On 6/9/2026 at 3:46 PM, KhunLA said:

A sign of the future, and tick tock ICEV ... I'll get a snap tomorrow 🙄

Looks like they're making plans for another row of charging cables.

21 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

Indeed they do, primarily combined-cycle gas turbines, hydroelectric and increasingly battery electric storage systems under the draft PDP 2024 scaling up to 2037.

Does this increase your understanding of the subject, or would you like an explanation of some of the long words?

Thank you for your offer but I am a professional certified Electrical engineer so I will pass.

Thailand electricity grid is unlikely to be overwhelmed simply because EV numbers increase, the generation system appears capable of supporting much higher EV penetration. As is almost always the case, local distribution is the bottleneck.

Upgrading local distribution networks is usually much easier and cheaper than increasing generation capacity or upgrading the transmission infrastructure.

Maybe our budding engineers have forgotten that local distribution is usually the first to suffer when consumption increases.

Thailand electricity grid is unlikely to be overwhelmed simply because EV numbers increase, the generation system appears capable of supporting much higher EV penetration. As is almost always the case, local distribution is the bottleneck.

Upgrading local distribution networks is usually much easier and cheaper than increasing generation capacity or upgrading the transmission infrastructure.

Maybe our budding engineers have forgotten that local distribution is usually the first to suffer when consumption increases.

I'm afraid the recently announced investments in Thai AI data centers are what's going to eat your lunch. But I hope I'm wrong.

23 minutes ago, impulse said:

I'm afraid the recently announced investments in Thai AI data centers are what's going to eat your lunch. But I hope I'm wrong.

Now that is a real concern for parts of the grid, how its handled we have to wait and see. Eating the EV lunch is a real possibility.

4 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

Now that is a real concern for parts of the grid, how its handled we have to wait and see. Eating the EV lunch is a real possibility.

EV charging around the world has already shown that it can flex and ramp if given price signals to match supply constraints or excess supply.

My brother's EV in the UK does most of its charging in the early hours even though he plugs it in when he gets home.

1 hour ago, Bandersnatch said:

EV charging around the world has already shown that it can flex and ramp if given price signals to match supply constraints or excess supply.

My brother's EV in the UK does most of its charging in the early hours even though he plugs it in when he gets home.

A large fixed load like a data center doesn't just consume energy it consumes flexibility. This is why I said lets wait and see how its handled here in Thailand.

A lot of discussions around EVs assume the grid has periods of spare capacity that EVs can exploit. If a substantial amount of the 24/7 demand is added those spare-capacity periods become smaller.

58 minutes ago, Fruit Trader said:

A large fixed load like a data center doesn't just consume energy it consumes flexibility. This is why I said lets wait and see how its handled here in Thailand.

A lot of discussions around EVs assume the grid has periods of spare capacity that EVs can exploit. If a substantial amount of the 24/7 demand is added those spare-capacity periods become smaller.

You’re assuming a static grid, which it isn’t.

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

You’re assuming a static grid, which it isn’t.

No, I am not assuming the grid is static. I am saying that persistent baseload growth reduces flexibility unless infrastructure expands alongside it.

A large 24/7 load like a data center permanently raises the floor of demand. This directly affects reserve margins and reduces the spare off peak capacity that a lot of EV charging assumptions rely on.

Again lets wait and see how Thailand handles additional fixed loads over time. If you have actual data showing the grid here can absorb unlimited new demand without consequences for peak management, reserve capacity, or future infrastructure requirements please share it.

Grid capability is not just about generation surplus, its about transmission and distribution.

If the talk of a 2.8 gigawatt data center pipeline were evenly distributed across Thailand provinces it might be manageable. But its not looking that way as the vast majority of these projects are a bottleneck in very specific zones.

I understand these negatives unsettle the EV folk, but relax nothing drastic will happen any time soon and I am quite sure Thailands board of investment will continue to apply the brakes on wild data center approvals.

10 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

A large fixed load like a data center doesn't just consume energy it consumes flexibility. A lot of discussions around EVs assume the grid has periods of spare capacity that EVs can exploit. If a substantial amount of the 24/7 demand is added those spare-capacity periods become smaller.

Flexibility comes from renewables.

In the UK the Wind has become the largest single contributor to the UK’s energy supply so that's why there is excess and therefore cheaper electricity at night.

Australia boasts the highest per capita solar generation in the world, heavily driven by rooftop installations on residential homes making electricity prices go negative in the middle of the day.

"The Thai government aims to increase the use of renewables to 51% of energy generation by 2037, which could save over $9 billion every year"

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/thailands-cost-optimal-pathway-to-a-sustainable-economy

7 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

I understand these negatives unsettle the EV folk

My 2 EVs are powered over 99% of the time from my off-grid home - nothing unsettles me.

9 minutes ago, Bandersnatch said:

My 2 EVs are powered over 99% of the time from my off-grid home - nothing unsettles me.

Same here, all my electric needs are 98.754% from solar since installed, just prior to owning BEV.

Edited June 12Jun 12 by KhunLA

3 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

Flexibility comes from renewables.

In the UK the Wind has become the largest single contributor to the UK’s energy supply so that's why there is excess and therefore cheaper electricity at night.

Australia boasts the highest per capita solar generation in the world, heavily driven by rooftop installations on residential homes making electricity prices go negative in the middle of the day.

"The Thai government aims to increase the use of renewables to 51% of energy generation by 2037, which could save over $9 billion every year"

https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/thailands-cost-optimal-pathway-to-a-sustainable-economy

Renewables may provide generation flexibility but that does not answer the underlying question.

Can the local grid infrastructure in the key development zones simultaneously support rapid data center growth and rapid EV adoption without substantial transmission and distribution upgrades.

Grid capability is not simply a matter of total megawatts available on paper, it is about if power can be delivered reliably to where demand is concentrated. A gigawatt data center load clustered in a handful of locations presents a very different challenge from the same load being distributed across the country.

Well run utilities and investment boards study connection capacity and future demand not just national generation surplus. My concern is not that Thailand will run out of electricity but that infrastructure expansion may struggle to keep pace if large data centers and EV charging networks are competing for capacity in the same regions.

Thailand has not always been known for proactive infrastructure planning which is why I believe these risks deserve closer scrutiny rather than being dismissed with references to renewables alone.

Again, lets wait and see how Thailand (not the UK or AUS) handles additional fixed loads.

P.S.

Sorry for not considering those wearing the "I charge from home solar badge" in a previous post.

Big thanks to @impulse for introducing this fun subject.

Edited June 12Jun 12 by Fruit Trader

12 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

I understand these negatives unsettle the EV folk

Not one jot.

2 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

Can the local grid infrastructure in the key development zones simultaneously support rapid data center growth and rapid EV adoption without substantial transmission and distribution upgrades. ... Again, lets wait and see how Thailand (not the UK or AUS) handles additional fixed loads.

Apparently TH's grid can, so no need to wait & see, from G AI ...

... "Thailand has dozens of operational data centers, with over 60 active facilities—most clustered in Bangkok and its surrounding industrial provinces. Major operators like True IDC, NTT Global Data Centers, and STT GDC already have multiple sites running in the region. - krungsri.com+3" ...

Edited June 12Jun 12 by KhunLA

Only about a dozen of these would be considered large scale but there's 3 times that many in the planning stages. It's a big leap to make.

3 hours ago, Fruit Trader said:

My concern is not that Thailand will run out of electricity but that infrastructure expansion may struggle to keep pace if large data centers and EV charging networks are competing for capacity in the same regions.

You can't compare EV charging with data centers. You are comparing fixed and flexible demand and the scale is completely different.

3 hours ago, Bandersnatch said:

You can't compare EV charging with data centers. You are comparing fixed and flexible demand and the scale is completely different.

Data centers, they surely not go invest without knowing the can power the facility, independently or on the grid, or both. One major DC mention in my earlier post, has plans to be self powered at the Chon Buri DC.

Their Krung Thep location already gets some, if not all from solar ...

STT GDC DC building is looking fancy & high tech, and have to wonder if the outer wall covering isn't some type of solar PV.

True Int. DC, maybe it's just a coincidence, huge solar farm is stone's throw away ...

I don't think most people realize how solar is already being used in TH, commercially, and not necessarily powering the grid, but businesses, mall, supplementing the power source.

I noticed the use of solar when at a mall parking garage at Future Park ...

Edited June 12Jun 12 by KhunLA

Some PTT EV Station Pluz and ReverSharger charging network info regarding "Autocharge"....that is, just plug the charging station cable into your EV and the charging will start automatically....no need to scan a QR code, enter a charger number, push buttons/icons, etc....etc....etc...to get the charging going.

See below post for a recent DC charger charging experience....charging on three different networks (OneCharge, PTT, and MEA) at three different chargers over a 45 minute time frame here in the western Bangkok area. As you'll see the charging rate I got varied widely most likely due to DC charger KW capability "at the time of charging" and not due to the EV.