Vietnam’s VinFast shocks with tech-laden EVs
The Vietnamese automotive start-up VinFast has revealed three new high-tech electric vehicles it intends to have on-sale by mid-2022.
The compact VF31, mid-size VF32 and large VF33 (pictured above) SUVs have had development input from Australia where VinFast owns a research and development centre, the former Holden proving ground and employs hundreds of engineers.
But as yet there is no confirmation VinFast will sell these vehicles in Australia. The VF31 is due on sale in Vietnam by early 2022, while the VF32 and VF33 will be available for order in North America and Europe in November 2021 for delivery to buyers starting May 2022.
No pricing was included with the announcement of these new EV models, which the ambitious company has already hinted are part of a much larger roll-out.
As well as being battery electric, these vehicles are also fitted with a serious amount of technology including semi-autonomous driving capability, artificial intelligence and deep learning.
“This is an important milestone, affirming the vision of becoming a global smart electric vehicle company; and contributing to bringing Vietnam to a new level on the world map of automobile industry,” a statement issued by VinFast said.
The C-segment VF31 is 4300mm long with a 2611mm wheelbase. It is powered by a choice of 85kW/190Nm or 150kW/320Nm permanent magnet e-motors. Battery capacity is 42kWh and the claimed range is 300km.
The D-segment VF32 measures up at 4750mm long with a 2950mm wheelbase. The base version comes with a single 150kW/320Nm e-motor, while the premium version doubles up for 300kW/640Nm and all-wheel drive. The battery produces 90kWh, but no range is claimed
The E-segment VF33 is 5120mm long with a 3150mm wheelbase. It comes with two 150kW e-motors, up to 106kWh battery capacity and a claimed range up to 550km.
It is expected the VF33 will also be offered with a BMW petrol engine, reflecting an existing technology deal VinFast has with the luxury German car maker.
No info about battery chemistry was shared, but previously VinFast has stated it develops its own packs using LG embryos. It says the packs are mounted under the floor in these three vehicles and heat resistant between 40-80 degrees C for safety.
Automatic software updates, fault detection capability, auto emergency dialling are part of the package, along with a 5-star Euro NCAP rating (except ASEAN NCAP 4-star rating for VF31 Standard model), VinFast says.
VF31 equipment includes self-driving and steering assistance features such as lane departure warning, blind spot warning, vehicle reverse cross traffic alert, a reversing camera, 360-degree camera, front and rear parking sensors and automatic headlights.
VinFast claims “Level 2-3” self-driving for the VF32 and VF33 with 30 intelligent features divided into seven groups including driver assistance, lane control, speed control, collision warning and mitigation, parking assistance and driver monitoring.
The fully optioned versions of VF32 and VF33 include Lidar sensing, 14 cameras and 19 360-degree sensors. The self-driving system is controlled by a Nvidia Orin-X chip that VinFast says can process up to 200 GB data per second, allowing control and navigation up to eight times faster than current generations.
VinFast also claims some Level 4 features for the Premium VF32 and VF33 models including three-dimensional map settings, auto parking space detection and auto-parking, vehicle summoning and smart city integration.
Along with facial recognition and a multi-lingual virtual assistant, the AI and deep learning capabilities are part of what VinFast calls a ‘Virtual Cockpit’.
“The above features not only open up a space for enjoyment, but also fully customizable to personalize the vehicle according to the characteristics and usage habits of the owner,” a VinFast statement says.
“This is an outstanding difference that VinFast focuses on accelerating user experience, creating every most valuable moment, only available in VinFast electric cars.”
