Zeb

The instant availability of a huge surge of torque (even in my base model) is utter joy, plus it also sets me back in my seat. Do test drive the MG when available and let us know how it goes. Yesterday was a stunning early spring day in Sydney, so I was out clocking up the K's in the MG 😋

China sets new electric car sales record with 700,000 sold in only 1 month

Mercedes Benz to use BYD Blade batteries in its NEW electric cars Video is about 8:30 but you will get the drift in the first couple of minutes...

lol - In another life I also used to torture statistics for a living 😋 Risk management, compliance etc etc. I will just add this and then move on, a bit - .... How safe is flying? Statistically speaking, flying on a commercial airliner is the safest form of transport there is, according to the US National Safety Council. There are a range of estimates out there, but based on its analysis of US Census data, it puts the odds of dying as a plane passenger at 1 in 205,552. That compares with odds of 1 in 4,050 for dying as a cyclist; 1 in 1,086 for drowning, and 1 in 102 for a car crash. That’s because alongside technological improvements to aircraft over the decades, the whole system of international air travel is carefully regulated. ..... Moving on then, I have more years behind me then in front of me, like many others on here, so the thing that impresses me about my MG4 EV is – it is FUN to drive and be in. In the following days I will be doing my first battery recharge. The battery capacity is 51 KwH. Say I recharge when it is down to say 16 KwH's - leaving 35 KwH to "fill up" Charging costs vary depending on location, speed of recharge, the time of day/ night it is done and market in general etc, but a cost AuD$ 0.29 a KwH is indicative. 35 x 0.29 = $10.15 (plus 10% GST) to "top-off" my tank. (Only charging 35 KwH in this example) The manufacturer says a Full Charge will give a range of 350 km according to the WLTP standard driving test. Real world will be less, but still. Charging off peak costs much less and the happiest campers are those who have gone solar to one extent or another - viable options in Australia. So a nifty city runabout with plenty of bells n whistles, easily able to do runs around regional Australia costing just over US $25,000 and able to "fill its tank" for US $9.60. But did I mention – it is FUN to drive and be in. Of course I did 😋 "Do not go gently into that good night - Rage, Rage against the closing of the light" YOLO indeed - as in You Only Live Once - so fill your boots while we can 😋 https://mgmotor.com.au/models/mg-mg4/ https://www.drive.com.au/reviews/2024-mg-4-review/

1) Its owned and run by a couple of Aussies blokes. One of them also has a share in the Hollywood bar which has been running about a year and is 4 or 5 bars up Soi 6 on the same side of the road. 2) Its not really my thing either, ie staying in one bar for 3 hours but they have a thread with details over on our sister site, Pattaya addicts. 900 Baht gets you free booze for the 3 hours (believe this is beer or local spirits etc) plus food after the first 2 hours, ie Pizza etc, plus the first rack of 5 shots for the ladies. Then its up you and the ladies what happens etc. So I might try it after all. They look like they have a reasonable line up. 😋 Hollywood and Fire are trying different things and have active management. No 'man' drinks (for male bar managers etc) and no 'drinks only girls'. The girls still decide who they 'go' with (or not) of course.

Chinese Battery Maker Picks Illinois for $2 Billion Factory Gotion’s plant is expected to begin production next year State of Illinois provided incentives valued at $536 million A Chinese battery maker picked Illinois for a $2 billion gigafactory that’s set to start production next year. Gotion High-tech Co.’s facility will create 2,600 jobs and is the “most significant new manufacturing investment in Illinois in decades,” Governor J.B. Pritzker said in a statement on Friday. The plant, focusing on lithium-ion battery cell, battery-pack production and energy storage systems, received state incentives valued at $536 million. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-09-08/illinois-uses-incentives-to-get-2-billion-chinese-battery-plant?srnd=premium-asia

EV sales increase staggering 173% in Germany

MG4: The Bargain Of The Century??

This guy on YouTube reports extensively on all aspects of EV's - https://www.youtube.com/@electricviking/videos

1) Advances in battery technology are coming thick and fast and is being lead by the Chinese. eg - BYD (a Chinese competitor to MG, also a Chinese company) was primarily a battery manufacturer which started back in 1993 but got into car manufacture over 20 years ago and it and BYD (Full name - Build Your Dream) are in the top group of car manufactures in China and also the world. BYD is said to supply batteries for 25% of mobile phones in the world as well as supply's Tesla batteries for some of its Tesla vehicles. Battery life does degrade over time and that is also improving, eg - the BYD Dolphin is a similar car to the MG4. At its New Zealand launch the Kiwi CEO quoted BYD LFP batteries (Lithium Iron Phosphate) would do a minimum of 4000 recharges. So lets say for our purposes it "only" gets 2000 recharges and a battery is recharged twice a week. In reality the major of users would only need one charge a week, buts let run the number on twice a week, or sticking to round numbers 100 charges a year. That gives you 20 years minimum life with battery technology constantly improving and cost come down. 2) Turning to fires - a picture is worth a thousand words etc Gas vs. Electric Car Fires [2023 Findings] Every year, car fires cause over a billion dollars of property damage losses and kill hundreds of people. Hybrid vehicles have the most vehicle fires, followed by gas and then electric vehicles. Fires by Vehicle Type You’re more likely to see a gas car fire after a collision than an electric car fire, simply because electric vehicles aren’t as common on the roads as gas vehicles. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that electric vehicles are less likely to catch fire. To find the rate of car fires by vehicle type, we collected the latest data on car fires from the NTSB and calculated the rate of fires from sales data from the BTS. Take a look at what we found below. Gas vehicles referred to below uses the US terminology for petrol (or ICE) vehicles - Based on this data, electric vehicles don’t catch fire nearly as much as the news claims. Hybrid cars seem to be the most dangerous for fires, followed by gas (ie petrol) vehicles. More information - https://www.autoinsuranceez.com/gas-vs-electric-car-fires/ ....................... But there is a lot of stored energy in EV batteries and some fires can occur, but many of us travel in aircraft which also contain huge amounts of combustible fuel - as do ICE vehicles. Again the Based on this data, electric vehicles don’t catch fire nearly as much as the news claims. Hybrid cars seem to be the most dangerous for fires, followed by gas (petrol) vehicles. Batteries are constantly improving - this is the extent BYD went to to demonstrate the safety of its LFP blade battery - Video should start at 1:18

All-new MG 4 XPower (Electric motors on both axles) drag races Lamborghini Gallardo and a Nissan GT-R R35! Video should start at 4:48

A declaration of interest on this topic - I took delivery of a new base model MG4 EV earlier this month, Color "Dover White" . I love it 😋 Couldn't come up with what I regarded as a valid reason not to. Trade-in an almost 20 year old clunker and have applied for a AUD$ 3,000 government new EV rebate which I should get. That will put me in the vehicle for about the same price as a new Toyota Corolla ICE vehicle. This is how it looks -

Yep. I just refreshed the page and it sorted itself out.

Excellent news. 😋

Yes. The extension runs further up Soi 8 - away from Beach Road. Even with the extensions its still packing customers in.

High-speed drone racing has just had a shocking “Deep Blue” moment, as an autonomous AI designed by University of Zurich researchers repeatedly forced three world champion-level pilots to eat its dust, showing uncanny precision in dynamic flight. A four-minute video is in the link/ YT - https://newatlas.com/drones/ai-defeats-humans-drone-racing/ There is a zero chance that this sort thing has not been implemented in some form of weaponry.

Same situation will probably be replicated in the new MiT complex under construction facing 2nd Road. Sadly.

The new KFC outlet in that complex seems to be doing pretty well most times I walk past it, food delivery people coming & going. Rents in LKM & traffic congestion (and petrol fumes) in the Buakhow area may see bars pushed back that way in due course etc. The complex apparently was built to target Chinese Tour groups, but that's hit a snag atm with the deteriorating economic situation in the Middle Kingdom. Covid didn't help either of course.

Agree. I went once & left soon after.

Commander of Australian troops at Long Tan dies days after 57th anniversary LIEUTENANT COLONEL HARRY ARTHUR SMITH: July 5, 1933 - August 20, 2023 Lieutenant Colonel Harry Arthur Smith, who was the most significant front-line officer in the most iconic Australian battle in the Vietnam War died on Sunday at home in Buderim, Queensland aged 90. Then Major Harry Smith commanded the 108 strong 6RAR’s Delta Company in the Battle of Long Tan on August 18, 1966. Included in D6RAR's strength was a three-man New Zealand artillery forward observer party under Captain Maurice Stanley .... As swarms of VC soldiers kept getting closer, Smith sent out a order through to the Nui Dat artillery Fire Control Centre. “Drop fifty, Danger Close, Fire for effect.” HQ came back: “Negative, unsafe. Over.” Grabbing the transmitter from his signaller, Smith barked into it: “Give us the f******* guns where we want them or you will lose the bloody lot of us.” There was a long pause and the answer came back. “Acknowledge, Drop fifty, Danger Close, Fire for effect.” https://www.smh.com.au/national/commander-of-australian-troops-at-long-tan-dies-days-after-50th-anniversary-20230821-p5dy3o.html The Battle of Long Tan (18 August 1966) took place in a rubber plantation near Long Tân, in Phước Tuy Province, South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War. Initial estimates of the VC force ranged from several companies to a battalion, yet following the battle Australian intelligence assessed it as having totalled between 1,500 and 2,500 men, while 1,000 were believed to have directly engaged D Company. VC and PAVN casualties were claimed by the Australians to have numbered 245 dead left on the battlefield and three captured, with many more were thought to have been removed as they withdrew. Others were so badly mutilated their remains were unidentifiable. The fighting left one-third of D Company killed or wounded. 17 were killed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Long_Tan

It’ll be a safe landing. They have sent their cricket groundsmen to prepare a favourable deck 😋 - .................................... “Chandrayaan-3: India’s lunar lander Vikram searches for safe Moon landing spot” The landing is scheduled for around 10:30pm AEST; live coverage should be available here from 9:50pm (though “live in 13 hours” doesn’t add up.) https://youtu.be/DLA_64yz8Ss

Google maps on my mobile phone has a traffic advisory for Soi 15 - showing closed to traffic until end October. The 2nd road end of Soi 15 is also shown as closed to traffic for quite a distance - but not down as far as the rear of the Avenue shopping centre etc. You can give Google maps feedback as to whether what they are says is accurate as well - for those so inclined.

Agree. A good innings from Sir Michael, although he might have been disappointed in not making a century.

Someone has a sense of humour...or lack of self awareness - The Shirts the workers wear, proudly declare their employer as the "Dynamic Group" 😋