Electric Vehicles in Thailand

[KhunLA]

9 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

China's Hozon to produce NETA

EVs in Thailand for Southeast Asian market
 

 

The company’s first overseas factory broke ground on Friday near Bangkok. 
 

Production is expected to start in 2024.

 

The EV maker launched its NETA V model in the Thai market last year and planned to start offering its NETA U and NETA S models in the near future.

 

Last month it was announced that China's Changan Auto would invest $285 million in a facility in Thailand.

 

https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/chinas-hozon-produce-evs-thailand-southeast-asian-market-2023-05-06/

And for those that don't know, 'TH state owned' oil producer PTT's wholly owned subsidy Arun Plus, will be building the Horizon EVs.

 

Let that little tidbit sink in, if you think EVs aren't the future in TH.

[transam]

Just now, KhunLA said:

And for those that don't know, 'TH state owned' oil producer PTT's wholly owned subsidy Arun Plus, will be building the Horizon EVs.

 

Let that little tidbit sink in, if you think EVs aren't the future in TH.

Electric cars are the future, but not yet in LOS, unless you install home charging and trust your cheap purchase longevity....????

[JBChiangRai]

34 minutes ago, transam said:

Electric cars are the future, but not yet in LOS, unless you install home charging and trust your cheap purchase longevity....????

I have and yes I do

[Bandersnatch]

20 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Good news for those waiting for BYD Seal, a new Champion Edition coming with a more affordable price 

 

https://carnewschina.com/2023/05/05/new-byd-seal-base-model-to-launch-11-cheaper-on-may-7-for-27400-usd/

 

Not sure if it will land on Thai shores but here’s hoping ????????

I think that the Atto 4/Seal will probably be more expensive than the Atto 3, so we are probably looking at more than the $1.2m 60kWh Atto 3 and less that the ฿1.7m Tesla model 3.

 

Despite my concerns about the lack of space compared to a SUV, the Seal is still on my short list. I like the LFP battery chemistry, V2L capability, expanding dealer network and BYD’s commitment to Thailand by building it’s first foreign factory here.

 

 

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

I have and yes I do

Just shows some people's ignorance, as most do come with home wall charging/outlet units, along with free installation with most.

 

Why would you buy something you didn't research & trust ?

 

MG, GWM, BYD have established track records, along with supplying wall charging ports for their EVs.

 

Even the budget friendly Neta V provides free installation of their wall cable.

 

Along with very budget friendly, yet low spec'd Wuling & Pocco mini EVs, providing wall cables to charge.

[Bandersnatch]

BYD Seal’s Glass roof has a solution for hot climates, which Tesla doesn’t include and I am not talking about the ventilated seats.

 

Jump to 13:13 in the video (apologies the video is in Thai, but it does have hard coded English subs)

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

46 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

BYD Seal’s Glass roof has a solution for hot climates, which Tesla doesn’t include and I am not talking about the ventilated seats.

 

Jump to 13:13 in the video (apologies the video is in Thai, but it does have hard coded English subs)

 

 

Seems like a pita to carry and fit that screen .

A lot of Atto 3 users have been buying that foam with aluminium foil both sides, 10 mm thick, to block out the sun, fitting it between the sunshade and sunroof , others using 80% film to keep cool .

[Bandersnatch]

1 hour ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Seems like a pita to carry and fit that screen .

A lot of Atto 3 users have been buying that foam with aluminium foil both sides, 10 mm thick, to block out the sun, fitting it between the sunshade and sunroof , others using 80% film to keep cool .

I was thinking about doing the exact same thing with the foam as I have still have some laying around after insulating my house.

 

Sunroof/Glass-roofs in Thailand make no sense at all.

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

11 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

I was thinking about doing the exact same thing with the foam as I have still have some laying around after insulating my house.

 

Sunroof/Glass-roofs in Thailand make no sense at all.

 

Yes, a few have diy’ed it themselves but you can buy also.

This one on Lazada comes with suckers to keep it in place.

 

 

[Bandersnatch]

On 5/7/2023 at 2:52 PM, Andrew Dwyer said:

Yes, a few have diy’ed it themselves but you can buy also.

This one on Lazada comes with suckers to keep it in place.

 

 

Checked online for “sunroof heat protection” for my model - ฿3,500! 
 

Decided on the DIY approach with foil and foam on a roll. The foam fitted easily between the glass and sliding blind.

 

will test the temperature tomorrow 

 

[placeholder]

On 5/7/2023 at 2:38 PM, Bandersnatch said:

I was thinking about doing the exact same thing with the foam as I have still have some laying around after insulating my house.

 

Sunroof/Glass-roofs in Thailand make no sense at all.

 

Neither do dark-colored cars.

[Yellowtail]

5 minutes ago, placeholder said:

Neither do dark-colored cars.

Unless you like dark colored cars, or sunroofs for that matter. 

 

 

[Pink Mist]

Off topic posts and replies have been removed.

[Bandersnatch]

Tesla just published a video "Extreme Heat Testing | Tesla Model S, 3, X and Y"

 

This was the comment I posted on the video:

 

"I was hoping to see cabin temperatures mentioned in this video, why weren't they? Here in Thailand it's regularly over 40 degrees C and the Thailand Tesla groups often mention the fact that the air-con does a poor job of cooling the cars. The pre-cooling function is particularly poor. Heated seats and heated steering wheel but the seats are not cooled or ventilated and no sun shade for the glass roof. It is standard procedure here to add additional heat reflective film to all glass and Tesla's have a lot of it. White is the free paint colour in most countries, but in Thailand it's Black and the option to specify a white interior is not available!"

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

BYD to compete with Tesla’s Autopilot !

 

Personally i think we should be putting Autopilot on hold and concentrating on improvements to the current lane keeping, adaptive cruise control and auto emergency braking but the current trend seems to be adding tech to the cars whether they work adequately or not !
 

https://carnewschina.com/2023/05/11/byd-to-launch-dnp-adas-to-compete-with-teslas-autopilot-chips-supplied-by-vw-backed-company/

[Andrew Dwyer]

Here’s a little look at the Honda e:Ny1 , most likely will make an appearance here , as a next step up from the HR-V Hybrid.

First glance is a nice front end , familiar rear end, kinda bland interior, large battery but not so large range (?) and a small boot.

A 15” portrait screen is a step up from Honda’s usual play it safe style but have to keep up with the competition, the screen splits into 3 so a lot of info ( maybe too much ) can be

easily accessible.

The lovely Imogen doesn’t give away too many details in this video, or maybe i was distracted ?, but still worth a watch if you are interested in a Honda ………. or an Imogen ?

 

 

 

[Bandersnatch]

3 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Here’s a little look at the Honda e:Ny1

I was quite impressed with the Honda e when it was released back in 2020, but I feel that the e:Ny1 is a step backwards design wise.

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 hour ago, Bandersnatch said:

I was quite impressed with the Honda e when it was released back in 2020, but I feel that the e:Ny1 is a step backwards design wise.

 

 

On the Honda e the two screens idea is great even if the operating system looks a little antiquated, but the ability of the passenger setting up the sat nav on their screen and sliding it over to yours, for example, is a cool idea, not too sure about the screens replacing the wing mirrors though, seems like a lot of tech to replace a piece of mirrored glass although the images do appear very clear and effective when raining or at night .

The pop out door handles with key proximity, personal wallpaper options for the screens and customisable widgets plus single pedal driving are all great ideas but I think the price and poor range is its downfall , at a similar price to the MG4 and with around half the range.

 

The Honda e:Ny1 seems to have resisted the urge to provide anything new with the exception of the large screen and simply adopted the HR-V platform, almost seems like giving it a fancy new name slightly misleading.

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

So, recently i noticed GWM selling off their Haval Activity Cars ( showroom models not test drive ) in particular their older model H6 HEV and the two lower trim Jolion HEV’s ( Tech and Pro ) with a healthy discount at around 160k off .

Which is a shame because if it were the Jolion Ultra

, in white, or H6 PHEV i might have been in the market.

 

Anyway, this all points to a new model Haval and here it is:

The Haval Xiaolong Max (or Solo Max),  a PHEV with a 1.5T engine and a body slightly bigger than the H6 PHEV, a grill borrowed from MG VS, 2 electric motors, but strangely only a 105 km range .

Inside has 3 screens all the way across the dash, an array of buttons on the floating console ( good to see ) and the usual array of fancy stuff we have come to expect from new cars recently.

No actual figures but claims of excellent fuel economy as the hybrid battery will assist the ICE even after the battery is depleted , yup !! that’s going to need some more explanation.

No price but a rough guesstimate of similar to the H6 PHEV ( 1.7 mill ) can’t be far off ?

Destined for Australia and S Africa markets so RHD is definitely on and with GWM doing a bit of spring cleaning here i imagine it will also be headed this way.

 

Dashed my hopes for a Jolion PHEV at around 1.3 mill but who knows Xiaolong might well be the Max !! although while the interior looks nice the outside does look a bit uninspired.

 

https://www-springnews-co-th.translate.goog/digital-tech/837876?_x_tr_sl=th&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&_x_tr_hist=true

 

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

Just seen a Dolphin on a transporter headed North, so if anyone around Chainat or above is waiting for one it’s on its way.

The lilac colour makes it easy to spot .

[Andrew Dwyer]

A it more about the newest addition to the Haval range.

2 models, Xiaolong and Xiaolong Max , wonder if these two will replace the Jolion and H6 ?

 

https://carnewschina.com/2023/05/13/great-wall-motors-haval-brand-new-xiaolong-suvs-will-launch-on-may-15/

[Gweiloman]

If things go according to plan. I will soon be in the market for a new EV as a second car. Range will not be a main criteria as I already have the Haval H6 PHEV for long trips. 
 

Main consideration will be a price, <1 million baht. Currently shortlisted MG4 and BYD Dolphin. Any other suggestions?

[JBChiangRai]

5 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

If things go according to plan. I will soon be in the market for a new EV as a second car. Range will not be a main criteria as I already have the Haval H6 PHEV for long trips. 
 

Main consideration will be a price, <1 million baht. Currently shortlisted MG4 and BYD Dolphin. Any other suggestions?

You will be happy with any of the MG BEV's.  The MG4 is stunning.

[Gweiloman]

20 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

You will be happy with any of the MG BEV's.  The MG4 is stunning.

Are the models in Thailand utilising lithium iron phosphate batteries?

[KhunLA]

27 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

Are the models in Thailand utilising lithium iron phosphate batteries?

Yes, ZS is LFP, so expecting a long life barring any oops:

 

 

https://zecar.com/resources/what-are-lfp-nmc-nca-batteries-in-electric-cars

 

and available for modular replacement

https://www.mgenergysystems.eu/en/products/lfp-12v/#:~:text=This robust 12 V battery,in a high energy density.

[JBChiangRai]

The other benefit with LiFePo4 batteries is specific to Thailand, they perform well in a hot climate, they are not as good as other chemistries in cold climates, but they are currently the optimum for Thailand.  They are also less fussy about charging to high SoC.

 

Given a choice of LFP or other technologies, I would go for the LFP every time, even though their energy density is inferior.  

 

The launch date in the UK of the MG Cyberster is announced as summer 2024, pricing is expected to be circa 2.5M baht for the dual motor version, so I'm guessing a bit more in Thailand, though there is no reason it should be.

 

 

[KhunLA]

46 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Yes, ZS is LFP, so expecting a long life barring any oops:

 

 

https://zecar.com/resources/what-are-lfp-nmc-nca-batteries-in-electric-cars

 

and available for modular replacement

https://www.mgenergysystems.eu/en/products/lfp-12v/#:~:text=This robust 12 V battery,in a high energy density.

Too late to edit, but ZS, ES, MG4 have LFP. 

EP PLUS ?

https://www.mgcars.com/th/mg-models/new-mg4-electric/price

 

"As for the MG ES, it comes with a new generation of 8 Layer Hair Pin electric motors, providing a maximum power of 177 horsepower and a maximum torque of 280 Nm, equipped with a 51 kWh Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) battery pack . 412 km per charge (NEDC standard) with 3-level adjustable KERS energy recovery system"

https://www.autofun.co.th/news/2023-mg-es-vs-mg-ep-comparison-64415

 

LFP (already linked previous post)

[JBChiangRai]

EP+ is also LFP and a crazy price if you can find one.

[Bandersnatch]

On 5/9/2023 at 5:41 PM, Bandersnatch said:

Checked online for “sunroof heat protection” for my model - ฿3,500! 
 

Decided on the DIY approach with foil and foam on a roll. The foam fitted easily between the glass and sliding blind.

 

will test the temperature tomorrow 

 

As previously stated many new EVs sold in Thailand come with either a sunroof or large glass roof like the Tesla model 3&Y and the soon to arrive BYD Seal. The Seal does come with a sun shade included and Teslas do have aftermarket versions available online, but to be honest I haven’t seen a version for the Tesla that impressed me.

 

Suggestion from @Andrew Dwyer

was to add DIY foil and foam insulation. I agreed to test this but the weather has been very mild since.

 

I have added heat reflecting film to my car:

 

Today’s weather:

 

My foam is silver on one side and about 5mm of foam which I tucked under the sun roof on top of the sun screen. 

Temp of the film coated sunroof (you can see the clouds)

temp through foam and foil:

 

Temperature through foam/foil and sun screen:

[Andrew Dwyer]

So, if an EV comes with 11kw AC charging power and I have only single phase would I get 7kw or would it be only 3.6kw ?