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Been available ever since I've had my Atto which I got Oct 2023....and it was available even before then.

Now if you drawing "SSI" then No. SSI helps those who have limited income and resources. If you receive SSI, it is not possible to continue drawing benefits while you live abroad. The SSA will not continue your check if you are in another country. Once you are outside the United States or one of the territories for 30 days, your benefits will stop. After returning to the United States and remaining in the country for at least 30 days, you can request your benefits again.

Yes https://www.ssa.gov/international/payments_outsideUS.html

So, if I understand above correctly if a person does the SIM swap/upgrade say with 11 months remaining of the current original SIM 24 subscription then the person's subscription then they will have 14 months remaining? And besides OTA updates stopping after the subscription ends being able to communicate with the EV using the BYD app like to turn on A/C, checking charge level, look doors, etc., from a distance would also probably end assuming the end of the subscription shuts down the SIM completely. I know for a fact from my testing that even if you turn off the Wifi "and" mobile data connections in the car's infotainment system the BYD app is still able to communicate with the car as it's using the SIM's basic mobile text/calling system of the cell network vs the data portion used for connecting to the internet.

When I picked up my Atto in Oct 2023 the dealership said the SIM subscription period was for 2 years but BYD was talking about extending it to 3 years...and was still developing a subscription plan as to if it would be free or cost X-amount, etc. . Basically the rep (who could speak a fair amount of English) said BYD was still deciding on how they would handle SIM upgrades, extending subscriptions in Thailand, etc.,...it was still a work in progress.

Last night after the Rever Customer Support Chat line closed at 8pm I sent them a message showing above BYD Songkhla SIM upgrade poster. This morming around 11am Rever responded saying: "If you car is approaching 2 years of service, you can get the SIM card replacement service at our service center." A few hours later I went to my Bangkok BYD dealership and showed them a snapshot of the BYD Songkhla SIM poster...and fortunately I was able to speak to a rep who knew some English. He said the SIM swap includes multimedia software upgrade where GBox, Youtube, Netflix, etc., are added. Their service dept made me an appt for two weeks down the road to get it installed...install and software upgrade takes a couple of hours. Most anything my dealership does service-wise takes at least 2 hours (even if it seems to be a 10 minute job)....it's like a 2 hour service window is their minimum for any task of significance. Now I intentionally didn't ask if this SIM swap/upgrade "extends" the 2 year subscription of my current SIM or will the original SIM 2 year period still be ticking for this new SIM....or does a new subscription period of X-years begin. Also didn't ask if it provides more than a 2GB allotment per month. I intentionally didn't ask for more detailed info as the English speaking rep got pulled away to help another customer interested in buying a car.... plus, at this point I just want to get the SIM upgrade soonest even if it don't extended my current 2 year subscription which doesn't expire for another 11 months....I will ask the detailed questions after the SIM upgrade as to remaining subscription period, GB allotment, etc.

Yeap...so for any Seal owner the 2 year SIM free subscription would not be expiring before Sep 2025. But after seeing the Facebook page I posted above a few minutes go it appears what the Rever Automotive Help/Talk To Us representative told me during the online chat session may have been incorrect...the representative was apparently talking the typical SIM expiration guidance instead of info regarding the a BYD SIM swap/upgrade program talked about in above SongKhla BYD post. And maybe the Rever Automotive rep simply didn't know anything about SIM swap/upgrade program....missed a company memo so to speak. I will go to my Bangkok BYD dealership over the coming days with the Songkhla Facebook post in-hand and ask for more info such as is it available to me right now for my 2023 Atto and/or is there some fineprint related to the SIM swap/upgrade. This may turn out to be like the free Rat Guard battery modification that I would have never known about unless a Chonburi BYD dealership put info on a Facebook page about it....I don't remember ever seeing anything about it on the Rever webpage....and my dealership never contacted me about its availability. I then went to my Bangkok BYD dealership...asked about the Rate Guard install....and they said yeap and then scheduled the install for a few weeks later. Yeap...this SIM swap/upgrade program once again may be some upgrade BYD does not advertise "widely"; instead, just leaves it up to their local dealerships to get the word out or the customer to find out about thru the grapevine/social media.

Snapshot from the a BYD Facebook page....the BYD Sonkhla dealership is advertising the SIM swap/upgrade. This is kinda like how I found out about the Atto/Dolphin Rat Guard free modification from a Chonburi/Pataya BYD Facebook page....and when I went to my Bangkok BYD dealership they schedule an install for me. I'll stop by my dealership here in Bangkok over the coming days and ask....will show them below snapshot. It says it for the Atto, Dolphin, and Seal.

A few minutes ago I used the Rever Automotive app to ask under the app's Help "Talk To Use" section about SIM swap/upgrade as there was Facebook chatter about it. I asked them if there is such a SIM swap/upgrade program. And I told them I had a 2023 Atto. I got a response within about 10 minutes saying a person can avail of the SIM card replacement service at the car showroom if your SIM card is nearing the 2 year expiration. Simply provide the VIN number to the showroom and you can schedule an appointment to have the SIM card replaced. Maybe some of this SIM replacement chatter is dealing with those folks who bought their BYD vehicle in 2022/early 2023 which means their SIM card subscription would be expiring soon or recently expired....just guessing. Probably best for a person to visit their dealership and ask face-to-face regarding your specific BYD vehicle.

Yea....I take his videos with a HUGE grain of salt. It's not uncommon for him to add a half dozen or so new videos to his channel each day....all of which is him basically expressing his opinion on the newly released news articles. This video is probably based on a China Post article from about a week ago talking CATL "hopes to achieve small scale production by 2027" of this whiz-bang solid state battery. I expect "by 2027" means by 31 Dec 2027 around 3 years from now. So, maybe we would see this whiz-bang solid state battery in some 2028 model EVs. And maybe Toyota's imaginary solid state battery they have been talking for years and years already will be out before 2027 if they can ever break their addiction to old technology NiMH Nickel Medal Hydride batteries. https://interestingengineering.com/energy/china-catl-solid-state-battery-production-by-2027 Updated: Nov 07, 2024 05:21 AM EST CATL goes all in for 500 Wh/kg solid-state EV battery mass production CATL’s prototype solid-state batteries have an impressive energy density of 500 Wh/kg, a 40 percent improvement over current lithium-ion batteries that typically reach 350 Wh/kg. China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL), a global leader in lithium-ion battery development and manufacturing, is significantly escalating its investment in all-solid-state battery technology. A Chinese local media outlet, Late Post, has reported that the company aims to achieve small-scale volume production of its all-solid-state battery by 2027.

See below 16 Oct 2024 CNBC news article regarding solid state batteries and how semi-solid state batteries may be in our future. Partial quote below and full article at the weblink. Maybe the stepping stone to solid state batteries will be semi-solid state batteries. https://www.cnbc.com/2024/10/16/the-race-for-next-gen-ev-batteries-may-soon-pivot-to-semi-solid-state.html The solid-state batteries hype is fading – prompting auto giants to consider alternatives Key Points Solid-state batteries have long been billed as the “holy grail” of sustainable driving. Proponents say they offer safer, cheaper and more powerful batteries for electric vehicles (EVs), as well as faster charging times. There could be another option, however: semi-solid-state batteries, which use a hybrid design of solid electrolyte and liquid electrolyte. “Five years ago, if we talked about this, I would have been so excited about solid-state batteries,” Transport & Environment’s Julia Poliscanova said. “But somehow ... there is some kind of barrier today.”

I've lost track of how many times the Electric Viking has started off his videos by saying: ".....it's game, set, match...." regarding EVs killing off ICEVs sooner vs later due to some announcement of improved technology by some battery maker or EV maker. I agree that solid state batteries will be a game changer but how fast their widespread availability/use occurs is probably more than just a few years away....I'm guessing around 5 years is more realistic. I figure it will be similar to the hard drive to solid state drive (SSD) to M2 drive transition that took around 10 years for widespread transition to SSD and then to M2 even though HHDs are still being made mostly for data centers and cheap storage. But I did like the Electric Viking's statement that this CATL solid state battery announcement is not like the Toyota's "imaginary" solid state battery that Toyota has being talking near term release for years and years now. 😁

My goodness is the cut-throat EV price war coming to an end....maybe moving into a slower pace trench warfare phase. See below 11 Nov AutoLifeThailand article. https://autolifethailand.tv/avatr-no-discount/ AVATR cancels “cash-back” discount campaign to maintain brand image Mr. Anuwat Inthraphuwasak, Chairman of the Executive Board of Infinite Automobile Co., Ltd., revealed that from the joint meeting of " Infinite Automobile " and " Eternity At One " as the official distributor of premium electric cars under the brand AVATR ( Avatar ) , the latest conclusion is to cancel the provision of cash discounts and marketing activities related to cash back discounts to maintain the image of the premium brand. Previously, Chang'an Auto Southeast Asia Co., Ltd., the parent company, announced a sales promotion ( promotion ) to provide a cash discount of 100,000 baht during the launch in September, limited to 200 cars, which has been fully paid out. In October, there was a cash discount campaign of 60,000 baht, which the original plan was to provide this discount until the end of 2024 . Read related news: AVATR distributor is generous! Pays 10 million to give discounts to customers who exceed the first lot quota. The cancellation is expected to be officially announced at the latest during the upcoming Motor Expo 2024, or at the earliest on November 15 , 2024 . While from now on, it will focus on presenting the brand's premium luxury and technology that meets the needs of consumers, which is confident that it can compete with competitors in the same level in the market. However, the supply of the first batch of AVATR 11 to enter the country is currently 500 units. There is a shortage of some supplies, with the first batch of only about 300 units. We are in the process of expediting understanding with consumers and finding solutions to achieve maximum satisfaction.

I"m going to guess that although the MG BMS indicates 100% once a certain cell voltage is reached for a few seconds---a voltage such as at least 3.65V which is generally considered the 100% charged voltage level for a LFP cell---the BMS knows that even when 3.65V is initially reached if continuing to charge at a constant voltage of 3.65V but at a low current (i.e., just an amp or two) for X-period of time the battery can still absorb a little more capacity (maybe a percent or two) without damage to the cell and also help in the cells balancing process. The BMS might be programmed to continue charging X-amount additional minutes (like maybe 20 minutes, 30 minutes, etc) after reaching 3.65V average cell voltage. OR, it might be programmed to continue charging at a "low" current level...lets just say 1 or 2A for discussion purposes....and it will then continue tapering "down" that amperage level to around a few tenths of an amp and let's say completely stop charging when the current reaches 0.2A as the battery capacity is now full-full. This on-top absorption period (i.e., when initially reaching 3.65V which represent 100% charged) is not to be confused with the main/primary/long absorption period on the way to reaching a certain voltage level like 3.65V. And a LFP cell can still be charged to 100% KWH/AH capacity even if not allowing it to reach 3.65V but instead just charging at 3.45V "for a longer time" which is increasing the absorption period. But if not wanting to take extra time to maximize charge capacity then allowing it to charge up to 3.65V gets the charging done faster. I expect EV manufacturers know their EV customers want the charging done as quick as possible and the way to do that is to allow cell charging up to 3.65V versus only allowing 3.45V or 3.55V with an extended, low amperage charge period. MG may have found a good compromise in showing 100% charged which is when most drivers would probably unhook the charger to continue their trip OR if the customer can wait a little longer to let the battery continue to charge at a low amperage level (i.e., that top-in extra absorption period) then the battery can take in a little more capacity (maybe get a little more Km range from a cell balancing/adding just a little more KWH capacity) although the charge percentage will not increase above 100%....and maybe even the Km range will not increase but as you drive along it's actually decreasing at a slightly slower rate since the battery took a little more capacity from that extra absorption period. There are different ways at different voltage and current levels to fully charge a 3.2V LFP or 3.6 NMC cell. I expect battery/EV manufacturers have different opinions on how they will build and charge their BMS and battery pack. Edit: oh, just remembered, regarding my BYD Atto final bit of charging. From monitoring OBD2 data while DC and/or AC charging and the percent charged indicator on the car is displaying 99% you can tell that very soon it's going to change from 99% to 100" when the "calculating...." message starts displaying which I assume means the the system is recalculating/recalibrating the BMS and charge percentage indication system. Although going from 99 to 100% takes around 5 minutes on a 7KW wall charger at around the 1 to 2 minutes to go point the "calculating...." message appears and this always seems to appear when the cell with the lowest voltage finally reaches 3.55V, repeat, 3.55V, for at least a few seconds while the cell with the max voltage is usually indicating around 3.65-3.75 volts. That "calculating..." message does not appear until the cell with the lowest voltage reaches 3.55V for a few seconds....then just a minute or so later the charging stops. And if using a DC charger that same 3.55V min cell voltage still applies regarding appearance of the "calculating...." message, but since you are still pumping in a higher current than a wall charger would be the charging completes within 15 to 30 seconds. 100% finally appears and zero charging current is occurring. So, it seems BYD's approach is to get "each & every" cell of the battery pack (126 cells in my 60.5/KWH battery pack) up to at least 3.55V and then it considers the pack fully charged....time to start "recalculating /recalibrating" the BMS system. And from googling/watching YT videos it seems 3.55V is a very popular max cell charging voltage in the DIY home solar community as it's considered to have brought a cell to full 100% and will have been enough voltage to properly balance it when that cell is just one of many cells comprising a battery pack where there is always going to be a little bit of cell imbalance.

Below are some snapshots of my BYD Atto battery pack OBD2 data monitoring over recent months relating to cells balance.....see the words I added above each snapshot for more info. My words concentrate on cells imbalance between the 126 blade cells in the Atto's 60.5KWH battery pack ************************ Just finished charging the Atto to 100% using a DC Fast Charger on 26 Oct 2024. At the instance charging completes/now at 100% the 126 LFP blade cells imbalance (a.k.a. delta) is 166mv. Normal balance would be under 10mv based on my OBD2 data monitoring over numerous months.. But I already know the high imbalance is predominately "surface charge" that has very, very little capacity and will dissipate very quickly under normal battery load.....just like it happens on a ol' 12V lead acid battery right after you finish fully charging it. Now after charging to 100% I wanted to see how long it took for the cell imbalance to get back around it's 7mv as I drove away. After driving around 4Km/5 minutes on 26 Oct the cells balance among all 126 cells in the Atto battery pack is now back within 7mv as that surface charge was quickly dissipated. Since I have been charging to 100% approx once per week which recalibrates the charge percentage/range display/BMS the cells have stayed in excellent balance which is a good thing. But how much imbalance is too much? 10mv, 100mv, 200mv, etc? Well, from tons of googling and watching way too many Youtube videos (both bad and good videos) I'm still not sure at what millivolt imbalance is considered too high "when the battery is under normal load or been setting static/unloaded for a while." A lot of websites/Youtube videos related to DIY home solar/DIY electric vehicles indicate that most cell balancers don't activate until an imbalance of 100 or 200mv is reached...then they activate to attempt to bring cell balance back to within a certain range over a few hours to maybe over several days. At one time I did stumble upon a conversation on BYD EV battery pack cells balance where several people was saying their battery imbalance was 20mv, another one said 10mv, another one 6mv, etc....and they were wondering how much is too much. Several people mentioned it should be within 100 or 200mv based on what they know (or think they understood) about home solar battery storage systems but really didn't know what an EV battery should be. Then one guy entered the conversation for just a few posts who said he worked as an engineer at BYD for several years and said 60mv is the spec BYD uses for a LFP blade battery that has balanced/operating under normal/steady loading conditions. Was this supposedly former engineer (of some type) who worked at BYD correct or not....I don't know as he didn't post any reference to authoritative BYD published docs/specs which would probably be proprietary data. And finally, he's a 11 Nov 2024 snapshot from just a few minutes ago as my Atto sets in my carport getting reading to be turned on an make a morning groceries run to Lotus. Cells imbalance is a mere 6mv. Once I turn the Atto on the cells imbalance will be around 7mv...and while I drive along with a steady foot on the fuel pedal it will vary a little but stay under 10mv. But if I press the pedal to briefly over-take another vehicle the cell imbalance will "very" briefly jump up to around 50mv and then with a few seconds come back to under 10mv...right around 7mv as I steadily drive along Da end.