Vietnamese EV automaker VinFast plans to have owners subscribe to their battery.

Blind_Io

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VinFast is new to North America and their battery-as-a-service scheme seems to raise a lot of questions that don't have any answers from the company - not unlike their current dealership sales model.

 
I hate everything about that.

Sure, it's way easier for the executive team to meet their revenue targets (bonus payouts) when every customer is paying yearly, but spending that much on something and not owning it. Nope. These would be a candidate for a 3 year lease and dump.
 
I have no idea what the solution to degrading batteries and the waste we'll create even with recycling policies, but this isn't it.
 
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Isn't this exactly what Renault already offer?

https://www.gogreenautos.co.uk/buyers-guide/battery-lease-explained

Having the battery automatically replaced at 70% or 75% might sound good to owners but it's not like you can magically recover the capacity so what happens then? Do they get added to bigger static battery banks that can afford to be a big bigger and heavier for their capacity and re-used or are the cells dumped?
 
I have no idea what the solution to degrading batteries and the waste we'll create even with recycling policies, but this isn't it.


Batteries are lasting longer than they were ever expected to. Then there is a second life as grid storage. Then, all the important things in the battery can be recycled, much like we do with lead acid batteries.


Battery leases are not new. Customers have never liked the idea.
 
edit: just realised that what I typed out was actually all in this thread already :D feel free to skip!

Isn't this exactly what Renault already offer?
even better: it's what renault offered but don't anymore - because at the least the way they did it, it ruined the entire cost structure of the car, because they were being overly pessimistic with their assumptions on battery life and performance. at least over here, they've phased out rental batteries entirely and only sell them nowadays - which makes sense. current experience shows that the battery will most probably outlive the rest of the car by a very comfortable margin (taking that replacement 70% thing into account) and then will still be fine for second life for another decade or more. renting a battery, from a consumer perspective, doesn't make any sense.

Having the battery automatically replaced at 70% or 75% might sound good to owners but it's not like you can magically recover the capacity so what happens then? Do they get added to bigger static battery banks that can afford to be a big bigger and heavier for their capacity and re-used or are the cells dumped?
first sentence will never happen, because the rest of the car will have fallen to bits by then.
second part: yes, exactly that. stationary use is where it's at. thinking about home battery myself atm: i don't care in the slightest whether what's down in my basement is (random example numbers not realistic) half a m³ and 500 kg or even 1 full m³ and 1000 kg (which would be 50% remaining capacity, at which point it's probably really time for recycling because the cells just aren't reliable anymore).
 
VinFast say they'll introduce a option where you purchase the car including the battery but it won't happen for a couple years.

I really don't know who will be interested with the current scheme, maybe people wary of battery degradation?

They may get some sales by having one of the few mainstream 7 seat electric CUV's in the States.
 
VinFast say they'll introduce a option where you purchase the car including the battery but it won't happen for a couple years.

I really don't know who will be interested with the current scheme, maybe people wary of battery degradation?

They may get some sales by having one of the few mainstream 7 seat electric CUV's in the States.

They offered a free vacation to people who singed up to Vinfast island in Vietnam...
 
They offered a free vacation to people who singed up to Vinfast island in Vietnam...

Yeah they've done a bunch of things to court preorders:

*VinFast NFT
*Expenses paid vacation to a VinGroup vacation hotel in Vietnam

Now they're promising to give you 7500 rebate now that the IRA has passed - their plant in SC isn't gonna be open in time for their launch IIRC so initial cars will be imported
 
I like the product I'm not a fan of the battery deal which makes it sound like they are confident enough to make the battery promise that they require you to buy in insurance to shake you down. I just don't dig that.
 
Buy the car, stop leasing the battery, LS swap?
 
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