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VinFast VF City Edition 8 Has an Estimated EPA Range of 179 Miles

An article from Kevin Williams for Jalopnik made the rounds on December 14 after he called it: the VinFast VF 8 is not ready for America. His quick contact with the EV in Vietnam was enough for him to say it was underdeveloped and unfinished. Now that the first units are arriving in the U.S., the company had to release the EV’s estimated EPA range. At only 179 miles (288 kilometers), it seems to confirm everything Williams wrote.
VinFast website shows the VF 8 has only 179 miles of range 20 photos
Photo: VinFast
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If this number is confirmed, the VF 8 will only present 55 more miles of range than the Mazda MX-30, the biggest flop in the EV scene in the U.S. At least the Japanese electric car had a small battery pack: 35.5 kWh. The VF 8 in the City Edition comes with an 82-kWh unit. In other words, for 44.3% more range, it carries a 131% larger battery pack. Selling it only in California is no relief.

The best comparison is with the Volkswagen ID.4, which also presents an 82-kWh battery pack – even if 5 kWh are there only for buffering. The 77 kWh left can drive the German electric SUV through 275 mi (442.6 km). To be fair, the VF 8 City Edition only comes with two motors (one per axle). That said, the ID.4 Pro AWD delivers a 255 mi (410.4 km) range – still a lot more than VinFast achieved with its electric SUV.

In the PDF with information about the VF 8 City Edition, VinFast promises the EV will have a higher range after a software update to be performed in January 2023. Considering the vehicle is yet to reach its customers, shouldn’t the company have waited for the upgrade to announce a higher EPA estimate? That’s another sign that VinFast may be rushing things more than it should.

Williams discovered in his trip that the VF 8 seemed to have much less power than the 349 hp (260 kW) up to 402 hp (300 kW) VinFast promised. It was only after talking to the company’s engineers that he learned this output is only there if the battery pack has more than 80% of charge. None of the test vehicles available for the press in Vietnam showed more than 50%.

VinFast is a new brand to American customers, coming from a country with no tradition in the automotive industry. A low price point would be a way to attract customers’ attention, but the VF 8 City Edition will cost $56,700 in its entry-level derivative, the Eco. VinFast will give it a $3,000 discount, making it cost $53,700. A “capitalized cost reduction” of $4,480 (whatever that means) reduces the price even further: to $49,220. It is still expensive. The ID.4 AWD Pro costs $47,795, and you can have the version with a 275-mile range for $43,995.

Very few prospective buyers will feel comfortable with a car that can only run 179 mi with a fully-charged battery pack. Having Pininfarina design its EVs or a factory in the U.S. will not help VinFast as much as it probably hopes: it needs way more than that to succeed.
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 Download: VinFast VF 8 City Edition Brochure (PDF)

About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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