Top Trending EV Cars in Thailand

[KhunLA]

11 hours ago, Phil1964 said:

MG, BYD minimal... No other Chinese presence.

Never heard or seen most of the EVs in this article and their pricings well, the EU manufacturers would be wiped out at such price points!

Why tariffs are good for the 'local' auto industry, but not the consumer.   Same with the USA, nothing but overpriced under performers available, with few exceptions, if any.

[scorecard]

Is this just a repost of 2 or 3 weeks ago?

No new info?

[suzannegoh]

Aren't Neta EVs selling for closer to 400k Baht now?

[SiSePuede419]

I see lots of EV cars in Chiang Rai.  Their popularity has exploded in the past 2 years.  But during the recent flooding in October when there was standing water in certain areas for a few days, did not see one EV car going through the floodwater.

My wife's cousin came to rescue us after we took a BOAT out of our house (no electric, no water) to take us to a hotel in a Yaris.

A Yaris was a better vehicle in a flood than any EV car*

 

A Yaris. 😭

 

*I'm a EE who worked for an EV startup in Silicon Valley, so I know what I am talking about unlike some of the Chinese salespeople here sprouting off talking points 

[josephbloggs]

1 hour ago, SiSePuede419 said:

I see lots of EV cars in Chiang Rai.  Their popularity has exploded in the past 2 years.  But during the recent flooding in October when there was standing water in certain areas for a few days, did not see one EV car going through the floodwater.

My wife's cousin came to rescue us after we took a BOAT out of our house (no electric, no water) to take us to a hotel in a Yaris.

A Yaris was a better vehicle in a flood than any EV car*

 

A Yaris. 😭

 

*I'm a EE who worked for an EV startup in Silicon Valley, so I know what I am talking about unlike some of the Chinese salespeople here sprouting off talking points 

If a Yaris can drive through it I don't consider that a flood.

[vinny41]

2 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

I see lots of EV cars in Chiang Rai.  Their popularity has exploded in the past 2 years.  But during the recent flooding in October when there was standing water in certain areas for a few days, did not see one EV car going through the floodwater.

My wife's cousin came to rescue us after we took a BOAT out of our house (no electric, no water) to take us to a hotel in a Yaris.

A Yaris was a better vehicle in a flood than any EV car*

 

A Yaris. 😭

 

*I'm a EE who worked for an EV startup in Silicon Valley, so I know what I am talking about unlike some of the Chinese salespeople here sprouting off talking points 

Its more likely that the yaris you were in was the Yaris Cross model where the ground clearance is 210mm

where the standard yaris ground clearance is 135mm 

Yaris Cross ground clearance is similar to some pickup trucks for example

The 2022 Mitsubishi Triton GLX (4x2) has a ground clearance of 200 millimeters

EV ground clearance examples

BYD Seal has a ground clearance of 145 mm

Atto3  ground clearance 175mm

[JBChiangRai]

11 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

I see lots of EV cars in Chiang Rai.  Their popularity has exploded in the past 2 years.  But during the recent flooding in October when there was standing water in certain areas for a few days, did not see one EV car going through the floodwater.

My wife's cousin came to rescue us after we took a BOAT out of our house (no electric, no water) to take us to a hotel in a Yaris.

A Yaris was a better vehicle in a flood than any EV car*

 

A Yaris. 😭

 

*I'm a EE who worked for an EV startup in Silicon Valley, so I know what I am talking about unlike some of the Chinese salespeople here sprouting off talking points 

 

I have a degree in Electronic Engineering and I also live in Chiang Rai.

 

You are dead wrong about EV's, by the time the water is too high for a Yaris, an EV can still cross it.

 

Case in point, last year I drove to Chiang Mai and half-way the road was flooded, only pickups were getting through in the middle of the road. the cars were all parked up at the side of the road.  They told not to drive through, but I did, they were all waiting for me to get stuck, needless to say I didn't get stuck and was treated to an underwater view from my front camera and continued to Chiang Mai.

 

About 2 months ago I did exactly the same coming back from Chiang Mai in the same spot in a different EV, no problem at all.

 

EV's don't like to be parked in a deep flood, but there again neither do Yaris's.

 

QED

An EV will get you where a Yaris won't.

 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

I have a degree in Electronic Engineering and I also live in Chiang Rai.

 

You are dead wrong about EV's, by the time the water is too high for a Yaris, an EV can still cross it.

 

Case in point, last year I drove to Chiang Mai and half-way the road was flooded, only pickups were getting through in the middle of the road. the cars were all parked up at the side of the road.  They told not to drive through, but I did, they were all waiting for me to get stuck, needless to say I didn't get stuck and was treated to an underwater view from my front camera and continued to Chiang Mai.

 

About 2 months ago I did exactly the same coming back from Chiang Mai in the same spot in a different EV, no problem at all.

 

EV's don't like to be parked in a deep flood, but there again neither do Yaris's.

 

QED

An EV will get you where a Yaris won't.

 

Yep ... ICEV, unless having a snorkel is limited to the depth of the exhaust.  BEVs are not.

 

Not that I would drive my BEV or any car through water that would touch the bottom of the car.  But I certainly wouldn't worry about not making it through a silly large area of water on the road, vs not even attempting in an ICEV.

 

I think our battery pack is rated for about 30 mins of submersion, and nope, won't be testing that out any time soon.

 

 

[richard_smith237]

On 9/30/2024 at 7:24 AM, DUNROAMIN said:

Seems a couple of important factors missing from these reports.

 

1. Cost of insurance after the one year free?

2. Servicing costs over the warranty period?

3. Resale value of the EVs.

 

Also, the availability of spares when something fails or needs a repair after bump.

 

The Thai EV forums have a lot of Telsa owners complaining that they have been waiting for 6 months for a repair to their car because they can't get supplies. 

This is not a 'Tesla' problem so much, but a problem in which the Thai business model of these manufactures tend not to carry spares. 

I recall waiting a month for an electric window motor for my Honda years ago (after it was damaged in bump - I struggled to understand why they didn't just 'get one from their stock of supplies'....  which clearly they didn't have and ordered it from overseas. 

 

Thus: While these manufacturers are churning out cars at an extremely fast rate - I wonder if the service centres have a reliable level of spare parts.

 

[vinny41]

57 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Yep ... ICEV, unless having a snorkel is limited to the depth of the exhaust.  BEVs are not.

 

Not that I would drive my BEV or any car through water that would touch the bottom of the car.  But I certainly wouldn't worry about not making it through a silly large area of water on the road, vs not even attempting in an ICEV.

 

I think our battery pack is rated for about 30 mins of submersion, and nope, won't be testing that out any time soon.

 

 

MG ZS EV Ground Clearance 161mm

Yaris Cross Ground Clearance 210mm

Yaris Cross Ground clearance is 49mm more than MG ZS EV 

 

[JBChiangRai]

9 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

MG ZS EV Ground Clearance 161mm

Yaris Cross Ground Clearance 210mm

Yaris Cross Ground clearance is 49mm more than MG ZS EV 

 

 

But the MG will drive through a flood, the Yaris won't. 

 

Ground clearance is irrelevant.

[motdaeng]

24 minutes ago, vinny41 said:

MG ZS EV Ground Clearance 161mm

Yaris Cross Ground Clearance 210mm

Yaris Cross Ground clearance is 49mm more than MG ZS EV 

 

 

... and young vinny41 thinks this 50 mm makes a big difference? 

[vinny41]

9 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

But the MG will drive through a flood, the Yaris won't. 

 

Ground clearance is irrelevant.

Ground clearance is relevant and there are numerous reports of MG ZS EV batteries damaged due to water ingress

I see on MG cars that have the lifetime warranty there is a new service item every 12 months or 20,000 km

Cleaner and protector for high voltage cables, B1,265 excluding vat

High-voltage wire cleaning and maintenance spray, especially suitable for electric vehicles. Protect and maintain the wires of your beloved EV, keep them clean like new with High Voltage Harness Cleaner & Protect spray. Properties of wire cleaning and maintenance spray 1. Effectively removes oil stains, dust and dirt on the outside of the wire harness, rubber and plastic parts. 2. Able to keep the surface of the wire harness and rubber and plastic parts clean for a long time, which facilitates heat dissipation of the wire harness. Can effectively reduce corrosion of hazardous substances. 3. Helps extend the lifespan and slow down the formation of brittleness of plastic and rubber parts effectively

Flood water damage resulting in full battery replacement

https://www.mgevs.com/threads/flood-water-damage-resulting-in-full-battery-replacement.16373/

 

MG ZS EV strands me after driving through water: Spends 4 months at ASC

https://www.team-bhp.com/news/mg-zs-ev-strands-me-after-driving-through-water-spends-4-months-asc

[vinny41]

6 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

 

... and young vinny41 thinks this 50 mm makes a big difference? 

If the water level is 180mm that does make a difference if the ground clearance of your vehicle is only 161mm

[richard_smith237]

Driving through standing water is not so much about ground clearance as it is about 'fording depth' otherwise called 'wading depth'.... 

 

The issue with this is that sometimes manufactures, especially of EV's will not provide a 'wading depth' because they may be concerned that this encourages drivers to 'use their car in flood water'... 

 

Realistically - when driving in heavy rain water gets everywhere anyway - thus the wading depth of any EV is going to be similar to that of any similar ICE.

[mikebike]

My ev's manual clearly states middle of the wheel hub as max wadding. Do not all manufacturers provide this info?

[DavisH]

10 minutes ago, mikebike said:

My ev's manual clearly states middle of the wheel hub as max wadding. Do not all manufacturers provide this info?

When I got my crv, they also said the center of the wheel, but this is not in the user manual as far as I can tell. They said it can go deeper but should turn off the air cond. I've only been through "deep water" once, where many sedans were left stranded on the side of the road. For most ICE sedans I really cannot find any official information from manufacturers. It's mostly for pickups and PPV's and SUV's.

[richard_smith237]

14 minutes ago, mikebike said:

My ev's manual clearly states middle of the wheel hub as max wadding. Do not all manufacturers provide this info?

 

No... I can't find any official wading depth for my car.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, vinny41 said:

MG ZS EV Ground Clearance 161mm

Yaris Cross Ground Clearance 210mm

Yaris Cross Ground clearance is 49mm more than MG ZS EV 

 

Yea, 5 whole cm, and is the measured from under the door, or under the exhaust, which in my world, is usually one of the lowest part of the vehicle.  

 

Either way, you're an idiot any driving any ICEV, or any vehicle in water touching the bottom of the car, as I found out, and had to replace the wheel bearings on one, for my ignorance.

[richard_smith237]

50 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Yea, 5 whole cm, and is the measured from under the door, or under the exhaust, which in my world, is usually one of the lowest part of the vehicle.  

 

Either way, you're an idiot any driving any ICEV, or any vehicle in water touching the bottom of the car, as I found out, and had to replace the wheel bearings on one, for my ignorance.

 

Its not a nice feeling - but in the past there has been little choice but to drive through floods at times, though one time in a sports car I could see the water up-ahead was too deep and was forced to do a U-Turn and drive back against the traffice... SUV were going through, but lower cars were not.

 

I recall being out for dinner and coming back home (in a large SUV) when the heavens have opened - the Soi leading to our Condo (at the time) was flooded, we had no choice and could feel the water 'lapping' at the underside of the car....

 

BUT... also consider when driving through heavy rain - the water spraying underneath, almost like a 'jet washer' when travelling at highways speeds....  But, the 'wheel bearing' issue was likely more than just driving through a big puddle IMO and my have been an issue with the sealing of the bearings anyway.

 

Of course, its best to avoid floods etc... BUT, if the cars were at so much risk we'd have to avoid driving them in heavy rain too !!!...   (Of course, I could be wildly mistaken - but this is my thoughts on the subject).

[vinny41]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Driving through standing water is not so much about ground clearance as it is about 'fording depth' otherwise called 'wading depth'.... 

 

The issue with this is that sometimes manufactures, especially of EV's will not provide a 'wading depth' because they may be concerned that this encourages drivers to 'use their car in flood water'... 

 

Realistically - when driving in heavy rain water gets everywhere anyway - thus the wading depth of any EV is going to be similar to that of any similar ICE.

Majority of vehicles that have higher  ground clearance also have the highest wading depth as seen here

https://www.autodeal.com.ph/articles/car-features/vehicles-high-water-wading-depth

The only exception to the rule is the forums favourite The Nissan leaf  which has a wading depth of 700mm with a ground clearance of 155mm

https://www.wapcar.my/news/900-mm-wading-depth-top-5-best-cars-for-driving-through-floods-in-malaysia-9934

 

[KhunLA]

41 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

But, the 'wheel bearing' issue was likely more than just driving through a big puddle IMO and my have been an issue with the sealing of the bearings anyway.

 

Especially since they were not sealed to begin with.  Toyota Vios, what a POS, though, did serve me well, and actually traded in for another, since best (overpriced crap) value at the time.  Got rid of both around the 125+kms mark.  Low kms, as didn't trust them to last much longer without problems.

 

I drove that one, in the water way too long, during one of those flooding water seasons.   Didn't have much of a choice, and was actually an alternate route off hwy #2, BKK to Udon Thani, as #2 was impassable.   Probably about 2 kms in deep water, and had to keep the rpms high, as tailpipe was under for parts of it.  Thankfully it was MT, so easy enough.

 

More than a few cars didn't make through 

[SiSePuede419]

On 11/30/2024 at 6:12 PM, JBChiangRai said:

You are dead wrong about EV's, by the time the water is too high for a Yaris, an EV can still cross it.

I'm just telling you I was in a 1st gen Yaris plowing through 24" of flood water and there were no BEVs going through that intersection.  I'm only telling you what I saw.  I worked on EV work trucks similar to Ford 450s.  We didn't test the batteries in flood water but presumably the battery supplier did.

 

I see EV cars everywhere in Chiang Rai.

But I saw zero EV cars go through the flood water during the couple of days that intersection floods.

Give me your number and next year if it floods again you can come and pick me up where the boat dropped me off.

True story, I left my house that day in a raft with an outboard motor and we went over two bridges.

Again, no EVs to be seen around the boat landing that day, Bro.

Have a nice day. 😆

[UWEB]

49 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

I'm just telling you I was in a 1st gen Yaris plowing through 24" of flood water and there were no BEVs going through that intersection.  I'm only telling you what I saw.  I worked on EV work trucks similar to Ford 450s.  We didn't test the batteries in flood water but presumably the battery supplier did.

 

I see EV cars everywhere in Chiang Rai.

But I saw zero EV cars go through the flood water during the couple of days that intersection floods.

Give me your number and next year if it floods again you can come and pick me up where the boat dropped me off.

True story, I left my house that day in a raft with an outboard motor and we went over two bridges.

Again, no EVs to be seen around the boat landing that day, Bro.

Have a nice day. 😆

May be BEV Owners are clever enough to avoid flooded roads.

[JBChiangRai]

2 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

I'm just telling you I was in a 1st gen Yaris plowing through 24" of flood water and there were no BEVs going through that intersection.  I'm only telling you what I saw.  I worked on EV work trucks similar to Ford 450s.  We didn't test the batteries in flood water but presumably the battery supplier did.

 

I see EV cars everywhere in Chiang Rai.

But I saw zero EV cars go through the flood water during the couple of days that intersection floods.

Give me your number and next year if it floods again you can come and pick me up where the boat dropped me off.

True story, I left my house that day in a raft with an outboard motor and we went over two bridges.

Again, no EVs to be seen around the boat landing that day, Bro.

Have a nice day. 😆

 

1 hour ago, UWEB said:

May be BEV Owners are clever enough to avoid flooded roads.

 

I think EV owners are more mindful of floods, I don't think any EV owner would deliberately take their car through a flood.  Both times I did it, I had already traveled 90km and didn't want to turn around.  I think it's the Wuling EV they demonstrate as amphibious here, it can float and cross floods.

[KhunLA]

2 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

I think EV owners are more mindful of floods, I don't think any EV owner would deliberately take their car through a flood.  Both times I did it, I had already traveled 90km and didn't want to turn around.  I think it's the Wuling EV they demonstrate as amphibious here, it can float and cross floods.

I avoid, drive around puddles in parking lots after a rain 

 

IP67 ... 1 meter deep for 30 mins ... yea ... you first  

 

Did get rained on a couple times while driving the E-MC, and not recommended in the manual 🙄   And yea, the dog was pissed off 😎

[vinny41]

3 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

 

I think EV owners are more mindful of floods, I don't think any EV owner would deliberately take their car through a flood.  Both times I did it, I had already traveled 90km and didn't want to turn around.  I think it's the Wuling EV they demonstrate as amphibious here, it can float and cross floods.

There was a number of EV vehicles in Chiang Rai Province 2 months ago

If we look at the pictures and clips that RIDDARA Thailand posted, it is possible that at the very least, the depth of the floodwater that the RD6 can wade through is just above the lower edge of the passenger compartment door. Of course, in actual driving, it is possible that the water could have risen a little higher.

But at the very least, it will definitely flood the battery pack and the drive motor, as the vehicle is only about 220 millimeters above the ground, which is lower than many lifted pickup trucks.

https://www.ridebuster.com/news/riddara-rd6-flood-chaing-rai-rescue/

[bkk_mike]

On 9/27/2024 at 1:41 PM, TTSIssues said:

The Chinese are doing their best to crush western manufacturers with cut price products built with cheap labour and government ownership / subsidies.

 

everyone buying these products are supporting the Expansionist plans of the CCP.

 

they look great and feel lovely inside these day, but when all these electronic components fail, there won’t be a chance in hell of them getting repaired in thailand.

 

after a few years, the likes of Honda, Toyota etc will pull out (as Ford has largely done) and then we are stuck with Chinese manufacturers - and the prices will sky rocket.

 

So that’s the plan, it’s what the Chinese government do. 
 

Only you can decide your next purchase. 

 

You understand that the old GM factory in Thailand was closed down (and sold to the Chinese - Great Wall Motors) when GM suddenly announced they were pulling out of the Right Hand Drive markets.

That was a GM decision to leave Thailand.

 

How easy do you think it is to get work down on a Chevy now? - All the dealers are gone - because there are no new cars to sell.

 

Western manufacturers producing cars in the West are getting crushed by import duties more than anything else. Chinese EVs have no import duty - which is why they're going to outsell everything else, except maybe locally built cars which are primarily Japanese brands... - the ones who haven't sold off their Thai factories to the Chinese.

 

I'll take trying to get a Chinese car fixed here over trying to get an American car fixed here.

[KhunLA]

On 9/27/2024 at 12:41 PM, TTSIssues said:

The Chinese are doing their best to crush western manufacturers with cut price products built with cheap labour and government ownership / subsidies.

 

everyone buying these products are supporting the Expansionist plans of the CCP.

 

they look great and feel lovely inside these day, but when all these electronic components fail, there won’t be a chance in hell of them getting repaired in thailand.

 

after a few years, the likes of Honda, Toyota etc will pull out (as Ford has largely done) and then we are stuck with Chinese manufacturers - and the prices will sky rocket.

 

So that’s the plan, it’s what the Chinese government do. 
 

Only you can decide your next purchase. 

Yep ... and proud to be helping the CCP to keep producing better products at better prices.  It's called a free market.  Compete or get absorbed by the competition.

 

Since owning, I want the CCP BEV makers to be around for a long time.  Doubt it, but ours may need servicing before myself, wife and daughter crap out.   

 

Ask me at 500k-1M kms in the future, although at our driving lifestyle, we'll be lucky to have 350k kms on it in 20 years.   About 1/3 of the conservative kms of the battery pack will last, that will still have about 70% (32kWh) capacity left, to be repurposed to the solar system.

 

Along with saving about 800k THB over 20 yrs by not buying petrol, if all local driving, and energy supplied by solar.  Hmm, about the price of a new car now, and a nice one. 

 

Sounds like a Buy 1 / Get 1 deal to me, along with free ESS for solar system  

[Ctkong]

On 9/30/2024 at 12:26 PM, harryviking said:

According to many Thais, the EVs are NOT a good "investment" as they get a very low 2nd hand price. They are also a bit "dangerous" if in an accident! Booom!

Reasons not a good investment in EV are

low resale value due to expensive battery replacement ( may be cheaper later?) after a few years of usage 

expensive replacement parts in case of accidents 

Potentially higher insurance cost due to EV total loss due to fire hazard 

lack of recharging stations in close proximity when traveling in rural areas 

hotels and home stays not providing charging stations 

‘no parking’ in underground car parks due to accidental fire hazard 

Lack of charging outlets in car parks in most apartment complexes in Thailand. 
other than dealer service, lack of EV repair service in case of emergencies.