Hi Have been looking to buy a new car & I do a lot of Km ( taking kids back & forth to school ) was looking at suv's mainly especially  hybrids for good fuel economy  such as hrv  or  Corolla cross etc but also been researching the BYD atto 3 which has been getting  good reviews  on YouTube etc but wondered if there are any owners that can put their  views of ownership in Thailand  regarding   economy, ease of charging etc etc

 

Cheers 

BYD Atto 3 Review 2023 | Top Gear
Says it all really.

It won't be long before the eco-warriors arrive, followed by the 'greenies' to tell you 'This is the Way'.

Personally, I don't think Thailand is ready for the electric full monty yet, although it won't be too long!
The Toyota Cross Hybrid is a great car, good on fuel, has a tight turning circle and classic looks. It's more expensive than the Honda HRV and I.M.O. a far better motor. 

 

Got to admit, I'm seeing more and more EV's on the road lately, even up here in the boonies queueing up at MG and Robinsons to charge up!  ????
 

1 hour ago, thaiscot said:

Hi Have been looking to buy a new car & I do a lot of Km ( taking kids back & forth to school ) was looking at suv's mainly especially  hybrids for good fuel economy  such as hrv  or  Corolla cross etc but also been researching the BYD atto 3 which has been getting  good reviews  on YouTube etc but wondered if there are any owners that can put their  views of ownership in Thailand  regarding   economy, ease of charging etc etc

 

Cheers 

I have a BEV, MG ZS, and love it.  As long as you can charge at home, and are not one of those impatient drivers who need to be where ever ASAP, when on the road, O&A (out & about), then you'll probably love it also.

 

Plenty of CS (charging station) country wide.  Weekends, I read it's good to reserve when using CS, as they can get busy.  I've yet to need to, but usually avoid weekends for other reasons.  Saying that, we were O&A on weekends and yet to encounter or wait for a Q.   I think once we just went to next CS couple kms down the road, and not Q related.

 

If O&A quite often, then sign up & know the CS/vendors procedures before going O&A.  Some require apps, CC, bank transfer.  All quite easy.  One just went to a 'reserve only' format, (EV Station Pluz) which I'm not a fan of, so will not be using in the future, unless last resort.

 

We use;

MG, since having, 1st choice

PEA, 2nd choice, those 2 have been enough, though used EV Station Pluz quite a bit in the past.  Either is always on the way, and rare to leave the highway to use any CS.  IF so, then conveniently located, just off the main road.

 

Atto 3 is a nice looking ride, and we see a lot of them.  

 

Economy wise, it really doesn't get any cheaper and easier for local transport.  No longer needing to go to petrol station, just plug in at home for a fraction of the cost of petrol, now ฿37 for 91 ????

 

I would avoid comments from the naysayers, folks that don't own an EV.  Most haven't a clue, and do nothing but spew a false, bias narrative of ignorance ... IMHO

 

I don't give advice about diesel engine vehicles, as I've never owned one ... nuff said.

When O&A, plenty of choice for charging:

MG Super Chargers ... if owning, or have member card

PEA Volta ... @ BangChak petrol stations, and PEA offices (not all)

EV Station Pluz ... @ PTT station (reserve only)

EA Anywhere ... at many destinations, petrol stations, malls, even some MG dealers use their charging cables.  Have not used yet.

Elexa ... haven't use, but a favorite of one of the AN members

eVolta ... we have, but not used, and don't like them, since most are not fast chargers.  Would not recommend as we did, putting money on their app, as can't take it off.  May be a while before we use that up.

 

PlugShare is a good site to find charging stations w/reviews

ChargeLoma is an app, with similar information

All the vendor apps have more current information

 

Economy wise, and very easy to calculate and realize the saving of EV over ICEV, using 91 @ ฿37 per Liter.  IF having solar at home, as we do, then an EV is a no brainer.

 

We owned both ICE and now EV version of the MG ZS.  Around town, we get 360 kms per full charge.  O&A we get about 320 kms per charge, since at speeds much higher than local driving.

 

At home, if paying, say a high ฿4.5 per kWh, that would cost us;

46.3kWh @ 4.5 = ฿208

Petrol @ ฿37 to go 360 kms (14kp/L) = ฿950

 

O&A @ CS ... average ฿7.5kWh, (peak hours) so 320kms would cost;

EV ,,, ฿347

ICEV ... ฿845

 

5 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Economy wise, and very easy to calculate and realize the saving of EV over ICEV, using 91 @ ฿37 per Liter.  IF having solar at home, as we do, then an EV is a no brainer.

You need to take into account the relative purchase prices.

Most EVs will cost the same as an ICE with a lifetime of fuel.

Your million baht EV Vs 320k Baht Suzuki for example.

 

However, I will agree EVs are for people with no brains.

1 hour ago, Madgee said:

BYD Atto 3 Review 2023 | Top Gear
Says it all really.

Indeed. ????

>>Now to English ears Build Your Dreams sounds like a slogan printed in a dreamy font on a tea-towel. Not in half-inch chrome letters all across the tail of a car.

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

You need to take into account the relative purchase prices.

Most EVs will cost the same as an ICE with a lifetime of fuel.

Your million baht EV Vs 320k Baht Suzuki for example.

 

However, I will agree EVs are for people with no brains.

As always, buy what you want/comfort level, with what you can afford.  Live within ones means.  Celerio definitely wouldn't work for us, NO THANKS

 

Price difference of EV vs ICE MG ZS is about ฿200k.  IF driving 20k kms a year, like we do, that ROI is realized in < 5 yrs, after that, it's free transport, using our excess solar @ home.

 

฿200k ÷ ฿37/L = 5405/L X 14kpL = 75,660 kms ÷ 20k = 3.78 yrs.

 

Not counting those 7 oil changes & 2 full tune ups.  Easy & quick ROI for us.

 

YMMV

3 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Price difference of EV vs ICE MG ZS is about ฿200k.  IF driving 20k kms a year, like we do, that ROI is realized in < 5 yrs, after that, it's free transport, using our excess solar @ home.

You're older than me and I don't expect to last another 5 years.

If you really want to save money or the planet, my Honda 160i gets 51Km/ltr.

Just now, BritManToo said:

You're older than me and I don't expect to last another 5 years.

Not that much older.  I always play the long game, especially since wife is 22 yrs younger than me.  Enjoy the extra comfort & savings now, and she'll enjoy decades after I'm long gone...hopefully not too soon.

Thanks for the replies  I wouldn't  be driving more than 250kms in a day anyway & even if I did I would be stopping  for food , toilet etc after around that stage anyway

So would be able to charge if I went electric but also good to have the safety  net of an engine if going hybrid also I suppose

3 hours ago, thaiscot said:

Thanks for the replies  I wouldn't  be driving more than 250kms in a day anyway & even if I did I would be stopping  for food , toilet etc after around that stage anyway

So would be able to charge if I went electric but also good to have the safety  net of an engine if going hybrid also I suppose

Not for everyone but why not consider a Toyota Fortuner Diesel 2.8lt. (Not the 2.4lt as that is heavy on fuel) Good on fuel. Great for carrying many folks and there luggage about. One 5 Min: fill up and will give you 1k KM range. But the main thing is in say 5 years when you want to sell it you will get good returns for your monies. As against an EV Milk Float that no one will want when it's 5 years old, so you won't be able to even give it away.

Sorry EV drivers but that's the way I see it.

N/B have just got a price for my 6 year old Tuner 2.8lt TRD and that was over 1 Mil BHT for P/X try that in your EVs.

29 minutes ago, fredob43 said:

Not for everyone but why not consider a Toyota Fortuner Diesel 2.8lt. (Not the 2.4lt as that is heavy on fuel) Good on fuel. Great for carrying many folks and there luggage about. One 5 Min: fill up and will give you 1k KM range. But the main thing is in say 5 years when you want to sell it you will get good returns for your monies. As against an EV Milk Float that no one will want when it's 5 years old, so you won't be able to even give it away.

Sorry EV drivers but that's the way I see it.

N/B have just got a price for my 6 year old Tuner 2.8lt TRD and that was over 1 Mil BHT for P/X try that in your EVs.

"Not for everyone" is right!

On 7/17/2023 at 6:49 AM, thaiscot said:

Hi Have been looking to buy a new car & I do a lot of Km ( taking kids back & forth to school ) was looking at suv's mainly especially  hybrids for good fuel economy  such as hrv  or  Corolla cross etc but also been researching the BYD atto 3 which has been getting  good reviews  on YouTube etc but wondered if there are any owners that can put their  views of ownership in Thailand  regarding   economy, ease of charging etc etc

I've been driving an Atto 3 (the one with the bigger battery) since January. My view: it's a great car for commuting. It's also pretty good for round trips of up to around 300 km. 'Real range' as opposed to marketing guff is around 350-400 km (although you could probably squeeze up to 450 km if you drive slowly). 

 

It's well built and comfortable / relaxing to drive in town. The flat floor is great for rear seat passengers. Instant torque is quite satisfying.

 

But I would only recommend if you can install your own AC charger (ie you live in a house, not a condo). I wouldn't buy an EV if I had to faff around finding places to charge.

 

As to 'economy'. Charging it from say 20% to 90%, which is about 300 km of range, costs about THB 230 (42 kw/h x THB 5.5). Servicing is also free apart from consumables for 8 years, I think. 

 

Flip-side is that EVs are much more expensive than a similar spec ICE so unless you do A LOT of mileage it will take years to match the saving on fuel with the additional up front capital cost. Plus secondhand market for EVs is an unknown. The battery tech is moving fast / so many new brands and models coming out that in 5 years a second-hand Atto could be a tough sell, although at least its battery tech (Lithium Iron Phosphate) is a step up on most of the other brands/models currently available here. 

 

 

24 minutes ago, BKKBike09 said:

I've been driving an Atto 3 (the one with the bigger battery) since January. My view: it's a great car for commuting. It's also pretty good for round trips of up to around 300 km. 'Real range' as opposed to marketing guff is around 350-400 km (although you could probably squeeze up to 450 km if you drive slowly). 

 

It's well built and comfortable / relaxing to drive in town. The flat floor is great for rear seat passengers. Instant torque is quite satisfying.

 

But I would only recommend if you can install your own AC charger (ie you live in a house, not a condo). I wouldn't buy an EV if I had to faff around finding places to charge.

 

As to 'economy'. Charging it from say 20% to 90%, which is about 300 km of range, costs about THB 230 (42 kw/h x THB 5.5). Servicing is also free apart from consumables for 8 years, I think. 

 

Flip-side is that EVs are much more expensive than a similar spec ICE so unless you do A LOT of mileage it will take years to match the saving on fuel with the additional up front capital cost. Plus secondhand market for EVs is an unknown. The battery tech is moving fast / so many new brands and models coming out that in 5 years a second-hand Atto could be a tough sell, although at least its battery tech (Lithium Iron Phosphate) is a step up on most of the other brands/models currently available here. 

 

 

The first honest reply I have seen on buying/running an EV. 

35 minutes ago, fredob43 said:

The first honest reply I have seen on buying/running an EV. 

No different than what others, myself & other pro EV'ers have stated.  

2 hours ago, fredob43 said:

Not for everyone but why not consider a Toyota Fortuner Diesel 2.8lt. (Not the 2.4lt as that is heavy on fuel) Good on fuel. Great for carrying many folks and there luggage about. One 5 Min: fill up and will give you 1k KM range. But the main thing is in say 5 years when you want to sell it you will get good returns for your monies. As against an EV Milk Float that no one will want when it's 5 years old, so you won't be able to even give it away.

Sorry EV drivers but that's the way I see it.

N/B have just got a price for my 6 year old Tuner 2.8lt TRD and that was over 1 Mil BHT for P/X try that in your EVs.

That's an apples & orange suggestion, and defeats the whole purpose of having an EV.   Since considering a hybrid, range wouldn't be an issue at all, if impatient.

EV owners will recommend EVs, ICE owners will recommend ICEs for obvious reasons. Final choice depends on your circumstances and needs.

 

If you live in a condo and can’t charge at home, I would not encourage purchasing an EV. If you do lots of long distance driving, say in excess of 500 kms per stretch, I would not encourage purchasing an EV. Consider a PHEV like the Haval H6 instead.

 

Most pertinent, if you are doing the daily school run, please, please do not purchase a diesel. I think the reasons should be obvious.

Not an owner but I did stalk the FB Atto 3 groups for a while as I was convinced i would buy one. In the end I have compromised with a HEV for the longer trips and will buy a BYD Dolphin shortly for more local stuff. Good reviews all round for the Atto 3, the only major complaints being:

Poor quality tyres ( although these may have been updated now).

Poor air conditioning ( seems like an EV issue).

The usual warning bells and whistles popular now on more safety equipped cars.

 

As said above, home charging is essential for an EV and preferably a TOU meter for the cheaper overnight rate, or even more preferably …. solar.

 

Some others you might consider:

Neta V 549k

BYD Dolphin 699/869k

MG4.  869/969k

MG EP 771k

MG ES. 9xxk

Ora Good Cat 828/959k

 

Out of these the MG EP Estate might interest you as you mentioned shuttling kids around, at 771k it is excellent value but might be tough to find now as being superseded by the updated MG ES.

 

47 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

Poor air conditioning ( seems like an EV issue)

Nope.

 

MG 4 and ZS Ev have an excellent set of air conditioners.

 

Both under 1 mill thb

8 hours ago, KhunLA said:

That's an apples & orange suggestion, and defeats the whole purpose of having an EV.   Since considering a hybrid, range wouldn't be an issue at all, if impatient.

 

8 hours ago, KhunLA said:

No different than what others, myself & other pro EV'ers have stated.  

Sorry but I have to disagree with the above statement. I haven't seen one EV owner that has taken into account how much their EV would be worth in say 5 + years.

 

Now lets look at reality. You buy a EV car that all will agree will take at least 5 years to break even, due to the extra cost you pay in the first place. As we all know the batteries lose some of the power range every year so lets say they will be down to say 80% of their original power in 5 years than they started with. 

Now say to yourself would you buy a used 5 year old EV??? Then work out how much you could get back for your second hand one. Whatever way you look at it your on a loser.

 

The only way an EV is any good to anyone is if you have free charging Solar cell or the likes, don't ever go on long runs, use it as a second car, or keep it till it dies then dump it.

Please Buddha you don't have a duff battery in the thing or it'll cost more to sort out than the EV cost in the first place. 

Sorry if you EV drivers don't like my post but by using logic tells me I'm not far off.

1 hour ago, fredob43 said:

 

Sorry but I have to disagree with the above statement. I haven't seen one EV owner that has taken into account how much their EV would be worth in say 5 + years.

 

Now lets look at reality. You buy a EV car that all will agree will take at least 5 years to break even, due to the extra cost you pay in the first place. As we all know the batteries lose some of the power range every year so lets say they will be down to say 80% of their original power in 5 years than they started with. 

Now say to yourself would you buy a used 5 year old EV??? Then work out how much you could get back for your second hand one. Whatever way you look at it your on a loser.

 

The only way an EV is any good to anyone is if you have free charging Solar cell or the likes, don't ever go on long runs, use it as a second car, or keep it till it dies then dump it.

Please Buddha you don't have a duff battery in the thing or it'll cost more to sort out than the EV cost in the first place. 

Sorry if you EV drivers don't like my post but by using logic tells me I'm not far off.

Your #s are way off.

Simply showing your ignorance and or bias.

2 hours ago, fredob43 said:

As we all know the batteries lose some of the power range every year so lets say they will be down to say 80% of their original power in 5 years than they started with. 

 

I'd be interested to hear where you got your 80% figure from. Have you got a link?

I have two EVs, one almost 4 years old and the other just over 2. I'm getting the same range from both as when they were new.

 

Battery degradation is inevitable over time, but your 80% remaining figure after five years is surely wishful thinking.

13 hours ago, DrJoy said:

Nope.

 

MG 4 and ZS Ev have an excellent set of air conditioners.

 

Both under 1 mill thb

Apologies, I read somewhere that on an EV more energy is used for cooling the battery and restricts the air conditioning effectivity .

Seems like this is not the case, unless BYD did not take this into account.

3 hours ago, macahoom said:

 

I'd be interested to hear where you got your 80% figure from. Have you got a link?

I have two EVs, one almost 4 years old and the other just over 2. I'm getting the same range from both as when they were new.

 

Battery degradation is inevitable over time, but your 80% remaining figure after five years is surely wishful thinking.

80% is pretty close to the average... EV Battery Health: What 6,000 EV Batteries Tell Us | Geotab

27 minutes ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

80% is pretty close to the average... EV Battery Health: What 6,000 EV Batteries Tell Us | Geotab

According to your link, the average 5 year degradation is 89.9%.

 

And you think that is “pretty close” to 80%?

6 minutes ago, macahoom said:

According to your link, the average 5 year degradation is 89.9%.

 

And you think that is “pretty close” to 80%?

I was being generous... 

1 hour ago, Skipalongcassidy said:

80% is pretty close to the average... EV Battery Health: What 6,000 EV Batteries Tell Us | Geotab

That study is three years old - that's relevant because that means all the EVs included were using the older Lithium Ion (LI) battery tech. The newer Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (LFP - a la BYD) have various advantages over the older tech, one of the key ones being that you can leave an LFP plugged in to charge up to 100% (ie leave it plugged in at night and go to bed) with no battery degradation. Also, LFP batteries will take many more charge/discharge cycles before degrading.

 

6 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Your #s are way off.

Simply showing your ignorance and or bias.

Sorry but not ignorance just pure Logic & facts. Whatever we only have to wait a short time to see if I'm proved correct.

4 hours ago, macahoom said:

I'd be interested to hear where you got your 80% figure from. Have you got a link?

I have 10 year old calb Lifepo4 batteries in my home solar and they are at about 50%.