Bjørn Nyland is the super star in EV kingdom. If you want to check his reputation then just go online and search his name in google. You will find tremendous clips of him.
His reputation in the EV industry is equal to Bruno Mars’s reputation in Music industry. When I started learning about how EV works, I used to watch Bjørn Nyland explain it through his youtube video. However, I came to know later that he was born in Thailand, and he went back there with his wife for vacation, so I contacted him and asked him to do an interview.
Who are you?(introduce yourself)
“I am a full time YouTuber. My channel has 166k subscribers and I mainly make videos about EVs. In Norway where I live, I own a Tesla Model 3 Performance. And in Thailand where I was born, I own a MG ZS EV.
My first EV was a Tesla Model S P85 that I bought in 2013. I have since then driven about 500,000 km electric.
In the beginning, my YouTube channel was smaller and I made videos on a smaller basis. Back then I was working as a programmer. Eventually in 2017, I decided to quit my office job and go full time with YouTube.”
In Norway, Europe or USA, I would be recognized on the streets almost daily. But in Thailand only one follower bumped into me at Big C in Chiang Mai after staying here for 1.5 months in total.
Bjørn Nyland
Tesla model 3 performance
1. How long did you own it? (time and distance). Compared to MG ZS EV, what is similar to it/ different to it?
“I have owned a Model 3 Performance for 8 months and driven it 43,000 km. ZS EV and Model 3 has a few things in common. Both of them have a nice and advanced mobile app. Both of them have active cooling of the battery. And both of them have autosteer. But that’s pretty much where it ends.
Model 3 is a way more advanced and better EV. It has outstanding performance although ZS EV feels quick compared to a fossil car. Model 3 rides like a sports car, has way better autopilot, smoother and better user interface and better energy efficiency.
But the ZS EV has on the other hand more space, more traditional looks, buttons, layout etc. And the ZS EV has nice features that Tesla doesn’t have, for example cool and useful voice commands.
What do you think about having Tesla model 3 in Thailand?
“Model 3 in Thailand has the potential to sell like hot cakes. The warm climate in Thailand allows Model 3 to reach far beyond WLTP/EPA range ratings. Especially in Chiang Mai or parts of Thailand where driving too fast is not possible.
But the gray import situation today is not ok. Teslas are way overpriced and if something serious goes wrong, the whole car needs to be shipped to the UK or HK.
In order for Tesla to be desirable for most Thais, Tesla needs to make a service center inThailand. And they need to build Teslas in Gigafactory 3 to bypass import tax.” – Bjørn Nyland
Note : Gray import in Thailand will import only the car that can’t be manufactured in Thailand. These imported cars will be extremely expensive. For example, Tesla Model 3 will cost around $40,000 in the USA, but after the gray import will sell it around $100,000 in Thailand. Here are the price list which compare between Thai’s price and American’s price.
Am I the first guy in Thailand that interviewed you? (at the time that I interview him, no one know how popular he is in Thailand)
Yes, you are the first in Thailand to interview me 🙂 Not many Thais know me here. In Norway, Europe or the USA, I would be recognized on the streets almost daily. But in Thailand only one follower bumped into me at Big C in Chiang Mai after staying here for 1.5 months in total.
How much did you pay to get MG ZS EV in Thailand?
I paid 1.16 million baht. I got 30k baht discount for some reason.
Did you get unlimited mileage warranty in 8 years as well?
Yes, we have 8 years/unlimited km warranty.
Do you know about the 12Volts battery problem in MG ZS EV? What do you think about it?
I have not had any issues with it yet. No issues with 12 V either. Even when charging, no 12 V low issues.
Note : all electric cars have 12 volts batteries same as ICE car(Internal Combustion Engine). However, most electric cars are always in standby mode which means that they drain the energy from the 12 volts battery all the time to supply their electrical system such as remote access, connect to cloud, etc. In addition, standard electric cars such as Nissan Leaf, Tesla Model S, Tesla Model X, Tesla Model 3, etc, can recharge 12 volts battery whenever the battery becomes low level.
Where did you commonly charge your car? when(night/day)
I’m only here on vacation. But we rent a condo in Chiang Mai. Our home charger which is included is installed at Ammery’s parents house in Chiang Dao.
I have found out that as of the end of 2019, charging in Chiang Mai is easy for now. I can charge on 50 kW DC at two locations. And Central Festival has two AC for free. We don’t drive very far every day so technically we only need to charge once per week roughly.
Eventually I will buy a house with a home charger in CM. And then I don’t have to worry about charging outside of home. By then there should be more EVs in CM and people could start hogging and/or fighting over the 50 kW fast chargers and AC stations at malls.
What is the challenge of Thai people to purchase an electric car?
It would be good if the government could make an exception and allow 0 % import tax for EVs otherwise Thailand will be more or less stuck with EVs from China or Thai made. However, there are so many good EVs out there, especially from Korea, Europe and of course Tesla.
BLINK DRIVE TAKE
Bjørn Nyland was a really nice and friendly person that I ever met. I spent more than three hours to interview him through Facebook messenger app. It was very short because during interview period, I feel like I was talking with a friend who has the same interest. However, due to his reputation and all his hard works, I respected him from all of my heart because he devoted his time to have an interview with me.
I really love the way that he present all electric cars in his youtube channel. He always kind and friendly to respond anyone there. On top of that, he never turn off comment feature in his youtube channel which mean that he always opened his mind to public opinion.
