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

[EVENKEEL]

2 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

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

I foresee an alternative source of power in the near future that will make the elec car seem like a horse and buggy. Until then vroom vroom.

[JBChiangRai]

Just now, EVENKEEL said:

I foresee an alternative source of power in the near future that will make the elec car seem like a horse and buggy. Until then vroom vroom.

I think you are very wrong, battery technology is advancing at such a pace that EV‘s are a damn near perfect source of road transportation for passenger cars.

[Thingamabob]

3 hours ago, Lacessit said:

#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.

As you will, hopefully, be aware, there are several other sources of ethanol, not only sugar cane. Further, as you are also hopefully aware,  ethanol is not the only alternative fuel to oil that is being researched.

[atpeace]

2 hours 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.

So when EV trucks get over 1000kms between charges? Probably will be a reality in the next 5-10 years. As for me, I would be happy with a 400 km real world range. The Rivian R1T and that weird Tesla truck already have larger payloads than any of the ICE trucks I see on the road here.  They get around 600 km per charge.  They cost a fortune but just saying 🙂

[Doctor Tom]

5 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

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

331, Sattahip to past  the 36  flyover

[Doctor Tom]

3 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

I think you are very wrong, battery technology is advancing at such a pace that EV‘s are a damn near perfect source of road transportation for passenger cars.

Until you crash, then they are a death trap 

[Doctor Tom]

2 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

As you will, hopefully, be aware, there are several other sources of ethanol, not only sugar cane. Further, as you are also hopefully aware,  ethanol is not the only alternative fuel to oil that is being researched.

And all that are used to manufacture or process anything that is intended to produce electricity as an end product,  are as polluting as drilling for oil or digging out coal.  EVs are an 'interim technology' for transport, but let's not delude ourselves that they are green and are saving the planet. 

[KhunLA]

2 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

Until you crash, then they are a death trap 

Quite the opposite, as the cabin sits over the battery, which surely has a much superior, stronger build, for the very fact of protecting the battery.

 

Think before posting 

[MangoKorat]

8 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

t’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.

That would be good, what evidence do you have to support that?  Residents in my area have been complaining about low power supplies for years - nothing changes.

[Thingamabob]

25 minutes ago, Doctor Tom said:

And all that are used to manufacture or process anything that is intended to produce electricity as an end product,  are as polluting as drilling for oil or digging out coal.  EVs are an 'interim technology' for transport, but let's not delude ourselves that they are green and are saving the planet. 

Agreed. Well said.

[Thingamabob]

3 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

I think you are very wrong, battery technology is advancing at such a pace that EV‘s are a damn near perfect source of road transportation for passenger cars.

You've got to be joking. 

[digger70]

On 2/2/2025 at 9:11 PM, richard_smith237 said:

 

How often are you in a car 200-300km away from home ?

We used a public charger on a road trip, had a bite to eat while topping up (20 mins to top up from about 30% to 80%  - back up to about 400km range and more than enough range to get back ( about 800 baht).
 

On similar trips before we’ve done the same thing, but sat in the car while filling up with petrol, then gone to eat….  Which was 10 mins filling up…. Then going to eat for 20mins… again about 400km range… more than enough to get back…. (About 1600 baht).

 

When combining a stop off with bite to each….  The  EV was quicker and cheaper… though of course other scenarios can be less convenient.

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe cheaper for now now but the price of electricity will go have to go up  soon if there are A Lot of  EV's.     Supply and Demand.

I Think  That they can't Generate enough Electricity  to Keep up Demand Soon It will take a Few Years /Decades  To Upgrade the Power Grid.

Maybe less maintenance  But EV's are Expensive to Repair And they don't like Too much Water.

When the Big Power battery Goes  from Old Age or Malfunction It' cost an Arm & a Leg .

Insurance will cover the main Battery from Accident or Flooding I Believe.

[Thingamabob]

I drive from Bangkok to our place near to Rayong and back, 400 Kms in total approx, twice a month. Any thoughts on whether or not an EV would be practical for this purpose ?

[Andrew Dwyer]

12 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

I drive from Bangkok to our place near to Rayong and back, 400 Kms in total approx, twice a month. Any thoughts on whether or not an EV would be practical for this purpose ?

I drive to visit an ageing mil around twice a month, 420 kms in total or 460 km if we go out for lunch.

I don’t need to charge but if necessary I can pull in to one of many chargers on highway 32 for a 10% top up to make sure i get home and put the car to charge overnight at 3 baht per kw.

[motdaeng]

57 minutes ago, digger70 said:

Maybe cheaper for now now but the price of electricity will go have to go up  soon if there are A Lot of  EV's.  

 

every newly installed aircon uses about the same electricity as an average electric car... nowadays, a lot of people, including the poor, are installing aircon. haven't seen the price go up, or have you?

even if electricity prices doubled, it would still be cheaper than today's gasoline prices ...

 

1 hour ago, digger70 said:

When the Big Power battery Goes  from Old Age or Malfunction It' cost an Arm & a Leg .

 

any reliable source for your claim? thank you.

the car batteries will get a second life. at the moment, the market is a niche, but it will change in the future ...

 

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, Thingamabob said:

I drive from Bangkok to our place near to Rayong and back, 400 Kms in total approx, twice a month. Any thoughts on whether or not an EV would be practical for this purpose ?

It would be for me, even if needing to top up or just enough to feel comfortable, once at Rayong.  A more comfy, better performing vehicle at less operating cost.   Anything else is irrelevant IMHO  Should be no hassle at all to top up.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, digger70 said:

Maybe cheaper for now now but the price of electricity will go have to go up  soon if there are A Lot of  EV's.     Supply and Demand.

I Think  That they can't Generate enough Electricity  to Keep up Demand Soon It will take a Few Years /Decades  To Upgrade the Power Grid.

Maybe less maintenance  But EV's are Expensive to Repair And they don't like Too much Water.

When the Big Power battery Goes  from Old Age or Malfunction It' cost an Arm & a Leg .

Insurance will cover the main Battery from Accident or Flooding I Believe.

I'll just address the first, highlighted part, as the rest is too silly to bother.  Electric has risen maybe 25% in 25 years, since I've been here, and most of that, has been the last 2 ish years.

 

The grid has gotten better every year since arriving.

[jimmybcool]

OK several people have mentioned that EV batteries usually out last the car.  I am curious why this isn't true in my EV.  I own a lithium-ion golf cart and was told there are a limited number of charges (a lot and probably more than this old man needs but limited).  Why are EV cars different?

 

"""The lifespan of a golf cart battery depends on a number of factors, including the type of battery, how frequently the golf cart is used and charged, and how the battery is maintained and cared for over time.

Lead-acid golf cart batteries last about two to five years with regular use, while lithium-ion golf cart batteries may last ten to 20 years with proper maintenance. Golf carts that belong to an individual person or household tend to last longer, about six to ten years, compared to fleet vehicles that are used by multiple people throughout the day. These fleet vehicles can get about four to six years out of the battery before it needs to be replaced."""

 

 

[digger70]

1 hour ago, motdaeng said:

 

every newly installed aircon uses about the same electricity as an average electric car... nowadays, a lot of people, including the poor, are installing aircon. haven't seen the price go up, or have you?

even if electricity prices doubled, it would still be cheaper than today's gasoline prices ...

 

 

any reliable source for your claim? thank you.

the car batteries will get a second life. at the moment, the market is a niche, but it will change in the future ...

 

Check This Please,   https://www.roojai.com/en/ev-car-insurance/

[digger70]

50 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

I'll just address the first, highlighted part, as the rest is too silly to bother.  Electric has risen maybe 25% in 25 years, since I've been here, and most of that, has been the last 2 ish years.

 

The grid has gotten better every year since arriving.

I think it's Too Silly to Reply to your Silly Post , But than.  You Wait & See

[Jaggg88]

The biggest problem with EVs is the depreciation. The batteries start degrading from day one and somewhere between 5 and 8 years the batteries will need replacing, which costs more than the car is worth.

[Thingamabob]

2 hours ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

I drive to visit an ageing mil around twice a month, 420 kms in total or 460 km if we go out for lunch.

I don’t need to charge but if necessary I can pull in to one of many chargers on highway 32 for a 10% top up to make sure i get home and put the car to charge overnight at 3 baht per kw.

Many thanks.

[Thingamabob]

57 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

It would be for me, even if needing to top up or just enough to feel comfortable, once at Rayong.  A more comfy, better performing vehicle at less operating cost.   Anything else is irrelevant IMHO  Should be no hassle at all to top up.

Many thanks.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, jimmybcool said:

OK several people have mentioned that EV batteries usually out last the car.  I am curious why this isn't true in my EV.  I own a lithium-ion golf cart and was told there are a limited number of charges (a lot and probably more than this old man needs but limited).  Why are EV cars different?

 

"""The lifespan of a golf cart battery depends on a number of factors, including the type of battery, how frequently the golf cart is used and charged, and how the battery is maintained and cared for over time.

Lead-acid golf cart batteries last about two to five years with regular use, while lithium-ion golf cart batteries may last ten to 20 years with proper maintenance. Golf carts that belong to an individual person or household tend to last longer, about six to ten years, compared to fleet vehicles that are used by multiple people throughout the day. These fleet vehicles can get about four to six years out of the battery before it needs to be replaced."""

 

 

It will depend on the chemistry of the battery.  Here's a comparison, old, and new chemistry (LFP), that most newer BEVs use.  Supposedly a conservative estimate for LFP batteries, as some state, will last up to 10k cycles, so 2500 is pretty conservative, if not damn negative number.

 

A cycle (1), if you don't already know is 100% charge.  So if you run down to 50% one day, recharge, run again down to 50%, and recharge, you used 1 cycle.

 

The red text, is 'our' car, and my ball park estimate of life, and still retaining 70 ish %, to be on the negative side.  We average about 20k kms a year.

 

[LittleBear57]

8 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

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.

That wasn't the advice I got from MG about their EVs.

[KhunLA]

@jimmybcool As an aside, and more relevant to a golf cart type EV, our E-MC, has NMC chemistry, I think, and I've seen estimates of 500-1200 cycles.  That powers a 3000w motor.  It's 3.5 yrs old, and really haven't any noticeable degradation.  Probably has just <7k kms on it.

 

I expect to get at least another 5 years out of the battery.

Battery itself is 72v50Ah = 3.6kWh.  New upgraded model is 73v58Ah, but LFP chemist4y👍

 

Have priced a LFP replacement between 15k-20k baht.

[KhunLA]

13 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

That wasn't the advice I got from MG about their EVs.

I own a MG ZS (IP67 rating ) ... I'll never test this ... but ...

 

 

 

[LittleBear57]

8 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

 

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.

That wasn't the advice I got from MG about their EVs.

[LittleBear57]

Just now, LittleBear57 said:

That wasn't the advice I got from MG about their EVs.

Infact the whole EV thing was all unproven either way. In the end time will tell. To be honest the basic engine technology has been around way over 100 years. Not much else has stayed the same, perhaps EVs are the way forward. Right now my Toyota Vigo is 17 years old and done over 300,000 km. Can't see EVs lasting that long. Most people in China it seems replace them after around 5 years and although most are still OK no one wants them. Maybe they will now due to the downturn in their economy.

[KhunLA]

28 minutes ago, LittleBear57 said:

Infact the whole EV thing was all unproven either way. In the end time will tell. To be honest the basic engine technology has been around way over 100 years. Not much else has stayed the same, perhaps EVs are the way forward. Right now my Toyota Vigo is 17 years old and done over 300,000 km. Can't see EVs lasting that long. Most people in China it seems replace them after around 5 years and although most are still OK no one wants them. Maybe they will now due to the downturn in their economy.

To compare EVs of 5 years ago to today's is a bit silly.  Tech has improved so much, and will continue as we see the batteries with more range, lighter, cheaper coming out.

 

They've improved and gotten less expensive since we bought our, just over 2 years ago, and that was a nice upgrade from the previous version.

 

Older versions have racked 100s of 1000s of kms, even the 1M mark.