkok and back on the same day. The total driving time was 8 hours and 50 minutes charging/eating stop and 30 minutes eating stop. Charging back at home does not count.

Still keep my 10 yr old ICE car, if I need to plan trips on holidays like Songkran with long queue times and in case my EV is waiting for spare parts.

That's our most frequent trips, PKK (Muang) to Sathorn, BKK. We can make it to daughter's condo (285 kms) or hotel without charging, but we always charge outside of BKK on hwy 35, as starving by that time, if we didn't stop earlier.

Also means we don't have to charge until we leave BKK. Which is usually after rush hour, before 10 ish, and we don't eat breakfast. By the time we get on Hwy 4, we're hungry and stop to eat, and only charge up enough to get home at 20%. Usually a pit stop, in Hua Hin, shopping and or another munch.

Leave home at 100%, return at 20%, so about half the journey is charged with solar at home.

14 hours ago, carlyai said:

@Pib

Is Gpack something you side-load or is it a BYD download?

How do I install Gpack and not stuff up my car warranty?

My maps on the SL7 can never get me home doesn't matter how many 'turn left' it wants me to take.

Your BYD dealership can install it for you or you can try below guidance which includes the BYD app loading password at the time. You side load the app just like side loading an app on your phone.

21 hours ago, brfsa2 said:

A trip that used to take me 11 hours on the Diesel Fortuner, now takes me 15 hours on the BYD Atto 3.

to be fair, the atto 3 is a good everyday vehicle and works fine for occasional longer trips.

however, for regular longer journeys where time efficiency really matters, the battery is too small and the charging speed is too slow.

all in all, the atto 3 is a good entry-level model for getting into electric mobility ... thailand now has a wide range of different ev models, so there’s something to suit everyone’s needs when choosing an electric car ...

21 hours ago, KhunLA said:

If you're charging to 100% all the time, then don't. If your Atto is anything like our ZS, the last 5% takes 20 mins to go in.

Charging 2X to 100% would add 40 mins to a journey for us. That's silly waste of time for 10%.

I wish I could go to 100% to have longer time on the road... normally I have stop at 90% when charging speed drops dramatically to below 10kW I usually hit the road at 90%

90% -> 10% only gets me 220km on highway. (SOH is already 93%, so battery is now only 54kWh)

These BYD cars can't sustain long highway drives, after 1-2 hours the battery and drive train are hitting the thermal limit of the cooling system.

I noticed on a recent trip that I still get slow speeds like 60-70kw at most from low SOC, then it goes very slow after 30 min of charging. I cannot reiterate more, these BYD cars really cannot sustain long trips. maybe the Seal or Sealion 7 might be able to do better, but Atto3 and Dolphin are <S H I T>!

1 hour ago, motdaeng said:

to be fair, the atto 3 is a good everyday vehicle and works fine for occasional longer trips.

only if you dont mine waiting 1 hour to charge after 2 hours of driving. which is a long time even to have a long meal.

I cannot agree, I would never even say Atto 3 is good for City if you have to take the highway daily. even as an entry car, it's too expensive for what it offers.

the dolphin is totally fine for the price, but Atto3 is a stupid purchase.

17 hours ago, Pib said:

Your BYD dealership can install it for you or you can try below guidance which includes the BYD app loading password at the time. You side load the app just like side loading an app on your phone.

WOW, I love you for that post, I hated the fact I couldn't get Gpack on the atto3 before. this is great news

THANK YOU!