Just now, JBChiangRai said:

 

You're talking nonsense.  BYD is pushing out all over the world.

Google it and see and read and then you will understand. 

Having said that - if you want an EV - get a Toyota.

Personally I would get a Honda Hybrid now - EVs will become mainstream in 10-15 years at the earliest.

I think any Chinese EV is a risk - 400 have disappeared or collapsed or bankrupt.

https://evboosters.com/ev-charging-news/400-chinese-ev-companies-ceased-operations-between-2018-2025-only-a-few-will-dominate-towards-2030/

As things move forward, if the China economy recovers, perhaps a few Chinese EVs will survive and thrive globally.

BYD is growing globally, but is it real growth, or just based on give away pricing that will eventually collapse.

As I said - now get a Toyota EV or a Honda Hybrid - wait a few years for the Chinese EVs to settle down/in IMO.

I'm an owner of a BYD Sealion 7 AWD (SL7). I've done around 3,000km in it, that is, my wife actually does most of the driving. I started looking at EVs almost 5 years ago, and the brand that keeps on coming up as the winner is BYD.  For a while, some misinformed friends strongly recommended a hybrid vehicle (petrol and electric), but they practically all suck, mainly because the electric range in hybrids is between 90 and 180 km depending on the brand. Why buy a stinker ICE if you want to go 100% green? It makes no sense going 50-50. I'll be installing a 15kW solar system on my roof shortly which will give me free travel forever.

 

I did look at (and sat in) a Haval H6 PHEV and a BYD S6 and a few others, but in terms of quality, features, luxury and comfort, the SL7 s**ts all over the competition. Thailand has over 3,000 charging stations. Yes, you need an app to charge, but many apps are in English, and depending on where you live, you might need to book a station. My wife and her son, who's a mechanic, wanted me to buy a crappy and overpriced Toyota hybrid until I put my foot down and said I'm going all electric. The LFP battery likes being charged to 100%. I get around 500km + out of it. In a few years when batteries have a 2,000km or 3,000 km range, I'll swap it out. 

 

So far, I've had zero problems with the car except for the BYD dealer who was racist until I jumped up and down and made them look at me. They are still having problems issuing a passcode to access BYD Auto app remotely. Also, BYD's after sales service and warranty is pathetic. During an unauthorised installation of window film to the sky roof, they damaged the retractable soft cloth. The dealer and BYD can't get their act together and decide who will repair it. While this sounds distressing, and it is, similar issues happen with any Thai car dealership or car brand. I blame the dealer for not properly disclosing the damage to BYD because they don't want to lose face.

 

Other than that, the car is a dream to drive. It is very comfortable, very safe, it handles well and despite the 2.4 tonnes weight, my average consumption is only around 18 kW/100 km. If you want better consumption, go for a go-go mobile sized mini car. They might only consume 14kW/100 km. With solar panels, I'll rarely be using public charging stations.

25 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Didn't BYD advertise one of their models at 30% off and MG as well.

If you had already purchased one of those at full price, you'd have dropped a lot by now.

Last year had a couple major price drops, along with sale price.

 

Our 2022 ZS @ ฿949k dropped to ฿829k, I think.  Our write off price now is ฿590, 2 yr 9 moths old.   Strangely the first 2 years, the insured write off was more than the price of a new one the first year, and ฿10k less than the price of new, the 2nd year.  At present, that's ~28% depreciation, from current new price, and we're shy of 3 yrs old.  Call that about 10% a year.

 

If using purchase price, then ~38% depreciation.  Not bad considering the past 2 years of price war.  A bit different from that 50% in 2 yrs, that someone was talking about, for a car coming up on 3 yrs old.  Go figure.

 

Depreciation irrelevant for us, as we'd never sell it. 

 

Or another statement someone posted, that MG, which has a factory in TH, supplying SEA & beyond with vehicles, won't be around in TH very long.   Just silly statements from the haters.  Not to mention MG's parent company SAIC is one of the 'Big Four' state owned auto makers of CN.

 

Sale price for the ZS of ฿599 mentioned more than a few times, but don't know or read of anyone that actually got one, or if ฿599k for any special reason (Sales rep or demo cars ???).  At that price, the sales numbers would have skyrocketed, and yet the opposite has happened, ZS is far from being in demand, and sales are dismal.  Probably why it will be discontinued, and reincarnated as a hybrid, or so rumored.

19 hours ago, Nacho Libre said:

LOL, looks cool, but maybe not so convenient when doing the biweekly Macro run.

Yes but what about the nightly bar run👩?

2 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Last year had a couple major price drops, along with sale price.

 

Our 2022 ZS @ ฿949k dropped to ฿829k, I think.  Our write off price now is ฿590, 2 yr 9 moths old.   Strangely the first 2 years, the insured write off was more than the price of a new one the first year, and ฿10k less than the price of new, the 2nd year.  At present, that's ~28% depreciation, from current new price, and we're shy of 3 yrs old.  Call that about 10% a year.

 

If using purchase price, then ~38% depreciation.  Not bad considering the past 2 years of price war.  A bit different from that 50% someone was talking about, for a car coming up on 3 yrs old.

 

Depreciation irrelevant for us, as we'd never sell it. 

 

Or another statement someone posted, that MG, which has a factory in TH, supplying SEA & beyond with vehicles, won't be around in TH very long.   Just silly statements from the haters.  Not to mention MG's parent company SAIC is one of the 'Big Four' state owned auto makers of CN.

 

Sale price for the ZS of ฿599 mentioned more than a few times, but don't know or read of anyone that actually got one, or if ฿599k for any special reason (Sales rep or demo cars ???).  At that price, the sales numbers would have skyrocketed, and yet the opposite has happened, ZS if far from being in demand, and sales are dismal.  Probably why it will be discontinued, and reincarnated as a hybrid, or so rumored.

The BYD Sealion 7 dropped by 150,000 baht a few days before we picked ours up. It was 1.4 million baht. We got the discount. Now it might be 1.2 million baht - not sure. As with all things, prices will drop. So did Tesla. TVs, guitars, white goods, they are all getting cheaper.

18 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Google it and see and read and then you will understand. 

Having said that - if you want an EV - get a Toyota.

Personally I would get a Honda Hybrid now - EVs will become mainstream in 10-15 years at the earliest.

I think any Chinese EV is a risk - 400 have disappeared or collapsed or bankrupt.

https://evboosters.com/ev-charging-news/400-chinese-ev-companies-ceased-operations-between-2018-2025-only-a-few-will-dominate-towards-2030/

As things move forward, if the China economy recovers, perhaps a few Chinese EVs will survive and thrive globally.

BYD is growing globally, but is it real growth, or just based on give away pricing that will eventually collapse.

As I said - now get a Toyota EV or a Honda Hybrid - wait a few years for the Chinese EVs to settle down/in IMO.

Toyota EV ??

” Google it and see “ how successful Toyota EV’s have been !

53 minutes ago, Nacho Libre said:

Is there an app for Android that shows EV charging stations, or do I need to go to a website?

Would be great if that was info you could get using Google Maps.

PlugShare and Charge Loma cover all the different charging options or you can download an app for them individually:

EV Station Pluz 

PEA Volta

Elexa

for starters.

1 hour ago, Nacho Libre said:

I just checked and Google Maps has that info. Does anyone have experience in using it, is it properly updated? I'm guessing yes, as GM is a great app.

Gmaps is OK, but can' keep up with all the new ones CS (charging stations) that are popping up all the time.

 

As mentioned, non vendor apps, 'PlugShare' and  'ChargeLoma' are good, but still not as good as vendor apps.

 

We use EV Station Pluz, almost exclusively, as located at PTT Parks.   Since O&A (out & about), nice to have clean toilet, 7-11, food court, maybe a KFC available, along with usual independent vendors, when stopping for whatever reason.   Usually toilet use, or a munch after a few hours on the road, so simply plug in while there.

 

Stated more than a few times, O&A quite a bit, the whole country, and yet to not have CS available along our routes.  No real need to detour to charge up.

For those of us noobs, how much does charging cost at these on-road chargers?

22 hours ago, proton said:

Chinese rubbish, why support the CCP anyway? You wont see many of these cars around at ten years old

Build quality on Tesla's these days is pretty poor, the interiors and exteriors seem to get uglier and cheaper looking each year, while China continues to improve their design. In addition at this point in time it's kind of fun to support China over the US. And I say that as an American who never thought he would be saying such a thing. I too hate the CCP. But, less than I hate the Trump administration. Some forces in the world are so dark and so repellent, that it just drives the planet in another direction. 

 

Let's go China! 

1 hour ago, ZigM said:

The BYD Sealion 7 dropped by 150,000 baht a few days before we picked ours up. It was 1.4 million baht. We got the discount. Now it might be 1.2 million baht - not sure. As with all things, prices will drop. So did Tesla. TVs, guitars, white goods, they are all getting cheaper.

Who would want white goods when black is so beautiful? 

1 hour ago, ZigM said:

I'm an owner of a BYD Sealion 7 AWD (SL7). I've done around 3,000km in it, that is, my wife actually does most of the driving. I started looking at EVs almost 5 years ago, and the brand that keeps on coming up as the winner is BYD.  For a while, some misinformed friends strongly recommended a hybrid vehicle (petrol and electric), but they practically all suck, mainly because the electric range in hybrids is between 90 and 180 km depending on the brand. Why buy a stinker ICE if you want to go 100% green? It makes no sense going 50-50. I'll be installing a 15kW solar system on my roof shortly which will give me free travel forever.

 

I did look at (and sat in) a Haval H6 PHEV and a BYD S6 and a few others, but in terms of quality, features, luxury and comfort, the SL7 s**ts all over the competition. Thailand has over 3,000 charging stations. Yes, you need an app to charge, but many apps are in English, and depending on where you live, you might need to book a station. My wife and her son, who's a mechanic, wanted me to buy a crappy and overpriced Toyota hybrid until I put my foot down and said I'm going all electric. The LFP battery likes being charged to 100%. I get around 500km + out of it. In a few years when batteries have a 2,000km or 3,000 km range, I'll swap it out. 

 

So far, I've had zero problems with the car except for the BYD dealer who was racist until I jumped up and down and made them look at me. They are still having problems issuing a passcode to access BYD Auto app remotely. Also, BYD's after sales service and warranty is pathetic. During an unauthorised installation of window film to the sky roof, they damaged the retractable soft cloth. The dealer and BYD can't get their act together and decide who will repair it. While this sounds distressing, and it is, similar issues happen with any Thai car dealership or car brand. I blame the dealer for not properly disclosing the damage to BYD because they don't want to lose face.

 

Other than that, the car is a dream to drive. It is very comfortable, very safe, it handles well and despite the 2.4 tonnes weight, my average consumption is only around 18 kW/100 km. If you want better consumption, go for a go-go mobile sized mini car. They might only consume 14kW/100 km. With solar panels, I'll rarely be using public charging stations.

That's a good looking car certainly much more handsome than either an MG, or the super ugly Teslas. 

20 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

For those of us noobs, how much does charging cost at these on-road chargers?

~฿5.5 to ฿8 / kWh, unless at a high end place, (ICONSIAM) then possibly ฿10 / kWh.

 

Posted this earlier, elsewhere, and a price comparison of savings for the home owner, charging at home, where most do charge:

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246109-ice-vs-ev-the-debate-thread/page/106/#findComment-19895746

 

Price comparison at CS

46.3 X ฿5.5 = ฿255

46.3 X ฿8 = ฿371

Petrol cost = ฿941

 

1 hour ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

Having said that - if you want an EV - get a Toyota.

 

that’s the best joke i've heard in a while … and it clearly shows you have no idea about electric cars, which makes you look really quite foolish ... 

 

18 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

That's a good looking car certainly much more handsome than either an MG, or the super ugly Teslas. 

Hey ... watch it buddy 😁

 

Is there something wrong with thses:

 

Buy You Die has hundreds of billions of debt, it will go bankrupt soon like Evergrande. Plus charging/parking could be a major issue. My condo bans the parking (and certainly charging) of EVs.

1 hour ago, henryford1958 said:

Buy You Die has hundreds of billions of debt, it will go bankrupt soon like Evergrande. Plus charging/parking could be a major issue. My condo bans the parking (and certainly charging) of EVs.

What utter tosh.

 

Does you condo allow people of colour to live there?  What a ridiculous rule that just shows how out of touch your management committee are with reality.

"Yes, you need an app to charge, but many apps are in English, and depending on where you live, you might need to book a station."

 

Don't really understand this one. With an EV don't I just plug the charger to the car and start charging? Or is there a need for a bank app to pay for cost of the charging?

1 hour ago, Nacho Libre said:

"Yes, you need an app to charge, but many apps are in English, and depending on where you live, you might need to book a station."

 

Don't really understand this one. With an EV don't I just plug the charger to the car and start charging? Or is there a need for a bank app to pay for cost of the charging?

With your home charger you just plug it in and pay for the electric usage added to your normal bill.

 

With an on the road charger you have to register to an app and provide some financial way to pay ( either a wallet or credit card or qr code etc ) then you are good to go.

Only EV Station Pluz chargers at PTT gas stations ( there might be others ) require a booking in advance at some of their locations which seems like a PITA but once you get used to it its easy.

41 minutes ago, Andrew Dwyer said:

With your home charger you just plug it in and pay for the electric usage added to your normal bill.

 

With an on the road charger you have to register to an app and provide some financial way to pay ( either a wallet or credit card or qr code etc ) then you are good to go.

Only EV Station Pluz chargers at PTT gas stations ( there might be others ) require a booking in advance at some of their locations which seems like a PITA but once you get used to it its easy.

Thanks for the clarification. I asked for info on buying an EV in Thailand thinking I should probably wait a couple of years but it seems to me I could actually go for it.

And the price for the vehicle I'm looking at (BDY Sealion 7) is really attractive (1.15 mil.). Next step will be a test drive.

2 minutes ago, Nacho Libre said:

Thanks for the clarification. I asked for info on buying an EV in Thailand thinking I should probably wait a couple of years but it seems to me I could actually go for it.

And the price for the vehicle I'm looking at BDY Sealion 7 is really attractive (1.15 mil.). Next step will be a test drive.

If you are remotely interested in buying an EV then test driving a Sealion 7 will seal ( pun intended ) the deal !

 

12 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

What utter tosh.

 

Does you condo allow people of colour to live there?  What a ridiculous rule that just shows how out of touch your management committee are with reality.

 

The reality is that our insurance would not cover any damage resulting from an EV fire. Any lithium fire in an enclosed car park would not only destroy most of the cars parked there but probably the main condo building as well.

7 minutes ago, henryford1958 said:

 

The reality is that our insurance would not cover any damage resulting from an EV fire. Any lithium fire in an enclosed car park would not only destroy most of the cars parked there but probably the main condo building as well.

Does your insurance cover a petrol car catching fire and destroying all the cars.

 

Your management committee does understand that’s between 10 and 130 times more likely than an EV fire right?

I would guess that he bigger concern at condos would be EVs stealing electricity, and or overloading the system. 

For it to work at condos you either provide a few chargers for residents to book, or if you have allocated parking, let owners pay for their own at their cost.

 

This assumes the supply is big enough, which is likely as they have to size the system for all air cons running in hot season.

 

in any event, it’s not difficult to toddle down to a PTT station and have a coffee whilst your car charges.

12 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

For it to work at condos you either provide a few chargers for residents to book, or if you have allocated parking, let owners pay for their own at their cost.

For it to work you'd have to have allocated parking, and either a separate meter for every spot or spots wired to the unit it's allocated to. 

12 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

This assumes the supply is big enough, which is likely as they have to size the system for all air cons running in hot season.

Cars have to be able to charge year-round, night and day. It would be okay for a few EVs, but not when the numbers start getting big. 

12 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

in any event, it’s not difficult to toddle down to a PTT station and have a coffee whilst your car charges.

Indeed, but it's cheaper and easier to find a place to plug in the trickle-charger. 

7 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

For it to work at condos you either provide a few chargers for residents to book, or if you have allocated parking, let owners pay for their own at their cost.

 

This assumes the supply is big enough, which is likely as they have to size the system for all air cons running in hot season.

 

in any event, it’s not difficult to toddle down to a PTT station and have a coffee whilst your car charges.

Or charge at the Mall while shopping or the many Lotus's that have charging cables.  Not being able to charge at home wouldn't be an issue for myself, as we're at Swensen's a couple times a month (2 for 1 Tuesdays) and that's at the Lotus's mall with has charging cables.

 

At home, we rarely use the wall charger, and most charging is done with the granny / emergency charger, which plugs into any house outlet.  Draws about the same as the microwave or oven, 2.3 kWh.

 

Our solar won't handle the wall charger @ 7.4 kWh, so we rarely use it.  6 hrs of Solar charging supplies about 13kWh or 100 kms, and I drive 8-15 kms of unnecessary driving a day 

11 hours ago, Nacho Libre said:

Thanks for the clarification. I asked for info on buying an EV in Thailand thinking I should probably wait a couple of years but it seems to me I could actually go for it.

And the price for the vehicle I'm looking at (BDY Sealion 7) is really attractive (1.15 mil.). Next step will be a test drive.

 

I think EVs are fantastic for daily urban driving for owners who can charge at home. Also very good for journeys to/from home of total say 300 km: in my case, Bangkok-Jomtien-Bangkok. I can do that at 120 kmh starting with a full battery and still have around 50 km range left.

 

If you have a home charger and then buy a tyre inflator you never need to visit a petrol station again. Keeping tyres properly inflated is particularly sensible for EVs because they are heavier than equivalent size ICE vehicles.

 

By all means buy new if re-sale isn't important. Insurance will also be more expensive than for an ICE car and may not cover 100% of battery replacement cost, the most expensive part of an EV.

 

I've had a BYD Atto since January 2023. Been very reliable (although the cruise control sucks and I hate having a/c controlled through a touch screen). It's well built. It's also had two pretty hard hits (rear ended on expressway + driven into a concrete post); neither damaged battery. However it took a while to get some parts from China.

 

EVs are not as convenient as ICE when it comes to short notice longer distance journeys. And I do think that good as the DC charging set up is at PTT and other filling stations, it's a pain to have to spend up to an hour charging your car. Of course you can sit in it with the a/c on while you do, and you can also sit in the car with the a/c on anywhere and not feel any guilt about having an engine idling away.

 

When the Atto first came out you couldn't turn off, permanently, all of the 'safety features' like auto braking and lane keeping. Now you can, which is a blessing. Presumably Sealion is the same (or maybe you don't mind that stuff).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

22 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

For it to work you'd have to have allocated parking, and either a separate meter for every spot or spots wired to the unit it's allocated to. 

Cars have to be able to charge year-round, night and day. It would be okay for a few EVs, but not when the numbers start getting big. 

Indeed, but it's cheaper and easier to find a place to plug in the trickle-charger. 

Elexa with partner with condos, and install charging cables for free.  I've used Elexa at coffe shops & restaurants while O&A.

 

People are running out of real reasons not to go BEV, though provide plenty of excuses.  Performance & savings is too much of a reason for us, not to go BEV.  The convenience of never going to the local petrol station every week, to pay extra, to degrade the engine parts pretty much tops everything.

 

You waiting in line, to pay, to use a fuel that degrades your engine.  Let that one sink in.   And for us, it's a special trip, (3 kms) as the petrol station isn't in our usual daily drive.

 

15-20 mins a week vs 1 min a week ... hmm, let me think about that 

 

If I were to buy a new car today, I would buy a plug in hybrid.

 

The only advice I might suggest before buying a BYD, is to see if they are releasing any new or updated models in the near future, as this could cause a price drop for an existing model.