Buy outright battery – expensive solution for invisible benefits The biggest benefit of buying outright batteries is not in the material value but in the spiritual value. It’s a feeling of ownership. But to get that intangible benefit, customers will have to trade it with a relatively large financial burden. The battery is by far the most expensive component of an electric vehicle, accounting for about 30-40% of the cost, according to UK-based research and consulting firm GlobalData. In the foggy country, most electric cars are still at least $13,000 more expensive than a comparable internal combustion engine car. “The biggest barrier to owning an electric car is cost,” Rod Dennis of RAC, the UK’s leading car service, told The Guardian. Although there has been a “revolution” in battery production costs, falling from $1,000/kWh in 2010 to about $150-200/kWh in 2020, according to James Frith, head of Energy Finance column. New Energy (NEF) of Bloomberg news agency, “for electric vehicles to be as cheap as internal combustion engine cars, the battery price must be brought back to the threshold of $100/kWh”. However, according to Bloomberg, the increase in raw material prices on a global scale can create a “bottleneck” that makes the goal of lowering the price of the “energy heart” of electric vehicles more difficult. “It is not a wise choice to spend thousands of dollars more just for the ‘feel of ownership’. Not to mention, the user will be responsible for all risks with the battery block if any, “said an automotive expert. Swap batteries – more risks, more costs To reduce costs for customers, some electric car manufacturers offer a battery swap policy to separate the battery from the price of the car. Specifically, instead of buying outright, customers will rent the battery pack from the manufacturer or a 3rd party. When the battery is almost depleted, the customer will bring the car to the service workshop to replace the fully charged battery. In August 2020, NIO launched a BaaS (Battery as a Service) battery exchange service with a subscription fee from 980 yuan / month (150 USD). According to “Tesla of China”, the BaaS service helps the company reduce the price of cars by about 70,000 yuan (more than $10,000). For customers, refueling the car also becomes as quick as refueling. However, every coin has two sides, the battery swap policy also shows many inadequacies. Before NIO, the battery swap model was tested in the French and Taiwanese markets, but was not really successful. In 2019, French car company Renault had to stop this policy. “Battery swapping will be more suitable for two and three-wheeled vehicles, using low voltage, usually 48V, and small battery capacity, from 1.5kWh to up to 4kWh”, said CV Raman – Head of Engineering of the company. Maruti Suzuki India, analysis. Raman also said that this is the reason why Maruti Suzuki did not enter the electric car battery swap business. “Car batteries use high voltage, are integrated with many technologies and involve the cooling system. Frequent swapping compromises integrity, creates insecurity and increases the risks associated with electrical contact,” he said. On the other hand, Omprakash Upadhyay, an electric vehicle expert at TATA AutoComp (India), said that swapping batteries does not completely reduce the cost burden for customers. This model requires large, complex and expensive infrastructure as service shops have to keep a large stock of pre-charged batteries at all times. “Invisible medium, each car must have at least two sets of batteries – one set inside the vehicle and one available in the battery replacement station. This increases the cost of the car a lot, given the fact that the battery is the most expensive component in an electric vehicle,” Upadhyay said. Battery subscription – optimal for economy, maximum for safety The battery subscription policy that some companies like VinFast apply can be considered a perfect solution, helping to balance both the advantages and limitations of the two forms of outright purchase and swap. In economic terms, instead of having to spend “a lump” of thousands of dollars to buy batteries, customers will be leased batteries by manufacturers. The monthly subscription fee is offered by the company based on the calculation of the average distance traveled. With the VF e34 model, VinFast applies a subscription fee of 1.45 million VND/month for a distance of 1,400km, meeting the average travel demand well. “Operating costs, including battery rental and electric charging, are equal to the cost of gasoline consumption, and the price and features are superior to gasoline cars,” said Ms. Thai Thi Thanh Hai – General Director of VinFast. . According to estimates by GlobalData, the cost of buying a battery pack is equivalent to the total subscription fee for more than 8 years. The form of “split” cost over time is currently quite popular with technology products and services such as phone, television or Internet packages. In particular, the indispensable advantage of the subscription form is that the manufacturer will be responsible for the battery throughout the product life cycle, even to the recycling stage, bringing absolute peace of mind and peace to customers. row. Like VinFast, the company is committed to replacing customers with a new battery pack when the battery’s ability to receive charge drops below 70%. This is a “super benefit” that customers who buy the battery outright do not get. “Battery rental helps car owners benefit more when the battery is checked, maintained and serviced in a timely manner by the manufacturer. This model will be the key for electric vehicles to develop on a large scale, “said GlobalData.

1. Vehicle management by… phone Not only interacting with the car from the inside, VF e34 users can also manage and control the vehicle remotely through a mobile application that integrates a series of modern functions. User can manage VF e34 with smartphone With an Internet-connected phone in hand, car owners can easily capture vehicle parameters such as journey, remaining battery, maintenance history… VF e34 will also proactively provide reminders remind or warn the user when necessary. 2. Suggested schedule At a smarter level, with the journey planning feature, the car will suggest a suitable schedule, optimizing both time, distance, remaining battery in the car and charging stations on the road. When the battery level is low, the VF e34 is also capable of giving warnings and suggesting users to search for the nearest charging station, service workshop and then give directions to the driver. 3. Auto-generate distress signal in case of emergency When there is a serious problem on the road, the car will automatically send a distress signal and send coordinates to the rescue switchboard via GPS and Internet connection. Urgent rescue requests or feedback from car owners to customer care can be done quickly and conveniently. At the same time, the rescue vehicle location and vehicle rescue status will also be displayed in real time on the mobile application. Smart features on VinFast VF e34 electric car 4. Smart anti-theft One of the preeminent smart features of the VF e34 is the ability to self-anti-theft, detect signs of break-in and notify the car owner. When there is an impact from outside, the car will flash lights and horns. The vehicle’s camera system will automatically collect images and send notifications to the vehicle owner about the risk of being broken into via a mobile phone application. The vehicle owner can locate the vehicle in real time thanks to the built-in GPS. 5. Remote software update VinFast’s smart electric car is equipped with a FOTA (Firmware Over-The-Air) remote software update feature similar to a mobile phone. When a new software version is available, the system will display a notification for the truck owner to download and install. After completing the update and self-check, the car will sync the new information to the system and the management application on the phone. As a result, car owners do not need to go to a VinFast dealer or service workshop to update the software, but can do this anywhere with an Internet connection. 6. Self-study and remember the owner’s habits The special impression of users with the intelligent technology of VF e34 will be the comfortable experience inside the car. Entertainment functions or air conditioning control can all be commanded by voice. VF e34 will automatically analyze and remember the habits of people in the car người After each use, the AI ​​in the car will analyze and remember the habits of the people in the car. Each user will have their own profile and the car will play music according to the habits recorded in that profile.

Term 2: Solve the quality management problem, electric vehicle regulations Electric vehicle charging station at AEON Ha Dong Shopping Center (Hanoi) – photo by Thanh Tung With more than 1 million electric scooters in circulation and thousands of electric cars handed over to customers by VinFast by the end of this year, the problem of quality management, registration, and charging station standards comes from The legal regulations in the circulation of vehicles for electric vehicles are in urgent need. Register like a traditional car At the end of March 2021, VinFast’s electric bus model was completed by the Vietnam Registry Department to verify design documents, vehicle safety testing and met the conditions of current automotive technical regulations. onions for mass production. Recently, VinFast has also announced to receive orders, produce an electric car model under 9 seats under the brand name VF e34, expected to hand over the car to customers in November 2021. In fact, electric cars have appeared in the country a few years ago and now there are 14 cars (all imported complete units, the Tesla brand). With the above trend, in the near future, the domestic market will have both imported CBU electric cars and domestically produced cars. Mr. Nguyen Van Phuong, Deputy Department of Motor Vehicle Quality – VAQ (Vietnam Registry Department), said that electric vehicles are quality controlled from the evaluation of vehicle design, safety testing to issue type certificates. and sample production. After the car is released, the circulation process, electric cars must be periodically registered as traditional cars. According to Mr. Dang Tran Khanh, Deputy Department of Motor Vehicle Inspection – VAR (Vietnam Registry Department), the biggest difference between electric cars and gasoline and oil cars is the energy source for the vehicle’s engine to operate. Therefore, the registry will apply the inspection of technical safety items according to the current national automotive technical regulations, except for the exhaust gas test, which will not be the same as gasoline or oil vehicles. “Currently, some countries like Singapore also test electric cars like conventional cars. However, the Vietnam Registry Department is consulting the experiences of countries and international automobile registration associations to take steps to research and prepare for the process of supplementing and completing the standards of cars, including cars. electricity ”, said Mr. Khanh. Which standard charging station? According to a recent study by the Research Group of the German International Cooperation Organization (GIZ), it is currently the beginning stage of the development of electric transportation in Vietnam. Imported electric vehicles including bicycles, electric scooters and four-wheeled passenger electric vehicles currently have more than 1 million vehicles. It is expected that by the end of 2021, there will be only electric cars produced domestically. About the current regulations applicable to electric cars, the representative of the Motor Vehicle Testing Center (Vietnam Registry Department) said that in-depth techniques for electric cars are electrical elements. There are a number of different research and development trends in the world. ” Electric car is still a manned car like a conventional internal combustion engine, so when the car is put into operation at present, there are no legal problems. Electric vehicle drivers, while participating in traffic in Vietnam, still comply with the current Decree 100 and the Law on Road Traffic
Decree 100 deals with the driver’s behavior more than the vehicle. And the current Law on Road Vehicle has regulations on vehicles, but in road motor vehicles, there is no regulation on engines. Therefore, the legal basis for electric vehicles is basically the same as conventional gasoline and oil vehicles, including procedures for vehicle registration and vehicle registration.
Mr. Khuat Viet Hung, Specialized Vice President of National Traffic Safety Committee ” Such as the standard of charging. Therefore, in this early stage, mainly based on the National Technical Regulation on technical safety quality and environmental protection for cars (QVN 09: 2015 / BGTVT) to test and evaluate. vehicle safety prices. At the same time, there is research to build appropriate standards for the development of electric cars in the country in the future. According to Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi, Director of the Department of Standards (General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality), Vietnam currently has the standard TCVN 12241-3: 2018 on the secondary lithium-ion battery used for power transmission. for electric road vehicles. This International Standard specifies test procedures and acceptance criteria for the safety performance of batteries and masses of secondary lithium-ion batteries used to power road vehicles (EV). including battery electric vehicles (BEV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). “However, we do not have a set of standards (required to apply) on charging stations and charging terminals. This is not even available in advanced countries. Just like the plug of household electrical appliances has not been agreed, where the power supply is 110V, where 220V, the device has a 3-pin or 2-pin plug, but the 2-pin plug is also each style. In addition, the structure of the electric vehicle charging station is also a technology secret issue, so no company wants to share it, so it has not been agreed to set which one is the standard. For example, the phone charger, until now it has been agreed, to buy any device, use the charger cord, the charger of that company, basically according to the original equipment manufacturer “, Mr. Khoi said. Just as a car powered by an internal combustion engine needs multiple gas stations, an electric vehicle (EV) also needs multiple public charging stations. The question is which technology standard charging station will Vietnam follow in order to be able to meet the maximum number of electric vehicles with different charging standards? According to Mr. Dao Cong Quyet, Head of the Public Relations Subcommittee of VAMA, there are currently 3 international charging standards for cars, including: Europe (CCS), Japan (CHAdeMO) and China (GB / T). ). If there are many electric car manufacturers, it is also necessary to have a common standard for the car manufacturers to plan to manufacture and import this type of vehicle for sale in Vietnam. Mr. Tran Quang Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology (Ministry of Transport), said that the charging standards of many basic companies according to Europe, but most of them do not have the uniformity of the common charging standard between the companies. Currently, road motor vehicles in Vietnam are basically all according to European standards. On the issue of waste disposal for electric vehicles, Mr. Ha informed that most countries have strict and strict regulations on waste product management. As for the discarded products containing harmful substances such as batteries and batteries, Vietnam has also had regulations but there are no sanctions. “When electric vehicles thrive, the problem of completing regulations on waste management and treatment such as batteries, batteries will be very hot. There should be clear sanctions “, Mr. Ha suggested.

Mercedes EQS appeared in the product portfolio of Mercedes-Benz Vietnam. Screenshots. With the introduction of EQS, Mercedes-Benz Vietnam’s product portfolio will have a total of 6 sedans. Including A-Class, C-Class, E-Class, EQS, S-Class and Mercedes-Maybach S-Class. Mercedes-EQS includes 2 models, EQS 450+ and EQS 580 4MATIC, the difference of these two models lies in the power and the drivetrain. EQS 450+ uses a rear electric motor with a capacity of 333 horsepower, EQS 580 4MATIC uses 2 electric motors that produce a total capacity of 523 horsepower. Both versions share a 107.8 kWh battery. Mercedes EQS includes 2 models: EQS 450+ and EQS 580 4MATIC. Photo: Carwow. In terms of overall design, the EQS takes on the design of a new design platform with a sloping head and a coupe-shaped tail. The new design helps the EQS to have an extremely low air drag coefficient, reaching 0.2 Cd. Mercedes EQS is like the electric version of the S-Class. Inside the cockpit is equipped with Hyperscreen screen with 3 OLED screens, including a 12-inch speed screen, an 18-inch central entertainment screen and a 12-inch passenger seat sub-screen. It also has an AR HUD steering wheel display. The interior of the Mercedes-EQS is futuristic. Photo: Carwow. In Vietnam, Mercedes-Benz distributes a lot of cars, from popular sedans such as C 200 Exclusive (VND 1,699 billion) to sports cars like Mercedes-AMG GT R (VND 11.59 billion). Electric cars have appeared in Vietnam since 2014, but people have paid more attention to these “green vehicles” in the past 1-2 years. Mercedes-Benz is not the first luxury car company to bring electric cars to Vietnam, previously there was Audi as well as Porsche. Audi e-tron has been brought back to the country from 2019 but has not been sold to the market, while Porsche Taycan has been officially distributed at the end of 2020. The representative of Vietnam, VinFast, has also accepted a deposit of mid-range electric car model. VF e34 and will deliver to customers by the end of this year. The price of VND 690 million of VF e34 is somewhat pleasant and is said to be more accessible to ordinary users.

The price is easy to access, the maintenance cost is only 1/3 of a gasoline car Launched on March 24, VinFast VF e34 has an official selling price of VND 690 million, but for customers who ordered before June 30, 2021, the Vietnamese car company offers a special preferential price of only VND 590 million. Includes one-year free battery subscription. This is considered an accessible price for first-time car buyers, young families in big cities in Vietnam. Mr. Tuan Phong (30 years old) ordered VinFast VF e34 just one day after the car was introduced. He said, with outstanding technology such as electric motors, smart features and attractive pre-set price of only 590 million VND and extremely “open” pre-order policy, VF e34 persuaded him to “down money”. without any hesitation. “The battery rental policy that makes the car price more accessible is the first reasonable one. The second is an immediate incentive of 100 million dong for early booking, and the third one is a deposit of only 10 million dong and can be freely refunded / canceled / transferred without penalty, so I have no reason. to hesitate “, Mr. Phong said. According to Mr. Phong, young people often like “delicious-nutritious-cheap” cars because their financial resources are not abundant. With the same amount of VND 590 million, in addition to the VF e34, customers cannot even buy a standard B-class SUV, only a few high-end versions of B-class sedans. Meanwhile, VF e34 Being a model in the higher-end C-segment is clearly a bargain. For young people who buy a car for the first time, owning a car is still vague when it comes to solving some concerns such as the cost of buying a car, maintenance, repair, fuel and parking. Mr. Tuan Phong admitted this, thinking that he was no exception, so he decided to buy an electric car. According to him, VinFast VF e34 not only has the most competitive price in the market, but also has a much more optimal cost-effectiveness than traditional cars. “The cost of electric fuel is cheaper than gasoline, of course. Worth mentioning here is that the maintenance cost of VinFast VF e34 is only 25% -30% of gasoline cars due to its simpler structure, ”said Phong. According to calculations, the total maintenance cost for electric cars after the first 40,000 km is only about 4.4 million VND, and only costs about 12.7 million VND for 120,000 km. Not only that, with VF e34, early customers who order early are also free 17.4 million dong of battery subscription fee in the first year. Overflowing with technology Attractive price does not mean VinFast VF e34 has reduced features, but instead, the car is fully equipped with “toys” and is connected to a smart management application. Through the application, users can update vehicle software, perform many tasks such as checking battery status, travel schedule, maintenance schedule, call for rescue, warning of theft risk, vehicle positioning, error diagnosis … Young customers will also be pleased with the cabin compartment equipped with a 10-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, 6 audio speakers and 2 driver-row USB ports to connect or charge electrical devices. death. The air-conditioning system integrates the air quality control function with the fine dust filter HEPA PM2.5 which is also an advantage for the current air pollution. In addition, the voice control feature to support Vietnamese for multi-regional adaptation is also expected. List of long-term safety technologies, including ABS anti-lock braking, BA emergency brake assist, EBD electronic brake force distribution, ESC electronic balance, HSA horizontal start assist, 360 surveillance camera , lane departure warning, blind spot warning, traffic flow warning until door opening, vehicle warning when reversing, front and rear sensor, tire pressure monitoring, automatic throttle, 6 airbags … Help VinFast VF e34 achieve the highest safety standards. Environmental friendliness Growing up with the Internet, Generation Y and Z (Gen Y – Gen Z) are well aware of the urgency of protecting the environment. Many young people are gradually changing to choose means of using electric energy to limit the impact on the living environment. In the opinion that electric cars are not actually too good for the environment compared to traditional cars, due to the generation of electricity and batteries emitting a lot of CO2, the leading renewable energy company in the UK EDF Energy protested. Accordingly, even with more emissions in the current production process, electric cars are still a “greener” option than traditional cars when taking into account the vehicle lifecycle. That is not to mention that it will be easier and more efficient to treat the waste from the centralized battery production / recycling process in a closed process than to worry about a series of internal combustion engine vehicles discharging every day. . Technology to produce electricity and batteries is also developing and changing day by day, so emissions from manufacturing will be improved positively in the near future. According to EDF Energy, the biggest benefit of electric cars is improved air quality in large cities. Without exhaust pipes, electric cars have absolutely no NOx, HC, CO, CO2 emissions – a combination of exhaust gases that seriously affects human health and living environment. Simply put, electric cars are the foundation for cleaner and cleaner cities and roads. Another fairly common myth is that lithium-ion batteries are as toxic as lead batteries. In fact, lithium-ion batteries are safer, causing less harm to the environment or human health. At the same time, lithium-ion batteries are also of high economic value, so they will be collected, recycled and reused instead of being disposed of as lead batteries, so the risk of environmental pollution is also minimized. In particular, the solution to renting batteries instead of “selling off” cars with batteries to customers will help manufacturers like VinFast better manage the amount of batteries circulating in the market, ensuring that they will not be disposed of indiscriminately, causing harmful to the environment.

VinFast VF e34 is the smallest model among 3 “rookie” that the Vietnamese automaker will sell in the US market. This SUV was introduced in Vietnam and received a deposit from the end of March, the car is priced at 690 million dong. VinFast VF e34 is an electric car model in segment C, was announced in January this year under the code name VF31. In the US, the model that VinFast VF e34 is closest to is the Tesla Model Y ($ 39,990-59,990).

The car has a pure SUV design. The appearance is not too angular, instead it is a combination of curves to create blocks. VinFast VF e34 has a wheelbase of 2,611 mm, length x width x height, respectively 4,300 x 1,793 x 1,613 mm, ground clearance 180 mm, unladen weight 1,490 kg.

VF e34 is equipped with an electric motor with a maximum capacity of 110 kW (147.5 hp), maximum torque of 242 Nm and front-wheel drive. The car uses a 42 kWh battery, which can travel 300 km after each full charge. In fast charging mode, VinFast Vf e34 can travel 180 km after 15 minutes of charging.

The interior of VinFast VF e34 has the distinctive design of 5-seater SUVs. Leather seats, integrated steering wheel function buttons. In-car entertainment system includes a 10-inch vertical touchscreen, compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 7-inch TFT LCD dial. The center console also has a number of controls and knobs.

Meanwhile, VinFast VF e35 is in the D-class SUV segment. This model has just been introduced on Youtube channel VinFast USA. VF e35 has a design that does not differ too much from the VF32 – the preview of this model. The car still bears the Vietnamese automaker’s DNA with daylight strip and long tail lights, forming a V-shape. The front light system is separated but the main light is not too far from daylight like VF e34.

Compared with the “junior” VF e34, this model has a more sturdy and aggressive appearance thanks to the cut-outs at the top. The rear lights have a familiar design, point-like on two sides and connected to each other.

The interior of the VF e35 looks quite modern with a large 15.4-inch central screen. The car does not have a clock behind the wheel. This information is integrated with the left part of the central screen. There is also information that VinFast will equip the HUD screen for the VF e35. The traditional gear lever is replaced with a set of shift knobs located in the central control area. In addition, the electric car model for the US market also has an interior backlight system, a large sunroof.

In the US, the VF e35 uses two electric motors located on two wheel axes, producing a total capacity of 402 hp and 640 Nm of torque. Comes with a 90 kWh battery pack, this model has a maximum range of more than 500 km. VinFast has not specifically announced the autonomous level of the VF e35. It is highly likely that this model can reach 2-3 autonomous levels.

The largest model among the 3 “rookie” of VinFast in the US is the VF e36. The teaser video introducing this model was also posted on VinFast USA’s Youtube channel. The VF e36 has not been shown yet, but chances are it won’t be much different from the VF33 preview released back in January.

This SUV has an overall length of 5,120 mm, the wheelbase reaches 3,150 mm. Although classified as an E-class SUV with the Ford Explorer, the size of the VF e36 is comparable to larger models such as the Ford Expedition, Chevrolet Traverse, Hyundai Palisade or Kia Telluride. This is considered an advantage of the VF e36 in the US market when there is no electric car in this segment.

The interior of the VF e36 has not been announced yet. But based on the image of VF33 it can be seen that it is quite simple. Some of the highlights of the car are the large center screen, gear shift buttons and interior backlighting system. There is also no dashboard behind the wheel, information will be displayed on the HUD screen.

VinFast VF e36 is equipped with 2 electric motors, each with a capacity of 201 horsepower, for a total capacity of 402 horsepower. The 106 kWh battery pack provides a range of up to 550 km – longer than one of the most powerful electric vehicles today, the Tesla Model S Long Range (525 km). In addition, the car has self-propelled level 3. The rival of the VF e36 in the US is the Tesla Model X, priced at $ 105,000, most likely the SUV from Vietnam will cost less than $ 100,000 to increase its competitiveness painting.