Free battery charging and preferential policy
Late at night, Mr. Hung - a technology driver in Hanoi - took the opportunity to charge his electric car at a charging station near his house. Thanks to the free charging policy at night, Mr. Hung saved a significant amount of fuel costs.
Mr. Hung calculated that: "Every month, we will reduce quite a bit of expenses. Switching to an electric car is really a wise decision."
Such images are becoming increasingly popular as VinFast’s free charging policies and incentives are creating a big boost for the electric vehicle market in Vietnam. Not only helping users save costs, these policies also open up strong development opportunities for the green transportation ecosystem.
VinFast has made its mark on the market by implementing a free battery charging policy that lasts until June 30, 2027. For customers who buy a car with a battery, the cost of “0 VND of fuel” for more than 2 years is an unprecedented benefit.
Not only that, businesses providing electric vehicle transportation services, such as GSM, also benefit from the policy of 100% exemption of charging costs during the time frame from 10pm to 6am and 50% reduction of costs during the remaining time frames.
Ms. Duong Thi Thu Trang - Deputy General Director of VinFast Global Sales - shared: "We want to thank customers who have trusted VinFast, and at the same time encourage more people to switch to electric vehicles, contributing to reducing net emissions to 0".
Charging Station Infrastructure: The Most Important Link
Thanks to preferential policies and a major change in people's awareness of environmental protection, in the first 11 months of 2024, VinFast delivered more than 67,000 electric vehicles and still has a large number of orders waiting to be processed.
With the increasing demand for electric vehicles, VinFast has invested heavily in the charging station system, with more than 150,000 charging ports nationwide and is expected to reach 200 service workshop network points by the end of this year.
However, Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh - economic expert - said: "VinFast alone cannot meet the demand. The construction of charging stations requires the cooperation of many businesses and preferential policies from the State, such as reducing land rental costs or supporting electricity prices."
At the meeting on the morning of August 6, 2024, Party Central Committee member and Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha directed ministries and branches to coordinate to promote green transportation. The Ministry of Transport was assigned to propose policies to encourage manufacturing and importing enterprises and people to switch to electric vehicles or green fuel.
The Ministry of Construction is required to guide localities in adding charging station planning to urban construction and transport infrastructure. At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Trade needs to submit to the Government a mechanism for calculating preferential electricity prices and directly supporting electric vehicle users.
According to experts, charging stations are a key factor in helping consumers feel secure when switching. Currently, many people are still hesitant because of concerns about the lack of charging stations, especially on highways or in urban areas.
Notably, new regulations from August 1, 2024 require high-end apartments to have electric vehicle charging stations. From October 2024, rest stops on highways and national highways must also have charging stations. This further emphasizes the importance of investing in charging station infrastructure, not only from businesses but also requiring policy support from the Government.
Associate Professor, Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh emphasized: "Only when there are synchronous incentives on land, taxes and electricity prices, will the electric vehicle ecosystem truly take off."
