Pib

Yea....the translation by google translate type apps is usually pretty good....but it's also not uncommon for the translation to present funny type results or even completely inaccurate results based on my experience of using google translate a LOT over the years especially if some slang words, misspelled words, or abbreviations are being translated.

Could be one of the possible reasons for failure. Not only does the battery pack contain a "lot" of individual blade battery cells like 126 blade batteries/cells in an extended range 60.5KWH battery but there is also a bunch of electronic battery management system (BMS) "daughter" boards across every dozen of so of those blade batteries and then a BMS "mother board" in the front of the battery where the cables connect to. I expect it's the "electronic" BMS daughter/motherboard that fails and not any of the actual battery cells. But whether the actual blade battery cell(s) or BMS electronics it still makes the battery pack inoperative/defective.....time for a new one as these type of packs can't be repaired due to their design/construction other than at the factory. Now in my Atto I have drove thru water depth two times that was "almost" up to half the wheels height like described above...so far, no problems. I didn't drive thru that water height on purpose but instead of kinda get trapped into do it due to flash rain storms that temporary flood low spots/roads and you just need to press on unless you want to stop and let the water rise around you or create a traffic jam because of blocking traffic behind you. And I love where the poster above described the traction battery as "the high pressure battery." 😄

When seeing pictures of this new looking Neta facility and since it's located in the Nakorn ChaiSi district of Nakhorn Pathom province (bordering western Bangkok) I began thinking that I've seen a building looking very, very similar especially since I drive thru the Nakhorn ChaiSi district on PhetKasem Road (#4) at least once a week when the Thai wife and I visit her mother. In fact, drove to the MIL's house today. While setting at the MIL's house killing time I did some more googling on the facility and mostly ended-up on Facebook pages. Anyway a couple Facebook posts had some more pictures and one guy said it was previously a Honda place. That's bit of info activated some more brain cells which told me I probably know exactly where this facility is and it was just a month or so ago when I pointed out to the wife the new looking building as we drove along and said it looked like it was going to be some kind of "car place/showroom" based on its designed. On the way back to Bangkok I looked for the facility while driving along....and I found it....and sure enough it was an "old Honda dealership" which is a BIG place when considering the part of the facility you can not see from the road. Basically it appears Neta bought this Honda place and has renovated it to a Neta showroom (you could see Neta vehicles in the showroom today) and also the other part of the building identified as the Spares Distribution Center. There was ongoing activity as we drove by. So, the facility truly exists as a showroom/dealership and also a spare parts center (i.e., warehouse). Now as to how many parts they actually have in stock I couldn't say. Below are a couple of snapshots from Google Maps satellite/street view that shows the Neta facility when it use to be a Honda facility. And note the 2nd snapshot that shows the "long" building which could probably serve well as a warehouse for parts....you don't see the long part when just driving by the facility on PhetKasen Rd.

Preaching to the choir but "any" dealership repair, be it ICEV or EV, is not cheap based on their business model and repair policies. Example: Toyota dealership repairs. - Around 18 months ago a "plastic nipple" on my 2009 Fortuner radiator broke off...this nipple was for the small pencil-sized hose around 25cm long that connects between the radiator and plastic coolant tank. With this plastic nipple broke off flush with the radiator the radiator pressure couldn't build-up....would allow the coolant to boil at a lower temperature and of course lead a little coolant all the time. I went to my Toyota dealership assuming they could do a quick, cheap repair by somehow repairing that broken plastic nipple. But oh no, they wanted to charge almost Bt11,000 which includes a radiator replacement, radiator fluid, labor, etc.., and would take a whole day. Basically, Toyota was saying they don't do such minor repairs...it's replace the end item/higher assembly which was the entire radiator in this case. I even went to another Toyota dealership and was told the same thing. So, I came home and used an old, modified tire air valve casing to make a new nipple. I stripped off the valve rubber and removed the internal stem which just left a small metal tube of just the right size....match the old plastic nipple size. Then used high temperature gasket RTV to secure the tube to the radiator. I let the RTV dry overnight. Next morning I have a new radiator nipple to attached the hose to....back in business....radiator now builds to normal pressure....zero leaks even as of yesterday (18 months later) when I happened to take a look inside the Fortuner engine bay.

When I saw that red banner on the building I got the initial impression it's probably a "for lease/rent" sign but Google Translate shows it's just a advertisement for loans. Not sure if I was the Neta boss I would want such signs hanging on my new warehouse. But then again, unless someone just hung the banner in the middle of the night (which often happens with many signs/banners around Thailand....advertise for free in a prime location until the prime location property owner pulls down the banner), it would be a way for Neta to make a few baht on renting advertising space on their building. ,

Speaking of "spare parts" last week I had the 40,000 kilometer checkup done on my Atto....checkup went fine....totally free. But I did pay out of pocket for some "optional" maintenance of having the A/C "evaporator coils cleaned. The evaporator coils are in/under the dashboard; I'm not talking the A/C condenser coils in front of the radiator. Anyway, I went into the maintenance bay for a few minutes while they were doing the checkup on my EV and saw a big pile of spare parts and part of that pile was a Dolphin traction battery out of it wooden packing box setting on sawhorses. This allowed me to get a good look (to include touching) of the traction battery on its sides, top, bottom, and connectors....it's very obvious the traction battery is very simple to remove and install ( i.e., replace). And right next to it was two more traction batteries still in their wooden packing cases and the technician said those were Atto batteries. When I saw those traction batteries I got a good feeling of knowing BYD traction batteries are probably readily available from the main BYD/ReverAutomotive warehouse in Bangkok where supposedly they keep 30 spare traction batteries at all times according to a video BYD released last year. AND at the same time I felt a little bad that if my "little" BYD dealership has 3 traction batteries then some traction batteries must need replacement---don't know if due to just normal wear-and-tear failure or from accidents as they have a small maintenance area with only three lifts. But I do know my "little" dealership does not do any major body repair like from accidents as they are too small...don't have the necessary space and equipment...they refer accident maintenance to one of the nearby much larger BYD dealerships like the other nearby dealership I use sometimes which has a big maintenance area, 12 lifts, different maintenance areas like a dedicated body repair & paint area, etc....etc...etc. Yeap, when I saw those three replacement traction batteries I got mixed feeling.

Here's the Neta Thailand public relations 29 Apr 2025 media release talking the new parts warehouse that suppose to go operational this month/May 2025. I've also added the autolifethailand.tv news release links. See both link for full details. I wonder "just how stocked" the warehouse will actually be. Hopefully Neta will pull thru its current challenges. https://www.neta.co.th/en/news/brands-pr-news/prnews20250429 https://autolifethailand.tv/neta-spart-parts-distribution-center/

Quick!!!!....book/reserve yours now! Sure hope the traction battery is not lead-acid. 😜 https://autolifethailand.tv/thailand-national-ev-brands-2025/ "Thailand's National Electric Vehicle Brand" will launch 3 new vehicle models by the Ministry of Commerce / CHERY / KING GEN / NSTDA. "Thailand's National Electric Vehicle Brand" will launch 3 new car models, jointly developed by the Ministry of Commerce / CHERY / KING GEN / NSTDA, produced in Thailand, using over 50% Local Content parts, opening the brand in Thailand by the end of 2025! "Thai National EV BRAND" MPV EV 100% electric Pick-up EV 100% electric 100% electric SUV EV That's all for today's details. Stay tuned... CHERY Automobile, a global leader in automotive technology, and OMODA & JAECOO have collaborated with the Ministry of Commerce to develop a Thai electric vehicle brand to elevate the Thai automotive industry to become an EV production hub in the ASEAN region. This collaboration aims to develop Thailand's national EV brand, promote domestic EV technology capabilities, and support domestic parts manufacturers to enter the global supply chain, focusing on sales in Thailand, highlighting the strengths of EV technology and affordable prices for Thai consumers. To support Thai people to switch to electric vehicles more easily, the project also uses the tax advantages as a “Thai car” to create a reasonable price system and stimulate the domestic production chain, from parts procurement, employment to the development of a more comprehensive after-sales service network in every region.

I agree that it appears the "cut-throat" battles in the price war are probably over. But I also think mini-battles, skirmishes, trench warfare, etc., will continue to be very noticeable among the Chinese manufacturers during this weak period of the Chinese economy, EV manufacturers jockeying for position (i.e., trying to get out in the front of the pack even for a short while...trying to get noticed), and the tariff war. Kinda like the Ukraine war that started off as a full scale invasion, a battle for survival but has now settled into trench (and drone) warfare. Like you said I do agree prices for entry level models in the half million baht ballpark seemed to have leveled out. But I don't think prices have bottomed-out yet for many "mid and upper price level EVs" because of many new models being released frequently which usually means seasoned models see a price cut. I think this model and price turmoil creates a scenario of plenty of "wait & see" thinking still going on in the EV world. In closing, I'm right in my thinking about 50% of the time due to the penny I flip. 😜

Yea....if ignoring Jan stats which has typically been a distorted registrations month due to previous year end of year sales/motor shows it does look like BYD is on a roll....even exceeding 2023 sales which was a hot selling year for EVs in general. BYD now has numerous more models in comparison to "earlier years" when it was pretty much by an Atto or Dolphin then adding Seal to that line-up. But now they also have the Sealion 7, Sealion 6 (a hybrid), and M6. More models and choices is probably behind BYD increasing sales....along with BYD now being the 4rd largest vehicle seller in Thailand behind Toyota, Honda, and Isuzu....and I expect this year BYD will probably move into the 3rd position when not even counting Denza which BYD owns and has separate registration stats.

Just took a look at the Thailand DLT "registration" stats for Jan - Apr 2025 and NETA sales are heading south. While Apr was not a great month for most car manufacturers when compared to the previous 3 months the NETA registrations had a big drop in Apr. So far for 2025 NETA registrations have been: 985 in Jan, 288 in Feb, 237 in Mar, and 123 in Apr. Jan is typically a good registrations month for pretty much every car manufacturer due to end of year sales typically during the previous Nov/Dec which don't possibly materialize into actual completed sales/registrations until a month or two later and then typically appear in the ensuing Jan registration stats like shown below. So, with all the recent news over the last few months regarding Neta's financial challenges and the typical registration pop in Jan, it might be best just to ignore Jan registration numbers to determine "current" potential customer buying sediment. Hopefully Neta pulls through but it will probably be the primary home market in China versus overseas markets like in Thailand that really determine Neta's future. From Thailand Dept of Land Transport (DLT) stats website

After reading above articles and below article it does not look good for Neta. Note below where it says domestics sales (i.e., in China its main market) was only 487 vehicles in Jan and Feb 2025 combined....that's a sure sign Chinese customers fear Neta is going to go belly-up....no one wants to buy a car which may lose ongoing support...become an outcast. I wonder what the actual government "registration" numbers (i.e., sale completed with blue book and red tags issued) have been over the last few months in Thailand for Neta? Bookings/reservations mean little if potential customers get scared the company might not survive and the customers back-out before committing to actually buying. https://carnewschina.com/2025/04/14/neta-auto-faces-escalating-crisis-as-dealers-drotest-at-factory-gates/ Neta’s domestic sales have plummeted dramatically. Data shows the company sold only 487 vehicles in January and February 2025 combined, with no disclosed sales figures for March. These numbers fall well below those of other Chinese EV brands that have already declared bankruptcy or exited the market. Current sales show minimal demand for its model lineup, with the Neta X accounting for just 272 units and the NETA L for 149 units during this period. As its home market collapses, NETA is increasingly pivoting to international markets, particularly Thailand. The company recently announced it received 1,219 orders during the Thailand Motor Show and has set an ambitious target of selling over 10,000 vehicles in Thailand in 2025, aiming to become the second-largest new energy vehicle brand in the country.

Whoops...typo...fat fingers on the keyboard...it's 126, not 127, individual blade batteries/cells in the Atto Extended Range 60.5KWH battery pack.

I think this is just part of Audi's "optional" Audi Connect Function on Demand which allows a person to buy "upgrades/more features" to certain functions on their Audi.....this program has been around for years. It's purely optional. It's kinda like if you want to pay for more ringtones on your smartphone, buy addtional stickers/emojis for some phone apps like LINE, upgrade to ad-free Youtube, upgrade the GPS map system, add more options for turn signals, etc...etc...etc. More and more electronics are now part of newer cars (EV and ICEV).....electronics which can do whiz-bang things and also connect to the internet.....opens up new revenue sources for car manufacturers. https://www.audiusa.com/en/inside-audi/innovation/audi-connect/audi-connect-function-on-demand/

No...I haven't got a chance to play with GPack....it's low on my list of things to do.