In addition to vehicles, VinFast produces 4 different models of electric scooters to meet the growing needs of Vietnam’s population, ranging from the smaller, more affordable Feliz S scooter to the larger, more powerful Theon S scooter. most citizens own one or two scooters.
The streets of every city we visited were packed with scooters. In Hanoi, it was a common sight to see two, three or even four family members riding on one scooter. This is acceptable locally with a maximum of two adults and children under 7, although locals tell us it’s more of a suggestion than a hard and fast law. Aside from the miniature people, it was common to see scooters loaded with groceries, goods for their shop, or supplies for a home improvement project. They are the ultimate utility vehicle in Southeast Asia and VinFast is helping those same scooter riders go electric.
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
Disclaimer: VinFast paid for the author’s travel and accommodation to attend this tour.
VinFast hosted us in Vietnam where we were able to not only see their electric scooter production lines, but we were able to ride all four of their electric scooters on a short circuit. Let’s dive right into the manufacturing process, where we saw the electric scooters being assembled at VinFast’s factory in Hai Phong, Vietnam.
General assembly of scooters
While at the factory, we had the opportunity to dive deep into VinFast’s General Assembly line of electric scooters and examine every nook and cranny. As with most General Assembly lines, it’s a fairly manual process and we were excited to see that a high percentage of the line workers were women. Manufacturing almost anywhere around the world, in all industries, is traditionally male-dominated, and according to my informal research, VinFast’s lines had the highest percentage of women of any factory I’ve been to.
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
The assembly process starts with a bare frame, with more parts being bolted on as the station moves towards the end of the line. Most production lines have different stations for each component, with technicians specializing in one task. VinFast took a different approach, placing all the parts needed for a single build at the front of the line, with a team of workers assembling the scooter from start to finish as it moves towards the end of the line.
Forks, suspension, motors, wiring and batteries are added as the scooters move down the line on the conveyor’s moving floor. Scooter battery packs are also assembled locally at VinFast’s battery factory and transferred to the general scooter assembly line for installation.
The VinFast eScooter battery rack is waiting to be installed in a new electric scooter. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
No components for the eScooters are manufactured in the general assembly area, but are sourced from outside and fed into the racks as needed to speed up the overall flow of the assembly line. VinFast uses Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) to move parts and it was cool to see the little guys pulling huge trains of parts around the area. AGVs have been used in manufacturing for decades, but it’s just another way to automate processes and reduce costs.
An orange AGV pulls a cart full of parts needed to assemble the new eScooter. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
At the end of the production line, quality checks are carried out to ensure that everything is set up correctly. This is about both form and function, with checks to confirm that the completed scooter functions properly and has all its panels correctly fitted.
Rows of finished electric scooters are lined up alongside the general scooter assembly line. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
EV charger assembly
VinFast’s compact electric scooters were assembled together with VinFast’s electric vehicle charging equipment. Parallel to the scooter assembly line, the 11 kW, 22 kW and CCS2 DC dual-nozzle 60 kW fast charging units are being assembled. The scooters themselves use small pedestal chargers that we saw installed in the wild at the local VinCom Mega Mall installed alongside 22kW EV chargers. Several VinFast DC fast chargers are set up in front of the mall for drivers who need to top up their EV tank faster.
VinFast EV chargers are assembled and ready for delivery. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
The key focus of VinFast is the path to the market entry of electric vehicles. In the United States and Europe, we focus on the four-wheeled variant, but in Southeast Asia, two-wheeled vehicles such as scooters, motorcycles and bicycles predominate. In this sense, VinFast is launching bikes, with row after row of stage space near the line of the General Assembly of Scooters full of compact electric vehicles.
First ride of VinFast’s electric scooters
After touring VinFast’s electric scooter factory in Hai Phong, Vietnam, I was excited to spend some time riding them. As anyone who has visited a country with a high popularity of scooters and motorcycles knows, two-wheelers fill the gaps between cars, buses and trucks not only with their physical presence but also with the louder noise of small petrol engines. The transition of these vehicles to fully electric variants like the ones VinFast produces in its factory will help transform cities in the coming years by eliminating the noise associated with this popular form of transportation, in addition to harmful gas emissions.
Driving and driving setup. Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
At the VinPearl resort in Nha Trang, VinFast hosted a ride and drive of their electric scooters, allowing journalists, investors, influencers and early adopters to test four of their eScooters on a short circuit. Although short, the track allowed for decent acceleration and cornering, giving me an overall assessment of each vehicle’s capabilities in a matter of minutes.
The first thing that came to my mind was the lack of noise. With five or six eScooters whizzing around the track at any given moment, only the faint hum of rapid acceleration stood out. The rest of the experience was just watching the eScooters slide silently down the track, with the occasional hum of someone’s rapid acceleration. If anything, smiles broke through the silence, telling everyone around how much fun scooters are. I mean, just look at these pictures. As if the people riding the scooters were actually having fun.
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
And it wasn’t just everyone else having fun. I jumped on each of VinFast’s four models and found them to be great. Quietly, yes. But they also had enough bumps to make their ride comfortable. At just over 200 lbs, I put a significant amount of weight on any vehicle I sit in, especially two wheels.
I was impressed that with the Vinfast electric scooters I didn’t even notice my weight, although the scooter probably did. It had enough power to go as fast as I wanted, as fast as I was interested in accelerating. They weren’t slow or slow by any means, with the top of the line Theon S packing the most punch, with its 7.5kW motor. Other scooters have 3kW motors which were still more than enough for city travel.
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
Image credit: Kyle Field, CleanTechnica
The range-topping Theon has a top speed of 99 km/h / 62 mph, which means it could probably handle short highway runs. From there, the 5.2 kW Vento S engine provides a top speed of 89 km/h / 55 mph. The Klara S and Feliz S share the same 3 kW power on their engines for a top speed of 78 km/h / 48 mph. It’s great to have options, especially for cultures in Asia and Europe where scooters are already fully integrated and safe to ride with the existing infrastructure. Here in the US, it’s a little more uphill in most areas. I’ve included the full specs for all four models at the bottom of this article for your reference.
The EV revolution on two wheels
Scooters are already a mainstay of transportation in Southeast Asia, but VinFast also plans to bring the two-wheeled electric vehicle revolution to the United States. The company recently announced that it will manufacture its electric scooters at its new factory in Chatham County, North Carolina, along with its VF 8 and VF 9 electric vehicles.
That’s great news for two-wheel enthusiasts and anyone else looking for more options to electrify their commute.
VinFast Theon S
VinFast Vento S
VinFast Klara S
VinFast Feliz WILL BE
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