Wake Up! - EVs Are Here, and Your Gas Guzzler is on Life Support

[Stiddle Mump]

24 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

No worries here /TH, CS are everywhere I need them.  Haven't been restricted yet in our travels, and that's most of the country, the past 2+ years.

We have an electric vehicle. Don't dare go anywhere where it might need charging. 30 km round trips max.

[MangoKorat]

When fast home charges are available without an increase in your power supply are available and when the charging infrastrucure is in place nationwide - not just in Bangkok, without 'charger wars' - I'd love to have an EV.

 

I pulled into a UK supermarket car park last Saturday. There were 6 charging points, 1 was out of order and the other 5 were all occupied. No thanks - I doubt Thailand, out in the sticks, is any better and it may be worse. I don't want to have to plan my journey according to the availibility of charging points - charging points that may well be occupied.

 

The other point is that in my area of Thailand, we already often don't receive the power supply we are supposed to - they either dont' have capacity or the lines, as they stand, can't take it. How will that be if the number of charging points are increased?

 

Does Thailand have the generating capacity overall to cope with a large increase in EV use?  This is happening at the same time as huge data centres are being built all over the world to cope with the massive power demands of AI, The Cloud and the like. Google and Microsoft say they will create their own power supplies using renewables and nuclear power. Easy talk, what are they actually doing at the moment? How long does it take to build a nuclear power station and bring it in to use?

 

Is Thailand, or any other country for that matter. really ready for EV's? I honestly don't know but I think there are questions.

 

How much will electricity cost when the number of EV's on the road starts to significantly reduce the tax intake from petrol and diesel fuel? Will they tax the electricity to compensate or will they tax the EV?  If the price of electricity goes up then people who don't even own a car will end up paying more - I can't see that happening.  If some sort of tax is put on charging points - what about those who charge at home?  It seems inevitable to me that the only way to replace the tax from fuel is to tax the car.

 

I'm not being negative, I want to see this happen but I'm not convinced the country is ready and I think that EV owners will have to accept that they are going to be paying additional tax sometime soon.

[motdaeng]

4 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

When fast home charges are available without an increase in your power supply are available and when the charging infrastrucure is in place nationwide - not just in Bangkok, without 'charger wars' - I'd love to have an EV.

 

don't be so negative. thailand makes it easy for you to switch to electric mobility: a wide selection of electric vehicles in every price range, affordable electricity, and even cheaper options if you go solar. plus, the charging infrastructure is constantly expanding nationwide ...

 

yes, not everyhing is perfect, but improvements are constantly being made in every sector.

now is a great time to make the switch, as you said: "i'd love to have an ev."

[JBChiangRai]

26 minutes ago, MangoKorat said:

When fast home charges are available without an increase in your power supply are available and when the charging infrastrucure is in place nationwide - not just in Bangkok, without 'charger wars' - I'd love to have an EV.

 

I pulled into a UK supermarket car park last Saturday. There were 6 charging points, 1 was out of order and the other 5 were all occupied. No thanks - I doubt Thailand, out in the sticks, is any better and it may be worse. I don't want to have to plan my journey according to the availibility of charging points - charging points that may well be occupied.

 

The other point is that in my area of Thailand, we already often don't receive the power supply we are supposed to - they either dont' have capacity or the lines, as they stand, can't take it. How will that be if the number of charging points are increased?

 

Does Thailand have the generating capacity overall to cope with a large increase in EV use?  This is happening at the same time as huge data centres are being built all over the world to cope with the massive power demands of AI, The Cloud and the like. Google and Microsoft say they will create their own power supplies using renewables and nuclear power. Easy talk, what are they actually doing at the moment? How long does it take to build a nuclear power station and bring it in to use?

 

Is Thailand, or any other country for that matter. really ready for EV's? I honestly don't know but I think there are questions.

 

How much will electricity cost when the number of EV's on the road starts to significantly reduce the tax intake from petrol and diesel fuel? Will they tax the electricity to compensate or will they tax the EV?  If the price of electricity goes up then people who don't even own a car will end up paying more - I can't see that happening.  If some sort of tax is put on charging points - what about those who charge at home?  It seems inevitable to me that the only way to replace the tax from fuel is to tax the car.

 

I'm not being negative, I want to see this happen but I'm not convinced the country is ready and I think that EV owners will have to accept that they are going to be paying additional tax sometime soon.

I have a 7kw home charger and a 3.5kw charger in the next stall.  I don’t want or need anything faster.  As long as I can charge up overnight or during the day and soak up surplus sower power I’m happy.

 

Supermarkets generally have slow AC chargers and they usually put them in the most convenient place to park with results that people who don’t need to charge their EV will park there and charge up because they have less distance to walk to the supermarket.  I’m guilty of this in central shopping mall too. I’m quite happy to pay ฿50 to charge my car up unnecessarily instead of hunting for a charging space with a longer walk to the entrance.

 

The average EV uses 4 kWh per day of electricity, it’s not difficult at all for the grid to cope with that, and the grid can be expanded faster than manufacturers can deliver EV cars. There is no shortage of electricity and EV uptake is pushing countries to go green with their power generation too.

 

I note you have intermittent power problems where you live, this is where an EV comes into its own, as you can run your house from the car during a power cut, we do that automatically in my house.

[Classic Ray]

I have a 10 yr old Avanza and a 5 yr old Hyundai H1, both of which have had only normal servicing and occasional batteries (cheap) because of the heat. I expect soon to replace the a/c compressor in the Avanza and just had one window regulator in the Hyundai. 
 

I, and I expect most motorists in Thailand, want our vehicles to carry on and have some value even after twenty years. With cheap spare parts and mechanics and no salt on the roads, this is possible with ICE cars.

 

How many EVs will last this long and what total cost of ownership will they have over this time? Or are we suddenly just going to throw them away after 5 to 10 years?

[JBChiangRai]

29 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

I have a 10 yr old Avanza and a 5 yr old Hyundai H1, both of which have had only normal servicing and occasional batteries (cheap) because of the heat. I expect soon to replace the a/c compressor in the Avanza and just had one window regulator in the Hyundai. 
 

I, and I expect most motorists in Thailand, want our vehicles to carry on and have some value even after twenty years. With cheap spare parts and mechanics and no salt on the roads, this is possible with ICE cars.

 

How many EVs will last this long and what total cost of ownership will they have over this time? Or are we suddenly just going to throw them away after 5 to 10 years?

It is suggested longevity of EV’s should be comparable to ICE but with less maintenance required.

 

Batteries are expected to outlast the vehicle.

[The Old Bull]

Isn't most electricity generated from burning fossil fuels? Do the networks have the capacity to support a switch to EV's?

[Muhendis]

On 2/2/2025 at 9:26 PM, Lacessit said:

About every 2-3 months, I travel between Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai to visit friends. About 200 km.

 

I usually refuel going back at Doi Saket. There are about a dozen fuel pumps at the station, and a single EV charger.

 

So what do you do in that situation if a couple of EV's are waiting there before you to be charged? Drink coffee for an hour?

 

I have no doubt EV's are much cheaper to run, and most owners refuel at home. However, on the road, permit me to doubt they are as convenient to refuel as an ICE.

 

If I did run out of fuel on the road, a jerry can solves the problem. An EV, the only option is a tow truck, unless you want to cart a portable generator around with you.

 

Life support for gas guzzlers? Not in my lifetime.

Perhaps you could take up the idea of the mobile 'phone power bank and tow a trailer full of batteries around with you

[Thingamabob]

The current investments in EVs are reckless given the advanced research into the use of ethanol etc. as an alternative fuel source.

[Bday Prang]

On 2/2/2025 at 8:59 PM, Lacessit said:

They will if they are 200-300 km away from home.

they will if they are 100m from home, 

[Bday Prang]

22 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

Some MG EV's have the batteries warranted for life.

 

Batteries expected to last 18 or more years, I'm sure we will see an industry build up to repair batteries, there are already a few companies doing this in DUST (disunited states of trump) because TeSSla charge so much for a new battery.

Well you managed to get a dig at trump in, had you tried a bit harder you could have had a go at red bull kid too.     Sad

[Lacessit]

1 hour ago, Muhendis said:

Perhaps you could take up the idea of the mobile 'phone power bank and tow a trailer full of batteries around with you

Jerrycans are lighter.

[Lacessit]

45 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

The current investments in EVs are reckless given the advanced research into the use of ethanol etc. as an alternative fuel source.

#1 Ethanol is C2H5OH. Two atoms of carbon, it generates CO2 just like fossil fuels do.

 

#2 Ethanol comes from sugar cane. As a monoculture, it is no more environmentally friendly than other crops needing pesticides and fertilizers.

 

#3 Without subsidies, ethanol is economically unviable, The cost of a litre of ethanol is about twice that of a hydrocarbon fuel derived from crude oil.

[LittleBear57]

Went up to Laos a while ago 12 hours driving. If I had to charge an EV it would have meant stopping overnight on the way. You still can't access charging points easily.  I have seen queues for them so you may have to wait 3 to 4 hours before commencing your journey. Our 7 day holiday to Laos would have had to be 9, time which we didn't have.

I think they are great for doing the school runs and travelling around the local area. 

I think time will tell how well they are made. BYD, ORA, ZEEKA and a few more seem well made, MG and Neta not so much.

My friend in the UK has said his EV is great around town but going anywhere of distance requires planning. He also has noticed (some) charging stations charging very high prices making them almost a similar price as an ICE refuel.

I looked long and hard at buying a new car. I wanted an electric car and solar panels on the house but I simply couldn't afford it. Didn't like the cheap electric cars,  liked the Zeeker but couldn't afford it. In the end bought the WRV from Honda great little car 150k off. Big enough for us, (surprisingly big interior) 650,000 bht. Half the Zeeker price. Very happy with it.

 

[JBChiangRai]

4 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

Went up to Laos a while ago 12 hours driving. If I had to charge an EV it would have meant stopping overnight on the way. You still can't access charging points easily.  I have seen queues for them so you may have to wait 3 to 4 hours before commencing your journey. Our 7 day holiday to Laos would have had to be 9, time which we didn't have.

I think they are great for doing the school runs and travelling around the local area. 

I think time will tell how well they are made. BYD, ORA, ZEEKA and a few more seem well made, MG and Neta not so much.

My friend in the UK has said his EV is great around town but going anywhere of distance requires planning. He also has noticed (some) charging stations charging very high prices making them almost a similar price as an ICE refuel.

I looked long and hard at buying a new car. I wanted an electric car and solar panels on the house but I simply couldn't afford it. Didn't like the cheap electric cars,  liked the Zeeker but couldn't afford it. In the end bought the WRV from Honda great little car 150k off. Big enough for us, (surprisingly big interior) 650,000 bht. Half the Zeeker price. Very happy with it.

 

 

I don't think you've noticed the EV stations, Thailand has a plethora of high-speed charging stations on its highways, roughly every 20km.  Rarely are they full.

[Peterphuket]

Well, a high-quality cassette tape with a Nakamichi cassetterecorder Its sound is still unmatched when it comes to analogue.

[LittleBear57]

1 minute ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

I don't think you've noticed the EV stations, Thailand has a plethora of high-speed charging stations on its highways, roughly every 20km.  Rarely are they full.

I have noticed the local fuel stations often have queues for them.

[Doctor Tom]

1 minute ago, Peterphuket said:

Well, a high-quality cassette tape with a Nakamichi cassetterecorder Its sound is still unmatched when it comes to analogue.

Funny that.  The major highway near me has 3 Petrol Stations within 20km of each other.  Both have only one EV charging station and both have been unusable since they were installed 2 years ago . 

[JBChiangRai]

3 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Funny that.  The major highway near me has 3 Petrol Stations within 20km of each other.  Both have only one EV charging station and both have been unusable since they were installed 2 years ago . 

 

Please give their locations and I'll check them out online 

[JBChiangRai]

7 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

I have noticed the local fuel stations often have queues for them.

 

Really?

[LittleBear57]

Sunday afternoons when people want to return to Bangkok from a weekend or day trip to the beach.

[Nid_Noi]

On 2/3/2025 at 5:13 PM, atpeace said:

You are correct IMO in that ICE cars are much better for trips over 200 kilometers ( probably 250to 280).  I drive well over 250 kilometers about once a month and it can be frustrating at times the with the EV.  Usually I just remind myself to calm down and why rush.  I'm retired, have the luxury of time, and usually traveling solo.

 

As one poster stated, It take 20 minutes to charge from 30-80% is far from accurate in my experience and you will be looking for another charger in a little over 100 kilometers after charging to 80%.  Charger not working, chargers full, extremely slow charger, no electronic chargers on your route(detour time!) to name a few of the challenges.

 

I enjoy my EV and it fits my lifestyle very well.  By far the best car I've ever owned.  Just took the Hilux on a 60 kilometer trip and simply don't like it anymore.  Still debating if I need both.  Can't wait till they come out with a Truck that cost around a million baht.

 

 

Made a return trip from Phetchaburi to Surat Thani with a full tank of diesel (76 liters) with my 2011 Toyota Hilux Vigo. Over 1,000 kms with full A/C, lights on for 40% of the trip and windshield wipers for 25% of the trip.

The truck goes for oil change and filters twice a year, 1 set of  new tires at 65,000 kms. Never got stuck in flooded roads (had water over the footboard several times).

I have no preconceived ideas against EVs but if I make the switch it will be with for a proven all-weather hybrid.

At this time I see EVs as urban vehicles or commutes in metro areas with small loads of passengers and freight.

[KhunLA]

39 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

I have noticed the local fuel stations often have queues for them.

Really ?

 

We travel quite a bit & use, and rarely see a Q at the CS.  IF both cables being use, just pop on down the road to the next.

 

Actually surprised we don't see more Qs, as we have traveled on weekends & long weekends, and still seem to be more than enough CS about.  Hopefully they will keep up with the demand for, as so far, they've done an excellent & impassive job with the CS network.

[Nid_Noi]

36 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

Please give their locations and I'll check them out online 

I must admit in the last year EV charging stations have been installed in many gas stations. Bangchak is the leader by installing at least 4 charging posts in each gas stations. Of course they have attracted coffee shops, food stalls and other convenient stores for "while you charge" customers. Now driving away from the main roads is more challenging in Prachuap Khiri Khan province. My EV neighbour admits he never drives more than 150 kilometers from home in poorly equipped areas and avoid night driving in those areas. Too many of the few available charging posts are out of commissioning. I think he drives an MG he bought last winter.

[Nid_Noi]

Just for fun.

 

https://youtu.be/IInTanHjnK0?si=sneg4mgKAxlTO5Sw
 

https://youtu.be/xcv9Tk-jON8?si=9frRIaWNRviuZRmY
 

https://youtu.be/ni6Aq_oOJHs?si=Nsd3iUhwo_oN9oFi

[LittleBear57]

 

20 minutes ago, Nid_Noi said:

Made a return trip from Phetchaburi to Surat Thani with a full tank of diesel (76 liters) with my 2011 Toyota Hilux Vigo. Over 1,000 kms with full A/C, lights on for 40% of the trip and windshield wipers for 25% of the trip.

The truck goes for oil change and filters twice a year, 1 set of  new tires at 65,000 kms. Never got stuck in flooded roads (had water over the footboard several times).

I have no preconceived ideas against EVs but if I make the switch it will be with for a proven all-weather hybrid.

At this time I see EVs as urban vehicles or commutes in metro areas with small loads of passengers and freight.

I had forgotten about one of my main reasons for not buying an EV . So many times in the wet season local roads are flooded often in a foot or so of water. Very concerning with a large battery stored low down in a car. Battery replacement is NOT cheap. Wife kept showing me dead EVs on you tube. Not many but one even had red plates and a 800,000bht battery replacement as flood damage is not a warranty issue. Apparently it wasn't covered on her insurance either. OUCH.

[KhunLA]

57 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

Sunday afternoons when people want to return to Bangkok from a weekend or day trip to the beach.

Most BEV can make it from Hua Hin & Patts without needing to charge, with no problem.  

 

 

 

 

[EVENKEEL]

I'll stick with diesel and or benzene. I can't see myself buying an elec car...ever.

[JBChiangRai]

2 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

 

I had forgotten about one of my main reasons for not buying an EV . So many times in the wet season local roads are flooded often in a foot or so of water. Very concerning with a large battery stored low down in a car. Battery replacement is NOT cheap. Wife kept showing me dead EVs on you tube. Not many but one even had red plates and a 800,000bht battery replacement as flood damage is not a warranty issue. Apparently it wasn't covered on her insurance either. OUCH.

 

The road between Chiang Mai & Chiang Mai regularly gets flooded, I've passed through it twice driving down the center of the road when only pickups were getting through.  All the cars had to wait for the flood to clear and were parked up on the side of the road.  The first time the police were there and advised me not to try, I went straight through even though the front camera was under water, I think they were waiting to laugh at the stupid farang when he got stuck.  I had the last laugh as I emerged the other side and then drove off.

 

EV's don't like standing in floods but many of them will drive through a flood where an ICE car cannot, often you're advised to turn off your air conditioning first on some models.

[JBChiangRai]

33 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

I'll stick with diesel and or benzene. I can't see myself buying an elec car...ever.

Many people said that about those new fangled horseless carriages over a century ago and look where we are now….