Vietnam's VinFast tests new electric bus
Thursday, October 22, 2020, 10:01 GMT+7
VinFast, a domestic automaker under Vietnam’s largest private conglomerate Vingroup, dispatched its first electric bus model for test drives on Tuesday.
The electric bus is designed to fulfil Vietnam’s requirements on bus operation, the most popular means of public transport in the country.
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| The rear of Vinfast’s electric bus with 'Green' printed on the outside. Photo: B.C. / Tuoi Tre |
Two V-shaped plaques, the VinFast Logo, are featured on the front and rear of each bus, while the word 'green' printed on the exterior denotes that the vehicle is environment-friendly, a VinFast representative explained.
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| VinFast’s electric bus is on a test drive in this photo. Photo: B.C. / Tuoi Tre |
The representative also noted that the electric bus discharges minimal exhaust and noise, helping reduce motion sickness amongst passengers.
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| A side view of VinFast’s electric bus. Photo: B.C. / Tuoi Tre |
As seen during the test drive, the bus was painted green and black, with an LED screen attached to the front to display the route.
It operated on electric batteries with a capacity as high as 281 kilowatt-hours which can be fully charged in just two hours using a 150-kilowatt charger and is capable of sustaining the car for 220 to 260 kilometers.
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| 'ZF' engraving on the wheel disc of VinFast’s electric bus. Photo: B.C. / Tuoi Tre |
Though details on the bus’ components, including the model and make of the engine and battery, have not yet been released, experts spotted the logo of ZF – a key player in the automotive gear sector – printed on the vehicle's wheel discs.
According to the VinFast representative, the bus will also be equipped with updated safety and passenger comfort technology, such as systems to monitor driver fatigue, LED destination displays, free Wi-Fi connection, and entertainment screens.
The vehicles will also be furnished with USB ports for charging, surveillance cameras, dashcams, rear-view cameras, and right-hand view cameras.
A video shows the test run of VinFast’s electric bus. Video: B.C. / Tuoi Tre
Vingroup announced that it has completed staff recruitment and is nearly finished with the infrastructure and vehicle systems the company needs to launch the new vehicle.
Their service will be piloted in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Phu Quoc.
The conglomerate has founded Vinbus, which will operate a total of 150 - 200 vehicles from 5:00 am to 10:00 pm every day.
VinBus will also introduce a namesake mobile application connected with Vingroup’s customer loyalty program, VinID, to help customers search for and select routes.
The bus routes will commence at a depot, then traverse the urban downtown to connect residential areas, school facilities, hospitals, shopping malls, bus stations, and urban zones.
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| A front view of VinFast’s electric bus. Photo: B.C. / Tuoi Tre |
On October 16, the Ministry of Transport greenlighted Vingroup’s proposal to roll out a new passenger transport system using electric buses in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
In 2019, Vingroup announced the launch of VinBus, working in passenger transport.
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