Well, I got another story about Spark EV.

 

Today the wife and I go visit her Mom...it's about a 120km roundtrip.  On the way back home to Bangkok I stop at a Spark charger to top-up....same one I used yesterday.   I figure I can top-up for Bt200 and be at approx 95-96% with that Bt200 charge....end-up getting a Spark Bt200 coupon resulting in free charging.

 

OK, I arrive at the charger...do my math again to double check my in-the-head-math that if I charge to Bt200 I will end-up with approx a 95% SOC...I will not end-up charging to 100% before reaching Bt200 thereby falling just short of Bt200 which would result in only a Bt100 coupon.  I also add Bt300 to my Spark wallet leaving me with almost Bt500 reflecting the wallet.  I start the charging and about 20 minutes later I'm at Bt197 expended and 95% SOC just as figured....I'm probably going to squeak over Bt200 at around 96-97% SOC I figure--awesome.    But no, the story does not end that way. 

 

Just as the charge reached Bt198 the car's SOC display jumped from 95% to 99%....no 96, 97, 98% increments.   OK, only 1% to go to reach 100% and the Spark app is showing a few stang below Bt199.  I now think (and hope) I'm surely going to rack-up another few baht between 99 and 100% and then charging stops.    Nope, I reach 100% a second or two later and the final bill was Bt199.08.....92 stang short of reaching Bt200 to get a Bt200 coupon; instead, I'll end-up with a Bt100 coupon.

 

I think to myself, the other day I stopped just short of Bt200 also when I accidently touched the Stop Charging icon on the app.  I just looked at my Spark history and that charge session also came to Bt199.08.    Now how strange is that....two charging sessions stopping at exactly Bt199.08....coincidence I hope vs Spark doing something sneaky.  Now just a few days earlier I had successfully charged to a few baht over Bt200 so I can definitely charge to over Bt200.    But to have two charging sessions end exactly at Bt199.08 is spooky....one ending because of accidently touching the Stop Charging icon and the second due to going from 95% to 100% SOC in just 15 seconds or so vs several minutes.   

 

However, I will have to say I saw this same SOC jump from around 95% to 99% several times before during the BYD/ReverSharger 5 month free charging program....I was DC fast charging very frequently during that time.  I figure that was simply a SOC meter inaccuracy caused by a lot of DC fast charges since during that 5 month promotion I rarely charged to 100% "via my home 7KW slow wall charger."  But one of those rare uses was doing a less than 10% to 100% SOC via slow charger that BYD recommends be done every 3 to 6 months to recalibrate the BMS/SOC meter.....I've pretty much been religiously doing that approx every 3 to 4 months.     I expect the frequent DC fast charging created a SOC meter inaccuracy during "some" DC fast charges.

 

I'm not mad about these two charging sessions totaling "almost" Bt400 and will only get back Bt200 because at Spark rate of Bt7.9/KWH that results in me paying a hair less than Bt4/KWH compared to if I had charged at home were it would have cost me a hair over Bt5 with MEA electric company rates.  So, I'm still coming out ahead of the game.

 

And to top-off the strangeness of today's Spark charging session the Stop Charging icon "press type" was a "Slide to the right type" today.  I jokingly thought to myself they must have heard me complaining about this yesterday.  Actually, I figured the app had just updated since yesterday's use....I checked Google Play for the latest version expecting to see a Oct 2025 version date but no, it was a Mar 2025 and that was the version I had on my phone.  So, if Spark did update the app version over the last day then Spark failed to reflect the new date on Google Play version/release date.   And I do very frequently update my phone apps....my Google Play account is set to auto-update my apps plus I almost always manually force an update of all Google apps once a week as I want to be sure I have the latest app versions as soon as possible.

 

I then started thinking the only thing I did differently today in starting the charge session on the charger (same charger I used yesterday) was I scanned the QR code on the charger screen vs the QR code pasted on the charger case.  I had planned to do another very brief charging session to see if the type of Stop Charging icon displayed in the app depended on which QR code was scanned on the charger.   But since I was charged to 100% I couldn't start another session....I'll need to wait a few days before my SOC will be low enough to try another charging session for at least Bt100 in order to get a Bt100 coupon. 

 

Yeap....strange stuff.

 

i was surprised to see that a spark charger was newly opened close to where i live... that's why i decided to enter the aseannow-competition for free charging 🙂, and i successfully charged for 104 baht... later, i received this message on the app:

 

:

Thanks for above....I too have the same 25 Oct message in the Spark notification area (the notification bell area that I never read).  😄

 

Since the message talks expediting the upgrade of the Spark app maybe that explains the change in Stop Charging icon I experienced between yesterday and today although Google Play Store still shows a March 2025 app release.  Maybe the app does not need to be updated for all changes that can appear in the app.

 

Sounds like Spark didn't plan to have so many free charging takers and it exceeded the amount of reimbursement coupons they had planned.

 

Spark does seem to be expanding fast as they have two new chargers installed less than 2 kilometers from me but the chargers have not went operational yet.

 

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Well, I got another story about Spark EV.

 

Today the wife and I go visit her Mom...it's about a 120km roundtrip.  On the way back home to Bangkok I stop at a Spark charger to top-up....same one I used yesterday.   I figure I can top-up for Bt200 and be at approx 95-96% with that Bt200 charge....end-up getting a Spark Bt200 coupon resulting in free charging.

 

OK, I arrive at the charger...do my math again to double check my in-the-head-math that if I charge to Bt200 I will end-up with approx a 95% SOC...I will not end-up charging to 100% before reaching Bt200 thereby falling just short of Bt200 which would result in only a Bt100 coupon.  I also add Bt300 to my Spark wallet leaving me with almost Bt500 reflecting the wallet.  I start the charging and about 20 minutes later I'm at Bt197 expended and 95% SOC just as figured....I'm probably going to squeak over Bt200 at around 96-97% SOC I figure--awesome.    But no, the story does not end that way. 

 

Just as the charge reached Bt198 the car's SOC display jumped from 95% to 99%....no 96, 97, 98% increments.   OK, only 1% to go to reach 100% and the Spark app is showing a few stang below Bt199.  I now think (and hope) I'm surely going to rack-up another few baht between 99 and 100% and then charging stops.    Nope, I reach 100% a second or two later and the final bill was Bt199.08.....92 stang short of reaching Bt200 to get a Bt200 coupon; instead, I'll end-up with a Bt100 coupon.

 

I think to myself, the other day I stopped just short of Bt200 also when I accidently touched the Stop Charging icon on the app.  I just looked at my Spark history and that charge session also came to Bt199.08.    Now how strange is that....two charging sessions stopping at exactly Bt199.08....coincidence I hope vs Spark doing something sneaky.  Now just a few days earlier I had successfully charged to a few baht over Bt200 so I can definitely charge to over Bt200.    But to have two charging sessions end exactly at Bt199.08 is spooky....one ending because of accidently touching the Stop Charging icon and the second due to going from 95% to 100% SOC in just 15 seconds or so vs several minutes.   

 

However, I will have to say I saw this same SOC jump from around 95% to 99% several times before during the BYD/ReverSharger 5 month free charging program....I was DC fast charging very frequently during that time.  I figure that was simply a SOC meter inaccuracy caused by a lot of DC fast charges since during that 5 month promotion I rarely charged to 100% "via my home 7KW slow wall charger."  But one of those rare uses was doing a less than 10% to 100% SOC via slow charger that BYD recommends be done every 3 to 6 months to recalibrate the BMS/SOC meter.....I've pretty much been religiously doing that approx every 3 to 4 months.     I expect the frequent DC fast charging created a SOC meter inaccuracy during "some" DC fast charges.

 

I'm not mad about these two charging sessions totaling "almost" Bt400 and will only get back Bt200 because at Spark rate of Bt7.9/KWH that results in me paying a hair less than Bt4/KWH compared to if I had charged at home were it would have cost me a hair over Bt5 with MEA electric company rates.  So, I'm still coming out ahead of the game.

 

And to top-off the strangeness of today's Spark charging session the Stop Charging icon "press type" was a "Slide to the right type" today.  I jokingly thought to myself they must have heard me complaining about this yesterday.  Actually, I figured the app had just updated since yesterday's use....I checked Google Play for the latest version expecting to see a Oct 2025 version date but no, it was a Mar 2025 and that was the version I had on my phone.  So, if Spark did update the app version over the last day then Spark failed to reflect the new date on Google Play version/release date.   And I do very frequently update my phone apps....my Google Play account is set to auto-update my apps plus I almost always manually force an update of all Google apps once a week as I want to be sure I have the latest app versions as soon as possible.

 

I then started thinking the only thing I did differently today in starting the charge session on the charger (same charger I used yesterday) was I scanned the QR code on the charger screen vs the QR code pasted on the charger case.  I had planned to do another very brief charging session to see if the type of Stop Charging icon displayed in the app depended on which QR code was scanned on the charger.   But since I was charged to 100% I couldn't start another session....I'll need to wait a few days before my SOC will be low enough to try another charging session for at least Bt100 in order to get a Bt100 coupon. 

 

Yeap....strange stuff.

 

That is strange indeed !!

Wait until the conspiracy brigade reads that !!

 

When I did my charge yesterday it did indeed say “ swipe right to stop charging “ but i wondered if it was a difference in the phones ( IOS v Android ) so didn’t mention it.

 

Two charging sessions ending prematurely at 199.08 baht is indeed spooky, not forgetting my session ( 207.77 baht ) came in between your two.

( cue The Twilight Zone music ).

33 minutes ago, Pib said:

Thanks for above....I too have the same 25 Oct message in the Spark notification area (the notification bell area that I never read).  😄

 

Since the message talks expediting the upgrade of the Spark app maybe that explains the change in Stop Charging icon I experienced between yesterday and today although Google Play Store still shows a March 2025 app release.  Maybe the app does not need to be updated for all changes that can appear in the app.

 

Sounds like Spark didn't plan to have so many free charging takers and it exceeded the amount of reimbursement coupons they had planned.

 

Spark does seem to be expanding fast as they have two new chargers installed less than 2 kilometers from me but the chargers have not went operational yet.

 

Yup, I got that message too !

Maybe i read the first line or the part in bold text only !

 

Hopefully it will be extended as i probably will only squeeze one more charging session out of it later in the week or the coupons valid for longer, have a road trip in January so that would be good !

ReverSharger updated its system this morning starting at 9am on 27 Oct 2025...they say it's a security/safety/convenience upgrade.  "You will need the latest app to login" and do some onetime steps.

 

I noticed this today when starting the app around 9:15am.....got a message of "System down for maintenance...retry later."   A hour or so later it was still down.    I then started looking to see if there was any info on the internet.....and on the ReverSharger Facebook page it does talk the ReverSharger system upgrade for 27 Oct/Monday starting at 9am.    Facebook link and partial quote below for more details.   

 

After ensuring you have the latest app version if already a registered user you will need to login with the "email address" you originally used to register with ReverSharger although the new app login shows "Email/Phone Number" implying you can use either   A OTP is sent to that email address to continue the login.   During that login they will ask to Verify your Phone number....enter your phone number and OTP text will be sent to complete the phone number verification.  You are now logged back into their upgraded system.   "Once you completed this login into their upgraded app/system, the next time you need to login you can login using your email address or phone number.....either way will now work."

 

This morning after I updated my ReverSharger app and initially tried to login I couldn't remember if I had used my email address or phone number when initially registering  sometime last year.  I first tried my phone number and it was not accepted....then I started thinking this system upgrade better not result in me not being able to log back into my original account where I have over a Bt200 wallet balance or I will be PO'ed.   But when using my email address I was able to go thru the login process as described in above paragraph and my wallet balance was still there along with the cards I had loaded for optional payment.    After doing that I logged out and tried using my phone number to login and it worked.   Email or phone number login will work once you go thru the updated app initial login.  

 

So, for those of you who use the ReverSharger charging network you might want to update to their upgraded system/app "before" you go pull up to one of their charging stations.

 

https://www.facebook.com/sharge.ev.co/

 

 

 

 

 

 

why make it easy for us when you can make it complicated ... 😚

 

5 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

why make it easy for us when you can make it complicated ... 😚

 

Not seeing any improvement there, sounds like they are just staggering when you receive the coupons.

 

I suppose this does mean that you won’t be forced to use all the free coupons in the first month .

3 hours ago, motdaeng said:

why make it easy for us when you can make it complicated ... 😚

 

 

Well, I think this is a good thing for me since I messed-up two charging sessions where the charging sessions stopped about two baht short of Bt200 meaning I would only get a Bt100 coupon credit instead of a Bt200 coupon credit.  And my 1st charge session under the promotion for around Bt150 when I didn't fully understand that any  amount "between Bt100 increments" would not get a coupon credit...that is, that Bt150 charge would only get me Bt100 credit and not Bt150.   All of these messed-up sessions (primarily caused by me) amounted to around Bt246 I wouldn't get a coupon credit for.

 

However, if I understand above correctly, I should recover that Bt246  incremental amount under their new 2nd coupon program of a Bt500 credit as I have already exceeded Bt500 usage for Oct...since 23 Oct.   And I should get the 1st coupon credit also.  Cool....I hope I understand it correctly.   I'm pretty sure I will also be able to squeak in at least one more charge session before the Bt100 coupon promotion ends. 

 

22 minutes ago, Pib said:

 

Well, I think this is a good thing for me since I messed-up two charging sessions where the charging sessions stopped about two baht short of Bt200 meaning I would only get a Bt100 coupon credit instead of a Bt200 coupon credit.  And my 1st charge session under the promotion for around Bt150 when I didn't fully understand that any  amount "between Bt100 increments" would not get a coupon credit...that is, that Bt150 charge would only get me Bt100 credit and not Bt150.   All of these messed-up sessions (primarily caused by me) amounted to around Bt246 I wouldn't get a coupon credit for.

 

However, if I understand above correctly, I should recover that Bt246  incremental amount under their new 2nd coupon program of a Bt500 credit as I have already exceeded Bt500 usage for Oct...since 23 Oct.   And I should get the 1st coupon credit also.  Cool....I hope I understand it correctly.   I'm pretty sure I will also be able to squeak in at least one more charge session before the Bt100 coupon promotion ends. 

 

This is how i understand it:
 

I think it is still 100 baht charged gets a 100 baht coupon , 157 baht charged would still only gets a 100 baht coupon for example.

 

If these 100 baht coupons add up to less than 500 baht then you will receive that amount on Nov 5th.

If more than 500 baht ( in 100 baht coupons ) accumulated then you get 500 baht coupons on Nov 5th and the remainder, if 500 baht or less you receive coupons on Dec 2nd.

If any other outstanding coupons ( if you accumulated more than 1000 baht in 100 baht coupons ) these to be paid on Jan 2nd.

 

From the Spark EV group comments on FB:

 As usual a little lost in translation but i think this explains it.

 

20 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

This is how i understand it:
 

I think it is still 100 baht charged gets a 100 baht coupon , 157 baht charged would still only gets a 100 baht coupon for example.

 

If these 100 baht coupons add up to less than 500 baht then you will receive that amount on Nov 5th.

If more than 500 baht ( in 100 baht coupons ) accumulated then you get 500 baht coupons on Nov 5th and the remainder, if 500 baht or less you receive coupons on Dec 2nd.

If any other outstanding coupons ( if you accumulated more than 1000 baht in 100 baht coupons ) these to be paid on Jan 2nd.

 

From the Spark EV group comments on FB:

 As usual a little lost in translation but i think this explains it.

 

I think you are exactly right.  After I made my post I took the dog for walk...came and reread the Spark Facebook announcement and concluded it is as  you say. 

 

I said to myself I need to update/edit my earlier post but couldn't get back on Aseannow as it was slower than grass growing.  Once I did get back on I saw your post above that made me feel better I was indeed now understanding the program.

 

Basically the Bt100 increment rule still applies.  The 1st coupon they send you will basically  be an "informational only" coupon saying how much you qualified for and then Spark will start sending real coupon credits up to Bt500 per month until they have paid you in full.  Kinda like an installment plan for Spark due to so many people taking advantage of the Bt100 coupon promotion.

10 hours ago, Pib said:

I think you are exactly right.  After I made my post I took the dog for walk...came and reread the Spark Facebook announcement and concluded it is as  you say. 

 

I said to myself I need to update/edit my earlier post but couldn't get back on Aseannow as it was slower than grass growing.  Once I did get back on I saw your post above that made me feel better I was indeed now understanding the program.

 

Basically the Bt100 increment rule still applies.  The 1st coupon they send you will basically  be an "informational only" coupon saying how much you qualified for and then Spark will start sending real coupon credits up to Bt500 per month until they have paid you in full.  Kinda like an installment plan for Spark due to so many people taking advantage of the Bt100 coupon promotion.

yeah, it was certainly really slow and I had difficulty connecting, as I did again this morning !.

 

This promotion has been a bit convoluted to say the least !!, plenty of confusion on the Spark EV FB page with some thinking that the updated rules mean we will get the full amount coupon and then get coupons every month again, in effect getting double the rewards !!

While I am 100% certain that this is not the case i can see why that confusion has arisen !

 The article is badly worded and states a coupon will be issued stating the full amount, the word “coupon” here causing the confusion !!

 

Anyway, just to stir the muddy waters a bit more i would like to throw in my own questions about using the coupons !!

 

I have 100 or maybe 200 baht coupons already ( still not determined ) and as my SOC is 49% and am likely to visit a Spark charger in the next few days therefore am very likely to surpass 500 baht before the promotion ends ( have determined 100 baht = 12.65 kw = 15.33% range on my 82.5 kWh battery ).

Now whether i receive 1 x 500 baht coupon or 5 x 100 baht is unclear.

But, as we know any coupons will get precedence over money in wallet when charging so:

 

1) If we partially use a coupon does the balance remain ?  I suspect not but up to now have fully used both my free coupons ( 300 baht for registration and 50 baht for survey ) so am not sure.

 

2) If once a coupon is started then it is deemed as used and gone forever ( only surmising ) then the best option is to use all coupons in one charging session.

Which can be done with a 82.5 kWh battery but not with a 60 kWh battery.

In which case one would have to stop charging just before 100 baht increment to avoid starting another 100 baht coupon.

Would that work ??

3) Of course if a 500 baht is issued then one would have to assume that part of the coupon could be used and the remaining balance would remain but I am not sure if they have thought this through to this point yet.

 

Will be interesting to see what happens next but i can foresee more confusion.

 

@Pib did you partially use either of your previous coupons and did any balance remain.

Here's how it worked for me for the previous Bt300 new user coupon and the Bt50 questionnaire coupon.   Both coupons appeared on my Spark opening page for a while even after their coupon value had been actually moved into my coupon wallet that I could use to pay for charging sessions. 

 

To see "both" wallet balances consisting of the "real money" you transferred via mobile banking to top-up your wallet and also to see your "Coupon Wallet Balance" you need to tap the little "ticket icon" in the lower right hand corner of your real money Wallet Balance...that little ticket icon is next to the "Top-Up" icon.  You will now see "both" your Wallet real money balance and also the separate Coupon Wallet Balance.   No where does it add these two balance together to show a total balances....the two balances are kept/shown separate. 

 

Example: the real money wallet portion might show Bt456.74 and your coupon wallet balance Bt350.00...these are separate balances....the Bt350 is not part of the Bt456.74.    When paying for charging session you are "not" offered the option of which wallet portions to pay from; instead, the coupon wallet is "automatically" charged first and if there is not enough money in the coupon wallet to fully pay the bill then the remaining bill amount is taken from the real money wallet.  If you did a Bt40 charge your two wallet balances would then show Bt456.74 and Bt310 as the bill was fully (and automatically) paid from the coupon wallet balance.  If you had done a charging session for Bt400 your coupon wallet balance would change to zero and your real money wallet change to Bt406.74 as value from both wallet portions was needed to pay the bill.

 

Now, for example, if you did not have any money in your real money wallet but Bt50 in your coupon wallet from say that earlier Bt50 questionnaire coupon and then did a Bt40 charging session your coupon balance would decrease to Bt10....it does "not" decrease to zero...it's not like if you use a coupon the whole value of the coupon is depleted if you do not use the whole value.    Note: and I don't know if you could even begin a charging session without a real money balance although you have enough coupon wallet balance to pay for the amount you plan to charge....these different charging apps that use the "wallet" approach have different rules.

 

That's how the Spark coupon "consumption" process has worked for me "so far" consisting of two different coupons.   For the new user Bt300 coupon I had to actually take the quick one time step of typing in the coupon redemption code on the coupon to redeem the Bt300 which then increased my Coupon Wallet Balance from Bt0 to Bt300.  And trying to be slick by typing in the code again doesn't work as Spark knows you already redeemed the coupon value into your Coupon Wallet.   But for the Bt50 questionnaire coupon it did not show a redemption code on the coupon and its Bt50 value automatically plussed-up/appeared in my Coupon Wallet Balance...balance increased by Bt50.   So in those two previous cases, one coupon required a person to take an extra step of redeeming the coupon but the other coupon was automatically redeemed into my coupon wallet.    

 

How the upcoming Bt100/Bt500 promotion coupon process will work redemption-wise I'm under the impression that while you will see the coupons appear on your Spark app somewhere...probably the main page....you will not have to take the extra step to redeem their value into your Coupon Wallet.....that will occur automatically....your Coupon Wallet balance will automatically be topped-up.  But when we actually do see these coupons being issued if  you see a redemption code on the coupon that probably means you'll need to take the quick & easy step to redeem their value into your Coupon Wallet balance.....and that redeemed coupon(s) will not be of the type of coupon that even using a portion of its value will result in the entire coupon value been consumed. 

 

It expect it will work like how their previous coupons worked, "but" in this case Spark must have been surprised by the number of people taking advantage of the promotion and under-estimated how much money to set aside to pay all the coupons upon the promotion's  conclusion....the promotion ends 31 Oct.   So, Spark needs to pay the reimbursement coupons via an installment-type payback plan...pay out up to Bt500 per month per person until they get everybody paid.   I bet some people (and businesses)  who typically drive "a lot" all the time started racking-up a high coupon value and it caught Spark off guard since the promotion rules did not have a limit on maximum charging amount permitted to receive reimbursement coupons. 

 

Since the promotion still has 4 days left maybe the wife and I should jump in the Atto and drive around Thailand....rack-up a couple thousand kilometers and baht in Spark reimbursement coupons....Spark will be paying us back at Bt500 per month till this time next year!!!😀

 

 

2 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

 

....and as my SOC is 49% and am likely to visit a Spark charger in the next few days therefore am very likely to surpass 500 baht before the promotion ends ( have determined 100 baht = 12.65 kw = 15.33% range on my 82.5 kWh battery ).

 

 

Just be sure you allow some "extra" safety SOC percentage to ensure you can reach a Bt100 increment...like at least Bt100, at least Bt300, etc., because if your SOC indicator decides to jump from 95% to 99% completely skipping over 96 thru 98% and then going from 99% to 100% in just a few seconds to automatically end the charging session you could end up not getting fully reimbursed....like charging stopping at Bt198 and you end up only earning a Bt100 coupon.     

 

DC fast charging sessions can "sometimes" make the last 5% percent or so of SOC "not" go in a linear manner like I experienced in that Spark charging session the other day and also occurred several times under the BYD/ReverSharger charging promotion.  I think battery temperature at the time might be a big factor in causing this non-linear jump when fast charging along with maybe some possible SOC indicator inaccuracy when one of those less than 10% to 100% slow charges recommended by BYD for its LFP batteries has not been done for 3-6 months.  

 

Yeap, if your math indicates you would reach a Bt100 increment say at 95% SOC then you might want to apply an extra/safety correction factor of around -5% and plan to reach a Bt100 increment at 90%.  That's my plan on the next Spark charging session under this promotion to avoid another surprise of my SOC indicator jumping from 95% to 100% in just a few seconds...just a few baht short of a Bt100 increment.

 

 

 

22 minutes ago, Pib said:

 

Just be sure you allow some "extra" safety SOC percentage to ensure you can reach a Bt100 increment...like at least Bt100, at least Bt300, etc., because if your SOC indicator decides to jump from 95% to 99% completely skipping over 96 thru 98% and then going from 99% to 100% in just a few seconds to automatically end the charging session you could end up not getting fully reimbursed....like charging stopping at Bt198 and you end up only earning a Bt100 coupon.     

 

DC fast charging sessions can "sometimes" make the last 5% percent or so of SOC "not" go in a linear manner like I experienced in that Spark charging session the other day and also occurred several times under the BYD/ReverSharger charging promotion.  I think battery temperature at the time might be a big factor in causing this non-linear jump when fast charging along with maybe some possible SOC indicator inaccuracy when one of those less than 10% to 100% slow charges recommended by BYD for its LFP batteries has not been done for 3-6 months.  

 

Yeap, if your math indicates you would reach a Bt100 increment say at 95% SOC then you might want to apply an extra/safety correction factor of around -5% and plan to reach a Bt100 increment at 90%.  That's my plan on the next Spark charging session under this promotion to avoid another surprise of my SOC indicator jumping from 95% to 100% in just a few seconds...just a few baht short of a Bt100 increment.

 

 

 

Yeah, aim to get SOC down to around 30 % by Thursday then charge just over 400 baht which should leave me around 90%.
 

Then i am done, this hasn’t been a great success as a promotion for me , i like Spark, i find the app good and charging very easy to use but the whole coupon idea is a little confusing.

Interested to see what redeeming will be like.

 

Looking through the app i saw this promotion back in August .

 

5.5 baht off peak charging for 6 days but only 6 locations !!

I bet not many took advantage of this !!

 

7 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

This promotion has been a bit convoluted to say the least !!, plenty of confusion on the Spark EV FB page.....

Yea....I just finished reading most of the FB comments to Spark's latest/27 Oct promotion announcement.   All kinds of different understandings....a lot of commenters also feel the promotion was too confusing in how the coupons would be awarded.   

 

Me thinks Spark should have just provided free charging coupon reimbursement for "any" amount versus this Bt100 incremental stuff.  This would have resulted in a ton less confusion even if Spark did have to  stagger distribution of the reimbursement coupons.   But Spark knew exactly what they were doing in setting the promotion rules....I'm sure they knew many would charge to "any" amount thinking every baht would get a reimbursement coupon amount only to figure out later it needed to be done Bt100 increments.  Heck, that's what I thought initially but I got my understanding straightened out by my 2nd charge.

 

And while driving back home today from a nearby Foodland groceries run I noticed another new Spark DC charger at a Bangckak station although the charger has not went operational yet/not showing up in the Spark app yet.  This charger is within meters of the ReverSharger charger already at the Bangchak station....a charger I used dozens & dozens of times during the BYD/ReverSharger free charging promotion.   

 

This will make 3 new Spark locations  that should go operational soon....two within 2 kilometers and the other around 5 kilometers from my home here in the western Bangkok area.  I already have 5 operational Spark locations within 10 kilometers of my home....another 2 operational locations on the route we take to the mother-in-laws house about once a week. 

 

Spark seems to be growing fast....at least in my part of western Bangkok/eastern Nakhon Pathom province where I do most of my day-to-day driving.    But hey, I live in the Bangkok area where EVs are very numerous and getting more numerous every day....can give plenty of business to most any charging network that wants to install a charger.

 

In case you use PEA Volta a lot, it's now been around 20 hours (as of today/29 Oct 11:30am) that the PEA Volta charging network/app is experiencing problems...a disruption.  See PEA announcement below.

 

For me when clicking on the PEA app icon basically app icon goes to full screen but the app will not startup....kinda like it can't make a server connection.  All my other charging apps work.

 

 

 

 

So Spark has changed their promotion ( again ! ).

Now coupons will be issued on Nov 1st and will be valid until Nov 30th.

Meaning there will be a rush to use the coupons as issuing won’t be staggered and wasn’t there going to be 2 months validity ??

 

 

So many changes of mind during this short promotion !, who is running this …. Toyota ? 😀

17 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

So Spark has changed their promotion ( again ! ).

Now coupons will be issued on Nov 1st and will be valid until Nov 30th.

Meaning there will be a rush to use the coupons as issuing won’t be staggered and wasn’t there going to be 2 months validity ??

 

 

So many changes of mind during this short promotion !, who is running this …. Toyota ? 😀

I think above notice is dated.... was replaced/updated a day or two later by their 27 Oct Facebook announcement where they said they will be staggering reimbursement coupons up to Bt500 per month until everyone is fully reimbursed along with  60 day coupon expiration vs 30 days.

 

EDIT:  Nope...I now see above notice is the latest notice from an hour ago.  Guess Spark went and sold some gold to payoff everyone sooner.  😃😄😁

 

 

7 minutes ago, Pib said:

I think above notice is dated.... was replaced/updated a day or two later by their 27 Oct Facebook announcement where they said they will be staggering reimbursement coupons up to Bt500 per month until everyone is fully reimbursed along with  60 day coupon expiration vs 30 days.

Dated an hour ago and the “ netizens are outraged “ !!

 

 

 

Yea...I updated/edited my post about a minute ago.  Spark has been all over the map in how and when reimbursement will occur.  

2 hours ago, Pib said:

In case you use PEA Volta a lot, it's now been around 20 hours (as of today/29 Oct 11:30am) that the PEA Volta charging network/app is experiencing problems...a disruption.  See PEA announcement below.

 

For me when clicking on the PEA app icon basically app icon goes to full screen but the app will not startup....kinda like it can't make a server connection.  All my other charging apps work.

 

 

 

 

 

PEA Volta still down as of 29 Oct at 2pm.   Been down at least 21 hours.  The Facebook netizens are getting restless.  

As of 29 Oct 4pm, PEA Volta system still down per PEA Volta Facebook page update....and it still wasn't working at 5pm.

 

Although they acknowledge the system is down and they are working to fix they still gave a recommendation to delete and reinstall the app.  Others had already tried that with negative results...I also tried it at 5pm with negative results.

 

From PEA Volta Facebook page

 

 

 

As of 29 Oct 8:15pm the PEA Volta app/network is still not working properly after more than 24 hours according to its FaceBook page....many netizens are not happy.    Still doesn't work for me either as of 8:15pm.

 

But from playing around with the app (I use an Android phone) simply uninstalling and reinstalling the app will not help as others have reported on the PEA Facebook page....it also didn't work for me as I tried uninstalling/reinstalling twice....one of those times just 30 minutes ago.   

 

HOWEVER, I found it you go into the app's storage and then clear "Data and Cache" you can log into the app.  The app then starts up in Thai language/makes a server connection and you must login with User ID and Password....it don't automatically login like most people normally use it.   You can then set the app to English in your profile if needed.  And the app appears to be working OK, but I don't know if you could actually start a charge real world.   

 

BUT, when you close the app (no logout when closing) and try to reopen it again it will not work....not open up....seems to be looking for a server connection.    But delete the app's Data and Cache memory you can login again....that is, a normal login where you have to enter login ID and password...and then changing the language setting to English if required.

 

So, if your really need to use a PEA charger but can't get the app to startup, maybe above method will work for you until PEA fixes things.

13 hours ago, Pib said:

As of 29 Oct 8:15pm the PEA Volta app/network is still not working properly after more than 24 hours according to its FaceBook page....many netizens are not happy.    Still doesn't work for me either as of 8:15pm.

 

But from playing around with the app (I use an Android phone) simply uninstalling and reinstalling the app will not help as others have reported on the PEA Facebook page....it also didn't work for me as I tried uninstalling/reinstalling twice....one of those times just 30 minutes ago.   

 

HOWEVER, I found it you go into the app's storage and then clear "Data and Cache" you can log into the app.  The app then starts up in Thai language/makes a server connection and you must login with User ID and Password....it don't automatically login like most people normally use it.   You can then set the app to English in your profile if needed.  And the app appears to be working OK, but I don't know if you could actually start a charge real world.   

 

BUT, when you close the app (no logout when closing) and try to reopen it again it will not work....not open up....seems to be looking for a server connection.    But delete the app's Data and Cache memory you can login again....that is, a normal login where you have to enter login ID and password...and then changing the language setting to English if required.

 

So, if your really need to use a PEA charger but can't get the app to startup, maybe above method will work for you until PEA fixes things.

 

After I wrote above last night I played around a little more with the app and found out if you "logout" from within the app, that is not simply close the app but logout in the app's Profile section, when you try to login again the login screen will appear normally "and be in English assuming you set your preferred language as English in your Profile."   You do not need to go into the app's Storage/Memory area and delete "Data"  memory just to get the app to present the login screen again if you logged out vs just closing the app.  I reconfirmed this process again this morning.

 

I also found out from testing  this morning if you "uninstall and then reinstall" the app like PEA Volta Customer Support is still recommending on their Facebook page that this still does "not" help "unless" you delete the app's "Data" memory before uninstalling app OR Restart your phone after uninstalling the app.  And just to be clear I'm not talking about deleting any data/settings while you are logged into the app but delete the app's Data/Cache memory from within your phone Android settings for that app.   Deleting this phone Data while not cause the loss of any Data you have set within the app itself once you are logged in like payment info, EV info, etc....etc...etc., as that info is maintained in the PEA Volta server/cloud; not on your phone.   The Data on your phone is just for some basic app configuration to make the app work, startup, etc. 

 

Also when logging into the app the charging locations may not appear on the map until you press some app icon like pressing the History icon and there pressing the Home icon and then the charging locations appear on the screen.  Or at least that what is happening on my Android Samsung S24+ phone.   And above info is based on use of my Android-based phone; it may be different on an Apple-based phone.

 

From looking the PEA Volta Facebook page as of 9:59am still plenty of incoming comments of not being able to use the PEA Volta app.  The app is now well into it's 2nd day of being messed-up, not working properly.

 

Snapshot as of 30 Oct 9:59am.

As of 30 Oct 2025 at approx 3:30pm PEA Volta is supposedly back to operating properly after almost two days.   See the PEA Volta FaceBook post below. As of 4:30pm when I tried open the app it would open normally....none of the delete Data/Cache workaround needed....and I can see EVs charging on the Volta app map.  

 

Now as a test today at 1pm when the app was still not working properly in terms of getting the app to open-up/start I did do a brief charge for a few minutes.  I was at a newly discovered PEA DC six 240KW chargers/12 connectors charging location in Mueang Nakhon Pathom (more on that location in another post) and after getting the app started using the Data/Cache delete method I was able to charge normally.  Very nice 240Kw chargers at this location....more on that later in case you may need to use a charger in Nakhon Pathom.

 

Anyway, PEA Volta is back.  And it appears they will have some new promotion soon to say they are Sorry.

 

https://www.facebook.com/peavolta/    as of 30 Oct 2025 at approximately 3:30pm.

 

 

 

 

17 minutes ago, Pib said:

As of 30 Oct 2025 at approx 3:30pm PEA Volta is supposedly back to operating properly after almost two days.   See the PEA Volta FaceBook post below. As of 4:30pm when I tried open the app it would open normally....none of the delete Data/Cache workaround needed....and I can see EVs charging on the Volta app map.  

 

Now as a test today at 1pm when the app was still not working properly in terms of getting the app to open-up/start I did do a brief charge for a few minutes.  I was at a newly discovered PEA DC six 240KW chargers/12 connectors charging location in Mueang Nakhon Pathom (more on that location in another post) and after getting the app started using the Data/Cache delete method I was able to charge normally.  Very nice 240Kw chargers at this location....more on that later in case you may need to use a charger in Nakhon Pathom.

 

Anyway, PEA Volta is back.  And it appears they will have some new promotion soon to say they are Sorry.

 

https://www.facebook.com/peavolta/    as of 30 Oct 2025 at approximately 3:30pm.

 

 

 

 

has to be better than the Spark promo !!

 

 

1 baht off the peak price for most of us, too bad am not road tripping till January .

 

Now some info on that Mueang Nakhon Pathom DC charger station....a 6 chargers/12 connectors/240 KW station and how I discovered it...or should I saw "if it had been a snake it would have bitten me" type discovery.  

 

This morning while playing around with the PEA Volta app when it was still broke I was in the app's "filter" and noticed a filter setting called "Operators" and it had two selections you could turn off and on....both were set to off.  I turned both on, hit Apply and then went back to look at the app's map....now there were a lot more charger locations being shown. 

 

When clicking on any station identified as a "EV Roaming" charger (there were a whole lot) the PEA app kinda appeared the PEA app may be able to control them...start/stop a charging session; however, no Start Charging button was appearing...but the way the charger info appeared it made a person think maybe the PEA app could control them.  The wife and I were going to Nakorn Pathom today anyway to visit the ongoing festival and I stopped by one of the EV Roaming chargers shown on the PEA app and it turned out to be an Elexa charger.  I hooked up and tried to start charging using the PEA app to include scanning the QR code on the charger but it was a no-go.  So, I figure that "EV Roaming" filter option in the PEA app just shows some other chargers that probably paid PEA a fee just to be shown in the PEA app...or maybe in the past they were controllable by the PEA app.   Now, when the PEA app got fixed this afternoon I now see when the "EV Roaming" filter setting is turned on that no additional chargers appeared....so maybe the fix/upgrade of the PEA Volta system this afternoon did away with showing an EV Roaming chargers.

 

I now turn on the other Operators filter setting of called "Volta Connext" and around 15 additional chargers now appeared on the map mixed in with the PEA chargers.   The icon for these Volta Connext listed charger appears kinda like a chain link or maybe a "B".    I click on the one in Nakorn Pathom and it shows as a 6 chargers/12 connectors station called "Dynavolt"....and all the chargers are 240KW chargers.   And it has a "Start Charging" button reflected in the PEA app unlike the "EV Roaming" identified chargers.   And this charger location was at a location on highway #4/Phet Kasem Road that I drive by at least once a week and I didn't remember ever seeing it....turns out it been there about a year.   As it turns out this charger station is a "EV charger station only," built like a typical dino fuel station with chargers positioned just like you would pull a dino fuel car into a station to gas up.    As mentioned it had six 240KW chargers (Dynavolt brand) but also with PEA painted on them.  I did a test charge for a few minutes using the PEA app....worked fine.

 

See pictures below with comments for more info.

 

 

When turning on the PEA app filter setting called "Volta Connext" it will show around 15 more chargers around Thailand identified by below  "B" kinda looking icon....even 5 locations around the Korat area, etc.....many are high powered chargers.    You definitely want this PEA filter settings turned on as I think by "default" its turned off as I did a test by deleting the app's Data/Cache, then uninstalling the app, restarting my phone, and then reinstalling the app----the reinstalled app had the Volta Connext setting turned off.   So be sure to turn it on if it's not turned on.

 

 

Dynabolt/PEA 240KW charger

 

 

Right now the PEA app only lists 4 chargers/8 connectors but there are actually 6 chargers/12 connectors 

at the station...maybe two chargers haven't went operational yet.

 

 

My Atto charging at the station for a few minutes as a test.  Another EV car came along just as I was leaving and also a BIG TRUCK pulled in and stated charging.

 

 

Notice the big truck that came to charge

 

 

Da end.

 

 

 

Regarding the Spark Bt100 increment free charging promotion coupon issue which is suppose to happen 1 Nov (today) as of 9:40am I haven't received any rebursement coupon(s).  I should have Bt900 in coupon value coming my way. 

 

Ditto for netizens on the Spark Facebook page who are asking where is my coupon(s). Spark has responded with a "by 3pm today" answer and to be sure to update your Spark app as they just released an update and it will be needed to reflect coupon expiration.  I had updated all my Andoid phone apps yesterday but when checking this morning there was a Spark app update available which I installed

 

From Spark Facebook page:

10 minutes ago, Pib said:

Regarding the Spark Bt100 increment free charging promotion coupon issue which is suppose to happen 1 Nov (today) as of 9:40am I haven't received any rebursement coupon(s).  I should have Bt900 in coupon value coming my way. 

 

Ditto for netizens on the Spark Facebook page who are asking where is my coupon(s). Spark has responded with a "by 3pm today" answer and to be sure to update your Spark app as they just released an update and it will be needed to reflect coupon expiration.  I had updated all my Andoid phone apps yesterday but when checking this morning there was a Spark app update available which I installed

 

From Spark Facebook page:

The netizens are getting restless !!

 

 The update has brought a couple of features that will make life easier, clearer expiration dates and a choice to use coupons or wallet.