Rate Charging Suppliers based on ease of use?

[Pib]

8 minutes ago, macahoom said:

Okay, I've just asked her.

 

Something like this. Hopefully you will understand, 'cause I certainly don't!

 

She can't remember how it's done with MG as it was well over three years ago that we deposited 1000 baht in it and the remaining balance is still about 300 baht. But with PEA you get or scan a QR code from the PEA app and then, using this QR code, you go to your internet banking and perform a transfer.

 

Don't shoot the messenger!

Oh no....I would never shoot the messenger....you've been relaying great info/details.  And please pass my thanks to your girlfriend.

[Sophon]

I haven't used the PEA Volta app yet, but these are the payment option for topping up the balance on your account:

After selecting payment method you then get these options for top up amount:

 

[Pib]

Below is some partially redacted back and forth emails a few hours ago between me and the PTT EV Station Pluz Call Center.  I give them A+ for answering quickly....answered within minutes.    BUT like my other conversation I had with them last week regarding payment methods such as are foreign cards allowed, is QR payment allowed, I had to go back several times asking for clarification of their answers.    Read below from bottom-up...but bottom line they only accept "Thai credit/debit cards"....foreign cards not allowed....QR payment not available.   **********************************************************   Evangelist (GridWhiz (Thailand) Co., Ltd.) Oct 4, 2023, 12:33 GMT+7 Dear XXX   Thank you for using the service of the electric charging station network operation center. The center apologize for any inconvenience caused.  you can use only credit or debit cards of a Thai. Should you wish to get more information, our staff are available 24 hours a day.   Best regards, Tharathip I. EV Station PluZ Call center   *******************************************

Mr XXX Oct 4, 2023, 12:19 GMT+7 Are foreign, repeat, foreign cards allowed?  Thanks.   *******************************************

Evangelist (GridWhiz (Thailand) Co., Ltd.) Oct 4, 2023, 11:47 GMT+7 Dear XXX   Thank you for using the service of the electric charging station network operation center. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.   Only credit or debit cards can be used.   Best regards, Tharathip I. EV Station PluZ Call center   ***************************************

Mr XXX Oct 4, 2023, 11:30 GMT+7 With the Pluz app are "foreign" credit or debit cards allowed as a payment option? Also, is payment via QR payment allowed? Thanks. ------------------

[Pib]

22 hours ago, peterrabbit said:

Here is another link to an article about charging stations which has some useful info:-

http://www.evat.or.th/15708256/current-status

Yea...very useful info.   I want to concentrate on being able to use the top 5 or so since they have many stations.  Like PTT stations are everywhere and many of them have EV Station Pluz chargers.   Also PEA chargers since PEA is all over Thailand but not in great numbers yet.   

 

Now the EA Charge Anywhere chargers (got the most chargers on below list) I haven't noticed anywhere but maybe they are right under my nose here in the Bangkok area....I just need to be more observant. 

 

[macahoom]

11 minutes ago, Pib said:

Yea...very useful info.   I want to concentrate on being able to use the top 5 or so since they have many stations.  Like PTT stations are everywhere and many of them have EV Station Pluz chargers.   Also PEA chargers since PEA is all over Thailand but not in great numbers yet.   

 

Now the EA Charge Anywhere chargers (got the most chargers on below list) I haven't noticed anywhere but maybe they are right under my nose here in the Bangkok area....I just need to be more observant. 

 

Do you have an EVSE (charging wall box) at your home?

 

The reason I ask: if you have, you will rarely need to use DC charging, unless you're a travelling salesman galavanting around Thailand every week.

[Pib]

9 minutes ago, macahoom said:

Do you have an EVSE (charging wall box) at your home?

 

The reason I ask: if you have, you will rarely need to use DC charging, unless you're a travelling salesman galavanting around Thailand every week.

No but I will.   I have an BYD Atto 3 on order and it comes with a free 7KW wall charger....also a free granny charger.   The wall charger is supposed to be installed within about a week after I accept the car....still waiting on it to arrive from China....hopefully within the next month. 

 

I expect it will be rare to have a need to use a charging station as the great, great majority of my EV use will be with around a 100Km radius of my Bangkok home.   But, I want the capability to to charge on the road for those rare longer trips OR I forget to keep the EV charged high enough for a planned short trip & need to top-up while driving.  

[Pib]

1 hour ago, Sophon said:

I haven't used the PEA Volta app yet, but these are the payment option for topping up the balance on your account:

After selecting payment method you then get these options for top up amount:

 

 

I just successfully signed up with PEA Volta. 

 

For others listening in, after the "initial" registration which just requires an email address and password you get an Activation email to confirm your email address....press the Activate button in that email and you can now log onto the app.   

 

But before you can select a payment option the app requires you to complete your app profile where they ask for your name, DOB, ID number (I used my 13 digit Pink ID Card....don't know if it would have accepted my foreign passport number), full address, phone number, car model, etc.  I used my Pink ID card number since it will probably never change whereas my foreign passport number will change ever 9 to 10 years when renewing.  Anyway I was able to complete the Profile setup without any problem.

 

Now after having the Profile setup when clicking TopUp it showed the image in your post above...click say a Bt200 topup and a QR codes pops up for you to use to complete payment within 10 minutes.  I did not follow thru with a topup as I don't even have my EV yet, but you can be sure once I get the EV and even if I have say a   80% charge level I will stop at a PEA charger just to see/test if I can initiate a charge session, top-up, pay, etc.---that is, do a real world test to ensure it works.

 

When selecting the topup via Credit/Debit Car it offers Visa, Mastercard, and JCB.   The required entries for payment by card is: card number, card name, expire date, and CVV.   You are then to click the Pay button.   As with the QR topup method I did not give that a try via my Thai banks debit card nor my foreign debit/credit cards....but I have a gut feeling it's only going to accept a Thai card.

 

But I would prefer to pay by QR code and not have to enter any debit/credit card info into any app (especially a Thai app) because if that app ever gets hacked then your debit/credit card info could end-up in the hands of bad guys.

 

Thanks again for your post/images....it gave me enough confidence that there may not be a Catch 22 problem after initially registering but then not being able to setup a payment option to be able to use the app....kinda like getting a gun but you can't get any bullets. 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, Pib said:

Yea...very useful info.   I want to concentrate on being able to use the top 5 or so since they have many stations.  Like PTT stations are everywhere and many of them have EV Station Pluz chargers.   Also PEA chargers since PEA is all over Thailand but not in great numbers yet.   

 

Now the EA Charge Anywhere chargers (got the most chargers on below list) I haven't noticed anywhere but maybe they are right under my nose here in the Bangkok area....I just need to be more observant. 

 

Many of the PEA Volta's are at Bangchak Petrol stations

[Pib]

14 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Many of the PEA Volta's are at Bangchak Petrol stations

Yea...in playing with the app I noticed that.  I pretty much only visit PTT stations....guess I will need to start visiting Bangchak stations.  

[KhunLA]

17 minutes ago, Pib said:

Yea...in playing with the app I noticed that.  I pretty much only visit PTT stations....guess I will need to start visiting Bangchak stations.  

PTT has more 'killing time' and food options, if needing.

Bangchak's/PEA have the Inthanon coffee shop, OK, and some have small market (Big C).

 

I see the new larger ones/Bangchak, will go head to head with PTT Parks.

 

One thing to note, if haven't already, PTT EVStation Pluz machines reset at 55 mins after the hour, and charging will stop.

 

Reservations, if making, (not necessary to use) are for 'on the hour' with a 10 minute window, (I think) before expiring.  Fee 40 baht.  Drive in without is fine, and best close to top of hour is best, if needing, wanting a bit more than 50%.

 

30-90% goes in fast enough, that last 10% take some time, so we rarely wait around much beyond 80-85%, unless doing something on the laptop.

 

On a long leg, it's a lot faster if you stop 2X, and top up to 80-90% rather than up to 100%.   That extra 10% could take 20 min. or so.

Edited October 4, 2023 by KhunLA

[Pib]

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

One thing to note, if haven't already, PTT EVStation Pluz machines reset at 55 mins after the hours, and charging will stop.

Well that kinda sucks especially if you started charging say 5 minutes before top of the hour, head off to a food shop say for 30 minutes, but when you come back expecting 30 minutes worth of charge has completed you see only 5 minutes completed.

[Pib]

OK, I got fully registered on the PTT EV Station Pluz app to including being able to load a payment option.   

 

I used my Thai Pink ID card (13 digit Thai card as required by the app...passports not accepted) and was able to load my Bangkok Bank debit card as a payment option. 

 

Now I thought for a while I was not going to be able to add the card because the app asks you to enter the card number, name, expiration date, and CVV....and then hit Save where a OTP is suppose to be sent to you to finish the process. 

 

But when hitting Save absolutely nothing happened for the first couple of tries (I would wait around 30 seconds on each try for something to happen).  Then on the 3rd or 4th try where I completely reentered all the card info when hitting Save it finally continued to the next step which was a screen saying K-bank was going to complete the verification process by causing a OTP to be sent to me.  A OTP was sent to me from Bangkok Bank....I entered that OTP and the card was then approved as a payment option.  It now appears in the app's payment section. 

 

So, it appears I might be good-to-go with the PTT app, but until I'm able to do a real world operational charging test I will not know for sure.  Ditto for the PEA Volta app.  Need to get my Atto 3 first which is supposedly inbound from the China factory.  

 

I'm now setup for use of PEA Volta and PTT EV Station Pluz apps/chargers.  Particularly happy to get the PTT app setup as in my driving around PTT stations with chargers seem plentiful and PTT stations are all over Thailand.  Not all PTT stations have chargers but quite a few do and those that do usually have a big EV logo on the station main road sign that can be seen from a long distance away....and of course the PTT app will show stations with chargers.

 

The next app I may try to sign-up for is the EA Anywhere app as they seem to have the most chargers and locations in Thailand according to that chart posted eight or so posts up.

 

P.S. Thank you Pink ID card as you are coming in handy once again.

 

[Gweiloman]

On 10/4/2023 at 9:13 AM, Pib said:

So, it sounds like with PTT payment authorization is required to use the card each and every time "before" you begin charging as the initial payment setup in the app is just to get the card save in the app settings.   

 

Regarding the PEA app, where you say payment is "automatic" exactly what do you mean since payment has to occur using a credit/debit card or some other payment method where there is typically some approval/verification process?

 

 

It has been a while since I last charged at a PTT station (contrary to what non EV owners think, most charging is done at home for most EV owners lol). There is no payment authorisation required before initiating a charging session. You just start charging and the authorisation process occurs at the end. However, in my case using the CIMB card, the payment doesn’t go through and the app will show that payment is pending. You cannot start another charging session until the previous one has been paid.

 

For PEA, as I top up the wallet, the amount is deducted automatically. One thing to note is that charging will stop automatically once your wallet balance gets to a low level so it’s always a good idea to ensure that there are sufficient funds in the wallet before you start charging. Usually 500 baht or so is more than sufficient although I always top up 1,000 baht for convenience.

[Pib]

14 minutes ago, Gweiloman said:

It has been a while since I last charged at a PTT station (contrary to what non EV owners think, most charging is done at home for most EV owners lol). There is no payment authorisation required before initiating a charging session. You just start charging and the authorisation process occurs at the end. However, in my case using the CIMB card, the payment doesn’t go through and the app will show that payment is pending. You cannot start another charging session until the previous one has been paid.

In studying up on the PTT app usage such as possible problems if not being able to start a charging session, it listed an "outstanding balance" as one of the possible reasons.   A person needs to pay/get that outstanding balance cleared before another charging session will be allowed as you said.

 

Since your CIMB card didn't approve the charging payment how did you eventually pay...get the PTT app outstanding balance cleared/paid?

 

Edited October 5, 2023 by Pib

[Gweiloman]

7 hours ago, Pib said:

In studying up on the PTT app usage such as possible problems if not being able to start a charging session, it listed an "outstanding balance" as one of the possible reasons.   A person needs to pay/get that outstanding balance cleared before another charging session will be allowed as you said.

 

Since your CIMB card didn't approve the charging payment how did you eventually pay...get the PTT app outstanding balance cleared/paid?

 

Call up the contact centre. They will then re-initiate the charging on their side and clear the outstanding on your account so that you can charge again when you want to.

 

Having said that, I don’t know if they managed to successfully get the money from my bank account. I never bothered to check as the amounts are so little anyway, just a couple of hundred baht or so. By the way, it’s not that CIMB didn’t approve the transaction. The transaction is approved, I get the OTP code and input it but during the processing, it fails. I think it’s a software issue on PTT’s side.

[Pib]

On 10/4/2023 at 9:40 PM, Pib said:

OK, I got fully registered on the PTT EV Station Pluz app to including being able to load a payment option.   

 

I used my Thai Pink ID card (13 digit Thai card as required by the app...passports not accepted) and was able to load my Bangkok Bank debit card as a payment option. 

 

Now I thought for a while I was not going to be able to add the card because the app asks you to enter the card number, name, expiration date, and CVV....and then hit Save where a OTP is suppose to be sent to you to finish the process. 

 

But when hitting Save absolutely nothing happened for the first couple of tries (I would wait around 30 seconds on each try for something to happen).  Then on the 3rd or 4th try where I completely reentered all the card info when hitting Save it finally continued to the next step which was a screen saying K-bank was going to complete the verification process by causing a OTP to be sent to me.  A OTP was sent to me from Bangkok Bank....I entered that OTP and the card was then approved as a payment option.  It now appears in the app's payment section. 

 

So, it appears I might be good-to-go with the PTT app, but until I'm able to do a real world operational charging test I will not know for sure.  Ditto for the PEA Volta app.  Need to get my Atto 3 first which is supposedly inbound from the China factory.  

 

I'm now setup for use of PEA Volta and PTT EV Station Pluz apps/chargers.  Particularly happy to get the PTT app setup as in my driving around PTT stations with chargers seem plentiful and PTT stations are all over Thailand.  Not all PTT stations have chargers but quite a few do and those that do usually have a big EV logo on the station main road sign that can be seen from a long distance away....and of course the PTT app will show stations with chargers.

 

The next app I may try to sign-up for is the EA Anywhere app as they seem to have the most chargers and locations in Thailand according to that chart posted eight or so posts up.

 

P.S. Thank you Pink ID card as you are coming in handy once again.

 

A update to above where I talked I had successfully signed-up the the PTT EV Station Pluz and PEA Volta apps in order to use PTT and PEA charging stations. 

 

This morning I also signed-up on the EA Anywhere app for its chargers....and when I say signed-up I mean registered "and was able to use a payment option."  Registering for an app but then not being able to setup/utilize a payment option within the app would just make the registration a waste of them....give away personal information but then can't use the app since no payment option is available you can use.

 

Anyway, with EA Anywhere app no ID card/passport number is needed anywhere in the app.  And two payment options are currently available....credit/debit card (Thai only I'm assuming) and QR Payment.  It says a third method via mbanking is "coming soon" but coming soon probably means years in Thai time.  

 

Since a QR payment method was offered I almost stopped at that point as I don't want/like using any of my Thai bank debit cards for online payment/use.  But since I "had" to use a Thai credit/debit card to setup payment on the PTT EV Station Pluz app (only one payment option allowed and that was via Thai credit/debit card) I decided to break my own rule again and see if I could setup the card payment option on the EA Anywhere app even though the QR Payment option was available.

 

As with the PTT app it just asked for card number, name on card (you just enter your name as you have onfile with your bank vs Valued Member), care expiration, and card CVV.   It then goes thru a process of asking for approval from your card-issuing bank (which in my case was Bangkok Bank).  During that process I got a OTP code from Bangkok Bank to enter into the EA app....and the final step of the card validation occurred where the EA app charged one baht to my card which occurred successfully and then a second later it credited one baht back to my debit card account.  I got a couple of notifications thru the EA app as this card validation process was occurring. 

 

When the dust settled my EA profile now showed my Bangkok Bank debit card as a payment option.   Then when checking my Bangkok Bank acct to see if two one baht transactions had hit the acct....one a debit and then one a credit....it didn't show either so I expect this type of card validation process of a small debit "immediately" followed by a credit of equal amount doesn't reflect on a person's acct.   In the EA app (as in the PTT app) a person can delete any card payment option but for now I will leave my card loaded in the app profile....just glad I can easily delete the card from the apps' payment profile....and then add a card back later when/if required to pay for a charging session. 

 

I specifically chose these three EV charging apps (PTT, PEA, and EA) as the ones I wanted to sign-up for since these three EV charging apps account for the "great majority" of charging stations in Thailand, especially the great majority of DC Fast Chargers.  See charging stations snapshot/chart at bottom.

 

So, as I still await to receive my red Atto 3 hopefully this month (I could have already received another color), hopefully having myself setup to be able to charge on the road when needed which would probably only be during long trips of several hundred kilometers since I will have a 7KW wall charger at my home for day-to-day charging, I have given myself mental relief from worrying about being able to charge on a long trip....will just need to deal with whatever level of "range anxiety" that may occur if running really low on charge and can't find a charger that works/isn't booked by others for hours.   

 

Summary: got signed-up with the three major charging station apps as a farang using "my info" versus needing to use a Thai citizen ID card (like the Thai wife's) or their credit/debit card.   The PTT app is most anal about requiring a Thai ID card 13 digit number (I used my Pink ID 13 digit card) and not accepting a passport number....thank you Pink ID card.   The PEA app just asked for a ID card during the payment profile setup not specifying whether it had to be a Thai ID card or passport is OK...I just used my Pink ID card there again.   And the EA Anywhere app didn't require a ID/passport number for registration or loading a payment option.   Now I just need to get my Atto!  ????

 

Number of charging stations in Thailand as of May 2023

 

 

[Pib]

OK, one more update.  Successfully registered and setup a payment option on one more charging app--the Alexa by EGAT app.  I'm now setup for 4 charging apps.

 

No ID card/passport required nor asked for anywhere.  The only payment option was a "credit card" (I assume to be only Thai).  Now I don't have a "Thai" CC but have several Thai "debit" cards and thought maybe when they say credit it really means credit "or" debit card....either credit or debit being fine.  So, I entered my Bangkok Bank debit card number, expiration date, and CCV (my name was not asked for), a verification process began where the app said a small amount would be debited "and then credited back" to my acct, a OTP arrived from Bangkok Bank, I entered that OTP into the Elexa app, and over just a few seconds the car verification completed successfully.  The card now shows in the app as my payment option.  And as mentioned I didn't see any other option to pay like using QR payment...only payment by card was available.  

 

I then went to my Bangkok Bank acct and saw a Bt12.42 debit had occurred but with no sign of any offsetting credit of Bt12.42.  So, unless a credit for that amount appears over the coming days it appears EGAT (a govt agency) just decided to keep the Bt12.42 verification amount. 

 

Since it's such a small amount and just getting the fully registered and a payment option setup, for the first few minutes after the registration the Bt12.42 money grab by EGAT I decided not to call Alexa customer service.  But then, I said why not call....see if I an get an answer on this Sunday evening....see if I could talk to an English speaking rep....see what Alexa customer service is like. 

 

Well, I did get to an English speaking rep within a few minutes who was "kinda" helpful.  By "kinda" helpful I mean the rep understood my issue but said she could not really do any follow-up until tomorrow/Monday when their accounting section is opened.  She promised to check into the issue and call me back tomorrow as to what happened, if it really takes days/weeks for EGAT to provide a credit amount back, etc....etc...etc.   So, whether I get the Bt12.42 back or not at least I got a feel for Alexa customer service if something more expensive every goes wrong in paying for a charging session.

 

I decided to add Alexa to my collection of PTT EV Station Pluz, PEA Volta, and EA Anywhere app registrations I talked in earlier posts because based on that chart above of Thailand charging stations Elexa had 98 DC Fast Chargers around the country....around 35 of them at PT stations (not PTT, but PT).....seemed maybe PT stations were teaming up with Alexa EGAT for chargers at their stations....lots of PT stations around and maybe many more PT stations will be adding EGAT chargers in the coming years.

 

Now 98 DC Fast Chargers around the country is not a huge amount but it did represent almost 7% of the Fast Chargers on above chart.   The PTT, PEA, and EA chargers combined represented a little over 84%....and now by adding Elexa's 7% I will now have access to approx 91% of DC Fast Chargers around Thailand.   90% or more sounds good to me....sounds like more than enough.  

 

So, unless I flip-flop again and decide to register with some more charging apps I think being registered with PTT, PEA, EA, and Alexa is plenty to provide charger coverage on longer trips I may take since I don't think my home wall charger cable can stretch long enough to cover any long trips outside my carport. ????

 

 

 

Edited October 8, 2023 by Pib

[Pib]

17 hours ago, Pib said:

Well, I did get to an English speaking rep within a few minutes who was "kinda" helpful.  By "kinda" helpful I mean the rep understood my issue but said she could not really do any follow-up until tomorrow/Monday when their accounting section is opened.  She promised to check into the issue and call me back tomorrow as to what happened, if it really takes days/weeks for EGAT to provide a credit amount back, etc....etc...etc.   So, whether I get the Bt12.42 back or not at least I got a feel for Alexa customer service if something more expensive every goes wrong in paying for a charging session.

 

The Elexa rep did call me back this morning after getting with the accounting department and said the Bt12.42 card verification charge had been immediately voided.   And the rep sent me an email will the mile long transaction number which voided the charge.   The rep said I will need to talk with my bank (Bangkok Bank) as to how long it will take for the voided transaction to result in a credit back to my account to zero out the initial charge....and said it typically takes up to 7 days for that to occur within Thailand.   Very pleased with how Elexa Customer Service responded...sometimes just getting any follow-up response from the initial call to customer service is satisfying to get even if the customer service don't give you the answer you were hoping for.

 

But I do understand many times this refund/credit process when dealing with credit/debit cards can take a while based on how the credit/debit system rules operate. Like below is a snapshot of the transactions on the Bangkok Bank debit card I used and notice there are no transactions listed...that 8 Oct Bt12.42 transaction is not listed.   

 

But also notice the Notes which talks transactions will "not" appear under the debit card until the merchant completes the settlement process.  Until that settlement completes a person needs to look at the transactions appearing in the Account Activity page which is where that Bt12.42 charge immediately appears and continues to appear.   Hopefully within the next 7 days or so the voiding transaction Elexa initiated immediately on their end will complete on the bank end which will result in Bt12.42 being credited back to my account.  Time will tell but I think that how it's going to work and reinforced by the Bangkok Bank notes below.  

 

And still scratching my head as to why the other app I signed up for which did the same card verification of only Bt1 (i.e., charge then immediately refund) did "not" end up debiting any money from my acct....did not appear anywhere on my bank acct......but the Elexa app process did.  Will post later if/when the Bt12.42 shows up....info may come in handy for others who decide to signup with Elexa and wonder why the card verification charge "immediately" hits your bank acct but the voiding of that charge does not.  

 

[digbeth]

booking charging slots with EVstation plus (PTT) can be a pain or blessing depending on your point of view, 

[Gweiloman]

6 hours ago, digbeth said:

booking charging slots with EVstation plus (PTT) can be a pain or blessing depending on your point of view, 

Bear in mind that you have to arrive and start charging within 10 minutes of your booking time. On a road trip, I would find it challenging to be at a particular station at a particular point in time, a couple of hours away.If you arrive late, you lose your slot and the 20bht reservation fee. If you arrive too early, you can start charging if the bay is free but then have a 5 minute break at 55mins to the hour.

 

Thailand seems to be the only country in the world to have come up with such a genius scheme.

[Pib]

1 hour ago, Gweiloman said:

Bear in mind that you have to arrive and start charging within 10 minutes of your booking time. On a road trip, I would find it challenging to be at a particular station at a particular point in time, a couple of hours away.If you arrive late, you lose your slot and the 20bht reservation fee. If you arrive too early, you can start charging if the bay is free but then have a 5 minute break at 55mins to the hour.

 

Thailand seems to be the only country in the world to have come up with such a genius scheme.

What happens if someone else had the slot booked for the upcoming hour when your charging session ended 5 minutes before the hour, but you wanted to continuing charging....but can't since the upcoming slot was booked by someone else who might be parked right behind you waiting for you to get the heck out of the way so they can start charging?

 

[Mavideol]

On 10/3/2023 at 7:07 AM, KhunLA said:

We're signed up with:

... MG - wife

... PTT EVSstation PLUZ - wife

... PEA Volta - wife

... Elexa - Me

 

Elexa is the only one I tried to register on.  Has 3 pay options, which can be done after you unplug.  CC, bank transfer, QR

 

All the apps are good, and customer service/phone is also good, though wife does all of that.

 

I would not bother with eVolt 

 

PlugShare app & website, Charge Loma app are good to have;

 

just curious asking for a friend (serious)...  are the  charging plugs standard for any type/make of car, for example can u charge a Tesla and/or Hyundai or MG on the same station without requiring any type of adapter, thanks

 

BTW... I know nothing about EV cars/chargers/plugs/stations and so forth but considering purchase in near future

Edited October 10, 2023 by Mavideol

[Pib]

1 hour ago, Mavideol said:

just curious asking for a friend (serious)...  are the  charging plugs standard for any type/make of car, for example can u charge a Tesla and/or Hyundai or MG on the same station without requiring any type of adapter, thanks

 

BTW... I know nothing about EV cars/chargers/plugs/stations and so forth but considering purchase in near future

 

For EVs sold in Thailand the CCS2 port/connector is pretty much the standard.   For Tesla EVs which use a different kind of charging port/cable they come with a free Tesla-to-CCS2 adapter.   The Chademo connector will be found on a few older EVss but newer EVs are pretty much transitioning to the CCS2 connector for most of the world although EV in China typically use the GB/T type connector. 

 

The charging stations around Thailand will have cables which will connect to a Type 2 port, a CCS2 port, or Chademo.   But to repeat the CCS2 port/cable is pretty much the elephant in the room when it comes to charging most EVs sold in Thailand and many countries.  Just google "EV charging ports/cables" and there will be tons of good, layman type links to review....Youtube has tons of stuff on the subject also.

 

Also, don't be concerned about charging ports/cables to use in Thailand....it will be a non-issue.

 

 

 

[Gweiloman]

3 hours ago, Pib said:

What happens if someone else had the slot booked for the upcoming hour when your charging session ended 5 minutes before the hour, but you wanted to continuing charging....but can't since the upcoming slot was booked by someone else who might be parked right behind you waiting for you to get the heck out of the way so they can start charging?

 

You have to make way for the person who has booked the next hour slot. So what you basically need to do if you turn up at the PTT charger is to book the next hour slot in case the remaining time for the current hour is insufficient. Booking the hourly slot doesn’t mean you have to charge for the whole 55 mins. You can charge for any amount of time, even 5 or 10 mins.

[digbeth]

15 hours ago, Gweiloman said:

Bear in mind that you have to arrive and start charging within 10 minutes of your booking time. On a road trip, I would find it challenging to be at a particular station at a particular point in time, a couple of hours away.If you arrive late, you lose your slot and the 20bht reservation fee. If you arrive too early, you can start charging if the bay is free but then have a 5 minute break at 55mins to the hour.

 

Thailand seems to be the only country in the world to have come up with such a genius scheme.

The booking fee is 40 Baht now I think

 

the genius scheme was from during the free trial period a couple of years ago where people would clog the station, after which the slot booking was implemented, and people were booking without actually showing up, which has resulted in the booking fee

 

now that they start charging money, the whole booking thing should be scrapped, but some people find it reassuring the have a charger booked during their trip, not much help if you turn up and there's someone else or even ICE car in the bay who refused to move even though they won't be able to charge until the 10 minutes is up, forcing you into a no-show and lengthy call to PTT to get the booking fee refunded

[digbeth]

14 hours ago, Pib said:

What happens if someone else had the slot booked for the upcoming hour when your charging session ended 5 minutes before the hour, but you wanted to continuing charging....but can't since the upcoming slot was booked by someone else who might be parked right behind you waiting for you to get the heck out of the way so they can start charging?

 

you won't be able to charge in the first 10 minutes if someone has booked that slot, common courtesy would dictate that you vacate the charger for those that booked, if someone has booked and hasn't turned up, you can charge after the 10 minutes, but if they're there and you are preventing them from accessing the charge that they have paid to book.... expect altercations, a post to social media or fisticuff 

[Pib]

38 minutes ago, digbeth said:

The booking fee is 40 Baht now I think

 

the genius scheme was from during the free trial period a couple of years ago where people would clog the station, after which the slot booking was implemented, and people were booking without actually showing up, which has resulted in the booking fee

 

now that they start charging money, the whole booking thing should be scrapped, but some people find it reassuring the have a charger booked during their trip, not much help if you turn up and there's someone else or even ICE car in the bay who refused to move even though they won't be able to charge until the 10 minutes is up, forcing you into a no-show and lengthy call to PTT to get the booking fee refunded

Yeap...according to this news article the booking fee increased from 20 to 40 baht 7 June 2023 along in an increase of the Off Peak rate from 4.5 to 5.5 baht/KWH.   The On Peak rate remained the same at 7.5 baht/KWH.

https://www.autospinn.com/2023/06/ptt-ev-station-increase-charging-price-active-7-june-2023-130511

[digbeth]

just now the PTT EVplus app update along with downtime for all the charger seem to result in the booking system no longer on the app, not sure if it's for good or a temporary thing 

[digbeth]

1 hour ago, digbeth said:

just now the PTT EVplus app update along with downtime for all the charger seem to result in the booking system no longer on the app, not sure if it's for good or a temporary thing 

looks like it got worse, with the new update, booking slot is now half hour - 27 minutes with 3 minute time to unplug and vacate for the next guy, if there's no booking in the next slot, you can continue charging without unplugging and re-scanning. 

[macahoom]

22 minutes ago, digbeth said:

looks like it got worse, with the new update, booking slot is now half hour - 27 minutes with 3 minute time to unplug and vacate for the next guy, if there's no booking in the next slot, you can continue charging without unplugging and re-scanning. 

Can one person book two consecutive 30 minute slots?