EV Charging Stations (CS)

[Pib]

1 hour ago, mistral53 said:

Am I the only one who cant use the BYD ReverSharge app with direct discount?

 

Have you successfully registered for Plug & Charge?   If not, the free/reduced rate at a Red Pin charger will not be used; instead, your credit/debit card will be charged. 

[JBChiangRai]

2 minutes ago, Pib said:

 

Have you successfully registered for Plug & Charge?   If not, the free/reduced rate at a Red Pin charger will not be used; instead, your credit/debit card will be charged. 

I had one free session, but the next session I had to pay for

[Pib]

3 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

I had one free session, but the next session I had to pay for

Was that "next" sessioin at a Red Pin charger?   It's gotta be at a Red Pin charger for the free/reduced rate.

[JBChiangRai]

24 minutes ago, Pib said:

Was that "next" sessioin at a Red Pin charger?   It's gotta be at a Red Pin charger for the free/reduced rate.

Yes, same red pin charger.

[Pib]

Just now, JBChiangRai said:

Yes, same red pin charger.

I assume you have tried again after your card was charged?

[JBChiangRai]

10 hours ago, Pib said:

I assume you have tried again after your card was charged?

 

I haven't, there's always a queue in Chiang Rai and I get my electric free from Solar so I don't want the hassle.  I will sort it out after 3rd January when I want to use my 30,000 baht charging credit.

[mistral53]

19 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

I had one free session, but the next session I had to pay for

Same here - I just got a green light from my sales rep, she said the problem has been resolved and the app should again work as intended......... will see next time I try.

[Gweiloman]

15 hours ago, mistral53 said:

Same here - I just got a green light from my sales rep, she said the problem has been resolved and the app should again work as intended......... will see next time I try.

I posted this a few days back. Since then, I’ve made another charge. It works great, even if you have to wait a bit.

[mistral53]

Free charging for (some) BYD owners, and the consequences........  

 

How much did you save last month?

[Pib]

Any  idea of the location of above?

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Any  idea of the location of above?

Bangchak Chiang Mai

[motdaeng]

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Bangchak Chiang Mai

how could you know that? 

[Gweiloman]

4 hours ago, motdaeng said:

how could you know that? 

Dakasi bubble tea shop.

 

That’s actually where I mostly charge but I have never seen so many BYDs there before. Most I’ve ever seen is 2 charging and 3 waiting. In recent days however, another 2 chargers have come online at the BYD Mahidol road so over the weekend (off peak hours), there are now 8 chargers in CM and another two in Lamphun, not far away from those that live in the south of CM.

 

I know this is not most people’s cup of tea but I noticed that Asians are quite patient when queuing and very often, they are keen to socialise and exchange tips and stories. I do that too occasionally when there’s a pretty young lass around…

[Pib]

9 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Bangchak Chiang Mai

Thanks....when zooming in on the pictures I saw a building sign that appeared to say  Chiang Mai but it was too blurry to be sure. 

 

When going into Google Maps  satellite and street view  modes those pictures match up to the Bangchak station pictures in the post. 

 

Just not enough Red Pin chargers in many locations to prevent queues when people are determined to get some free electrons.

[Gweiloman]

I probably saved a couple of thousand baht last month. That’s a rather nice meal at Le Crystal CM so I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth (is that the right saying?)

[Andrew Dwyer]

13 hours ago, mistral53 said:

Free charging for (some) BYD owners, and the consequences........  

 

How much did you save last month?

 

Nothing last month but a whopping 185 baht ( or 487 baht ) so far in September !

 

Depends which way you look at it:

I got a 487.52 baht discount at a free BYD charger but i could have waited till i got home and charged via TOU costing me around 185 baht.

 

Some guy from Surat Thani racking up a 8,758 baht discount last month.

 

Reminds me when i started to pay the monthly bill for my TOU at PEA head office. They had a free charger but it was almost always in use by a white MG EP, one day a car pulled up and a guy in work uniform jumped out, got in the EP and drove off, don’t know what the guys uniform was but it wasn’t PEA !!

[Pib]

The current free electrons promotion is good for 1 Aug 2024 thru 3 Jan 2025....a 5 month period.  However, at the end of August there were news articles in the Nation, Bangkok Post, and other news media saying the BYD had agreed to provide 12 months of free charging. 

 

However, other than these news articles saying such I've seen no other indications/articles providing confirmation the 12 months of free charging was a "for sure" thing versus just some govt official making a pre-official/pre-done-deal announcement.    I even contacted Rever Automotive Group Customer Service several weeks ago and they know nothing of a" 12 month" free charging promotion; they only know about their current  5 month promotion which ends 3 Jan 2025.  

 

Anyone heard any update about 12 months of free charging?  If there was really such an agreement reached between BYD and the govt maybe it will not be officially launched to just before the current 5 month promotion ends....OR, maybe the current end date of 3 Jan 2025 will be extended 31 July 2025....OR maybe BYD said they would provide free charging thru 2024/end of the year and news media misreported it as 12 months of free of charging when in fact the end of year was only 5 months away.....OR maybe BYD never agreed to 12 months of free charging and only told the govt they would think about it....don't call me, I'll call you once I decide.  

 

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/automobile/40040171

31 Aug 2024 news article

 

Quote

 

Buyers of some 50,000 BYD electric cars, whose prices were slashed soon after their purchase, can recharge their EVs free of charge for one year as part of a grievance redressal offer.
The Thai government would continue to negotiate for more compensation, a Cabinet member said on Wednesday.

PM’s Office Minister Jiraporn Sinthuprai told reporters that she had met and discussed the remedial measures with Rever Automotive, the Thai distributor for the Chinese automaker, and Rever agreed to allow owners of BYD EVs purchased before the discounted price to use recharging services for free for one year.

 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

The current free electrons promotion is good for 1 Aug 2024 thru 3 Jan 2025....a 5 month period.  However, at the end of August there were news articles in the Nation, Bangkok Post, and other news media saying the BYD had agreed to provide 12 months of free charging. 

 

However, other than these news articles saying such I've seen no other indications/articles providing confirmation the 12 months of free charging was a "for sure" thing versus just some govt official making a pre-official/pre-done-deal announcement.    I even contacted Rever Automotive Group Customer Service several weeks ago and they know nothing of a" 12 month" free charging promotion; they only know about their current  5 month promotion which ends 3 Jan 2025.  

 

Anyone heard any update about 12 months of free charging?  If there was really such an agreement reached between BYD and the govt maybe it will not be officially launched to just before the current 5 month promotion ends....OR, maybe the current end date of 3 Jan 2025 will be extended 31 July 2025....OR maybe BYD said they would provide free charging thru 2024/end of the year and news media misreported it as 12 months of free of charging when in fact the end of year was only 5 months away.....OR maybe BYD never agreed to 12 months of free charging and only told the govt they would think about it....don't call me, I'll call you once I decide.  

 

 

https://www.nationthailand.com/business/automobile/40040171

31 Aug 2024 news article

 

 

Yes widely publicised that 1 year free charging would be made available for BYD customers but in reality, so far anyway, those who bought a BYD in 2022/2023 get 5 months and those who bought in 2024 get 2 months free charging. 
People buying a BYD from 1st Jan to 31st July 2024 have only till the end of this month for their allotted free charging sessions so presumably if it is to be extended an announcement should be made this month.

 

[mistral53]

Sunday morning, the wife said she will go and see her gik, and I said I will go to church......... in reality, I was sneaking out to get a bucket of electrons as I saw 2 Rever chargers free at our close by BYD dealer. As I take off, and knowing it is a 13 minutes drive, I am fully cognizant that I might arrive with both piles busy - alas, half way down the road, it now shows only one pile free, but I kept moving, stepping on it to increase the odds.

 

As I pull up to the dealer, I can see there is still one stall open.....dashing in, backing into position and exhale -  I made it! Lo and behold, within less then 10 minutes, 5 Atto 3 are pulling in, and a few minutes later, a Dolphin. The car next to me leaves after about 20 minutes, I kept going for (let me check my app) 52 minutes or 85%, wrap it up and leave.

 

Thais seem to be very patient when they can get a freebee - the car that used the pile I had hooked up, depending on battery depletion, could easily spend between 1.5 and over 2 hours for a full charge....... well, maybe this is time better spent than in church for him, but it just seems a bloody waste of time - and never mind the cars that came even later.

 

One of the let down's is that the charging power drops to a paltry 50% - or a little over 50 kW - as soon as both piles are in use. Just my experience, YMMV.

[Andrew Dwyer]

48 minutes ago, mistral53 said:

Sunday morning, the wife said she will go and see her gik, and I said I will go to church......... in reality, I was sneaking out to get a bucket of electrons as I saw 2 Rever chargers free at our close by BYD dealer. As I take off, and knowing it is a 13 minutes drive, I am fully cognizant that I might arrive with both piles busy - alas, half way down the road, it now shows only one pile free, but I kept moving, stepping on it to increase the odds.

 

As I pull up to the dealer, I can see there is still one stall open.....dashing in, backing into position and exhale -  I made it! Lo and behold, within less then 10 minutes, 5 Atto 3 are pulling in, and a few minutes later, a Dolphin. The car next to me leaves after about 20 minutes, I kept going for (let me check my app) 52 minutes or 85%, wrap it up and leave.

 

Thais seem to be very patient when they can get a freebee - the car that used the pile I had hooked up, depending on battery depletion, could easily spend between 1.5 and over 2 hours for a full charge....... well, maybe this is time better spent than in church for him, but it just seems a bloody waste of time - and never mind the cars that came even later.

 

One of the let down's is that the charging power drops to a paltry 50% - or a little over 50 kW - as soon as both piles are in use. Just my experience, YMMV.

yup, dropped down to 54 and 56 kw when both chargers occupied at the 2 BYD dealers i have tried.

 

At my local BYD i had a experience:

The dealer is quite small, attached to a Susco pump and on a frontage road of a main highway. The chargers, 2 x AC + 2 x DC ( who is using those AC chargers ?, employees of the dealer or gas station ? ) are located in a small area at the front which i imagine will make interesting queuing during rush hour !!

 

When i arrived 1 DC slot was free so i “ slotted “ ( see what i did there 😀) myself in there only to find both chargers were in use only 1 car was parked in a normal parking place, later realised that short cables + poor charger location was the reason.

 

I waited my turn and soon 1 car started to pull out, I quickly reversed into his slot only to realise a Dolphin that had been parked in the shade in the “ test drive “ place was waiting and not on a test drive as I had previously presumed.

I did the right thing and pulled out, driving past the Dolphin i dropped my window and gave the universal slight nod and half smile in apology, Dolphin didn’t acknowledge.

When parked the Dolphin owner got out to start charging and i said to the wife “ ah a ladyboy ! “ to which Mrs D replied “ not a ladyboy just a very fat ugly woman ! “ 

 

Her harshness surprised both me and her and we had a little chuckle 🤭 

[Gweiloman]

2 hours ago, mistral53 said:

Sunday morning, the wife said she will go and see her gik, and I said I will go to church......... in reality, I was sneaking out to get a bucket of electrons as I saw 2 Rever chargers free at our close by BYD dealer. As I take off, and knowing it is a 13 minutes drive, I am fully cognizant that I might arrive with both piles busy - alas, half way down the road, it now shows only one pile free, but I kept moving, stepping on it to increase the odds.

 

As I pull up to the dealer, I can see there is still one stall open.....dashing in, backing into position and exhale -  I made it! Lo and behold, within less then 10 minutes, 5 Atto 3 are pulling in, and a few minutes later, a Dolphin. The car next to me leaves after about 20 minutes, I kept going for (let me check my app) 52 minutes or 85%, wrap it up and leave.

 

Thais seem to be very patient when they can get a freebee - the car that used the pile I had hooked up, depending on battery depletion, could easily spend between 1.5 and over 2 hours for a full charge....... well, maybe this is time better spent than in church for him, but it just seems a bloody waste of time - and never mind the cars that came even later.

 

One of the let down's is that the charging power drops to a paltry 50% - or a little over 50 kW - as soon as both piles are in use. Just my experience, YMMV.

I charged yesterday from 9% to full (no one was waiting) and it took about 1 hr 10 mins or so. The last 5% takes about 10 mins so I normally stop before that but I wanted to balance the batteries as well and no one was waiting.

 

During peak hours, CM only has 2 chargers available but this number goes up to 8 off peak (after 10 pm and weekends) so that’s when I charge.

[Pib]

1 hour ago, mistral53 said:

One of the let down's is that the charging power drops to a paltry 50% - or a little over 50 kW - as soon as both piles are in use. Just my experience, YMMV.

 

38 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

yup, dropped down to 54 and 56 kw when both chargers occupied at the 2 BYD dealers i have tried.

 

 

The DC chargers I've used at three different BYD dealerships the chargers were all 100-120KW chargers which means when both connectors are in use the maximum charge available drops to around 60KW.    In fact the great majority of DC chargers used by all charging companies in Thailand seems to be around 100-120KW as I've looked at the electrical/KWH ratings plate on these chargers when doing a DC charge....it's a ratings plate that usually down near the bottom of the charger on the side or rear.  And many charging apps like the PTT app will show the chargers rating right in the app, but the ReverSharger app does not (or at least I don't see it anywhere).  

 

Normally when I charge at a ReverSharger DC charger for some free electrons  I'm starting my Atto's charge from the 50 to 80% SoC ballpark....and actually the great majority of those charging sessions have started from the 60 to 80% SoC ballpark.   If I'm driving by an available red pin charger and got time to spare I will pull-in and top up.  

 

Since the Atto's charge curve allows up to a 88KW charge rate up to around 65% SoC I do get approx that 88KW charge rate "if I'm the only one using the 120KW ReverSharger"  and I start my charge session with a SoC of less than 65%.    But after I reach approx 65% SoC the Atto's charging curve only allows a around  55-60KW  charge rate.    Even if I was the only one using say a 300KW charger my Atto would only allow around a 55-60KW from that 300KW charger.   And then around 85% SoC on the Atto's charging curve the max rate allowed is approx 35KW...and then around 98% SoC the max rate will start tapering from 35KW to 10KW until it reaches full 100% charge.   

 

According the Atto's charging curve data below these different max charge rates along the entire 0-100% SoC charge curve averages out to 58.7KW which means a 120KW charger which shares power between its two DC connectors would probably provide all the power the Atto requests from 0 to 100% SoC "assuming", repeat, assuming only one of the two connectors was being used and/or maybe even if both connectors are being used as the EV on the other connector may be charging within the portion of it's charge curve that requires less than 60KW which then allow your EV to receive that unused power to meet your charging curve need.  

 

I think since many, many, many EVs up to recent times have had batteries in the 50-60KW ballpark that charging companies have statistics/data that shows a 120KW charger will on the average satisfy the great majority of EVs that need to use that charger especially since both of the DC charger's connectors are probably "not being used at the same time" at those chargers where a person is paying for electrons.   Plus, DC chargers are expensive to install....the more powerful the charger the more expensive it is to include higher cost for the electric company  to run power to it. 

 

DC chargers around 120KWH  seem to be the sweet spot right now....but as EV batteries slowly increase in KWH size and are also able to accept a higher charging curve rate the DC charger sweet spot is probably going to increase to around180- 200KWH "if charging companies decide economically/profit-wise that is the sweet spot."   I'm sure many EV owners would like all DC chargers to be able to always meet whatever the max charge rate of their particular EV is, but I expect data/statistics showing real world DC charging needs/usage does not economically support.

 

Atto 3 Extended Range 60.5KWH Battery Charging Curve

https://evkx.net/models/byd/atto_3/atto_3/chargingcurve/

 

 

 

[Pib]

By the way, for you ReverSharger app users you will notice there are around two dozen "Shell" chargers also shown in the app....they are the ones using the seashell icon. 

 

Anyway, it sure appears theses Shell chargers rarely get used.   A few minutes ago I clicked on almost everyone of those approx two dozen Shell  DC chargers and not one of them was is use....always showing all DC chargers available.   On previoius days I've done the same out of curiosity ...I don't remember I've ever found a Shell charger in use.  Now, I'm sure some of them get used sometimes; it just I've never seen them in use on the app or when I happen to drive by one and can see it.

 

I expect they are rarely used due to their Bt10 per KWH plus Bt10 per hour parking fee where most other charging companies are around Bt8/KWH and may not have a parking/reservation fee. 

 

So, since they are rarely used they might be a good choice to use if heading on on a long trip and you are looking for a DC charger that has a very high probability of being available when you arrive at the charger.  But as mentioned they charge more than other charging companies....but at least you could immediately charge up and get on your way again.

 

[Pib]

Copying below three posts over from related EV Aseannow thread as it deals with Charging Stations...specifically in this case "EA Anywhere" charging. 

 

14 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

EA Anywhere has a new app

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/BKrouB3mFMbAKDPm/

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Pib said:

 

Thanks.  As I use Android I downloaded/installed it from Google Play vs the link in the Facebook image. 

 

Google Play shows the new app  being added 18 Sep 2024.   After installing it from Google Play I used my logon credentials that I used for the original app and I was kinda expecting a rejection along the lines of needing to register again, but it accepted my logon credentials and also sent me  OTP to confirm/complete the logon.  

 

And all info from the original app such as my EV info, payment card number (redacted), my current Wallet amount of a little over one hundred baht, and all the other info from the original app  was indeed showing in the new app.   So, all the info does automatically transfer over from the old app to the new app.   

 

Now you can still use the old app at least for now BUT when your log into the new app it will log you out of the old app.  If you log into the old app it will log you out of the new app.  Can't be logged into both at the same time.

 

Anyway, the new app is indeed available for download from Google Play (see below).  A little strange they just didn't update the original app via Google Play "automatic" update vs creating a new, separate app.  Maybe it has something to do with EA Anywhere financial challenges it has been experiencing regarding some bond payments coming due....you can google it and find articles about this like on the Bangkok Post.  Or maybe it just a technical issue with this app that required a new, separate app vs just automatic update of the old/original app.   

 

Link to new app on Google Play   

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=evapp.eaanywhere&hl=en

 

 

 

1 minute ago, Pib said:

 

I will add that you can now add funds to your EA Anywhere wallet via QR Code/Prompt Pay in addition to debit/credit card. 

 

To the best of my memory when I registered with EA Anywhere around late last year the only payment option was adding the  debit/credit card payment option in order to top-up your wallet/pay for charging; otherwise, I would have never added my Thai bank debit card as a payment option. 

 

This morning I did two tests by adding 10 baht each time to my wallet via QR code/Prompt Pay and it worked no problem.  So, I then deleted the Thai bank debit card as a payment option as I prefer not to have any card info online unless I have to. 

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

Taking advantage of some free EV juice at a Bangchak pump near me.

Located on a busy road I was pleased to see only 1 Dolphin sucking on the charger, and even more pleased to see that he was almost full !! Indeed he finished soon after I arrived ( i have that effect on people ! ).

 

This Bangchak charger is different to the 2 BYD dealerships i have used in that the LED’s ( green for in use, blue for available and red for error ) are larger and at the top of the charger, but they also scroll giving you an instant view of roughly what percentage they are at ! ( correct me if wrong but i don’t remember the BYD chargers having this visual effect ).

Handy if you are pulling up as you can see what the status is without having to stop the car .

 

Anyhoo, enjoyed some freebies at 114 kw for a while and now near completion, 23° to 100° in 56 minutes 

[Gweiloman]

20 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Taking advantage of some free EV juice at a Bangchak pump near me.

Located on a busy road I was pleased to see only 1 Dolphin sucking on the charger, and even more pleased to see that he was almost full !! Indeed he finished soon after I arrived ( i have that effect on people ! ).

 

This Bangchak charger is different to the 2 BYD dealerships i have used in that the LED’s ( green for in use, blue for available and red for error ) are larger and at the top of the charger, but they also scroll giving you an instant view of roughly what percentage they are at ! ( correct me if wrong but i don’t remember the BYD chargers having this visual effect ).

Handy if you are pulling up as you can see what the status is without having to stop the car .

 

Anyhoo, enjoyed some freebies at 114 kw for a while and now near completion, 23° to 100° in 56 minutes 

Monday nights off peak are good times to charge. Most people probably charge over the weekend, ready for the new work week. I arrived at the charger nearest to me at 22:28 last night and there was only 1 car charging with no one waiting. After he left, that bay was empty for a good 30 minutes. When I left, no one was waiting either.

 

On another note, I noticed that some owners open the bonnet while charging. It does actually seem logical to me as there is quite a bit of heat produced and having the bonnet up helps to dissipate the heat on top of the BMS system.

[Andrew Dwyer]

54 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

Monday nights off peak are good times to charge. Most people probably charge over the weekend, ready for the new work week. I arrived at the charger nearest to me at 22:28 last night and there was only 1 car charging with no one waiting. After he left, that bay was empty for a good 30 minutes. When I left, no one was waiting either.

 

On another note, I noticed that some owners open the bonnet while charging. It does actually seem logical to me as there is quite a bit of heat produced and having the bonnet up helps to dissipate the heat on top of the BMS system.

This Bangchak pump is 24 hr free charging and has now become my go to place for free EV juice.

It’s a bit further than my nearest BYD dealer but has a coffee shop, restaurant and a handful of other shops plus it appears to be less frequented than the dealer.

A good point about Monday being a good day to charge, my experience yesterday backed that up, 5 minutes sharing then 50 minutes all to myself .

 

[Pib]

Below post describes my experience so far with the BYD Free/Reduced Rate Charging Promotion that runs from 1 Aug 2024 until 3 Jan 2025.  All of my charging sessions have been free.

 

 

[Pib]

Although I would "not" be using ReverSharger chargers (since I have a home wall charger) and  already registered with multiple other charging apps/networks for those long road trips since the free electrons BYD promotion are only dispensed from designated ReverSharger chargers I was forced to register/use/try ReverSharger chargers. 

 

I have come to like them a lot when I do need/want to use one "mainly because they support "AutoCharge."  PEA chargers also support AutoCharge.    And the new ReverSharger app feature of being able to see on the current charging percentage of their chargers in use is nice....let's you know even before getting to the charger if you will need queue, estimate the queue time, etc.

 

Now AutoCharge is a different protocol from the competing Plug & Charge protocol but both basically do the same thing.  See this webpage for an explanation of both.

https://cloudics.com/difference-between-autocharge-and-plug-charge/

 

Basically if your EV is equipped with AutoCharge capability (which BYD vehicles do have and not to imply other brands do not) once you register your vehicle with ReverSharger for Autocharge (it's an easy process done during a charge session and doesn't have to be done again) then all you have to do to get a charge session going is plug-in the charger to your EV....and then within about 30 seconds charging will be underway automatically.   Ditto for PEA DC chargers.  No need to scan QR codes on the charger to start and stop the charging session.   Almost as simple as charging your smartphone. 

 

Now after the BYD promotion is finished and in those rare cases where I would need to use a DC charger like going on a long trip where I will need to charge on the road then ReverShargers and PEA chargers will be ones I first look for since they both support AutoCharge and since their pricing is fair enough. 

 

ReverSharger DC chargers charge Bt8 per KWH, PEA Bt6.9 per KWH, PTT chargers charge Bt7.7 per KWH, EA Anywhere  Bt6.76 per KWH (they have come down in price a good amount), Elexa Bt7.5 per KWH, and Altervim Bt7.5 per KWH.   I'm registered with these different charging networks and that's the pricing they showed when I opened-up each of their app's a few minutes ago to get the latest pricing. 

 

Now although ReverShargers cost a little more per KWH than most other chargers their AutoCharge capability is maybe worth the extra little bit to avoid/minimize the QR code scanning starting/shutdown process.   Plus, now that I'm comfortable with ReverSharger chargers that's just one more network of chargers available to me on long trips.  I'm now signed up for 6 different networks mentioned above....PLENTY of DC chargers for long trips.....not to imply there are enough chargers "all over Thailand" for easy day-to-day/local travel charging when a home wall charger is not available. 

 

And of course a person always should do some advance charger planning for long trips and not let their EV charge level drop too low as one of Murphy's Laws will surely strike like the charger you were planning to use is really broke although the app shows it operational...and then the next charger is "butt-puckering" (remaining charge-wise)  distance down the road.

[mistral53]

WOW - this Rever app upgrade rocks! I take this over reservations every time.

Next step is a cam to show whether there are other cars in a cue.