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VinFast seeks range-extended EV experts, job ads show

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REEVs would be partial shift from VinFast's current

all-electric

lineup

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Company says always looking for opportunities to develop

new

products

By Phuong Nguyen and Francesco Guarascio

HANOI, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Vietnamese electric carmaker

VinFast is considering equipping some of its cars with

small internal combustion engines (ICE) to recharge batteries

and extend driving ranges, according to three people familiar

with the plan and job ads, in a partial shift from its existing

all-electric production.

The Nasdaq-listed start-up is trying to boost sales and expand

overseas to rein in growing losses that are weighing on parent

company Vingroup, Vietnam's largest conglomerate by

market capitalisation.

The plan under review involves using petrol-fuelled options

to extend range, the three sources told Reuters, requesting

anonymity as the information was not public.

One of the sources said a team was tasked in November to

explore turning VinFast's VF9 SUVs into range-extended electric

vehicles (REEVs) by equipping them with a small petrol engine

used solely to recharge the battery. A second source said the

company was considering hybrid models. All sources said the

plans were preliminary.

VinFast posted at least three LinkedIn job ads in November

seeking REEV experts.

Asked about the plans, Vingroup, which handles

communications for VinFast, told Reuters it would "not overlook

opportunities to research and develop new products that align

with customer preferences, needs, and market trends."

VinFast currently produces about a dozen models, mostly

compact city cars, and sold about 104,000 units domestically in

the first nine months of the year, nearly 95% of its global

sales. The VF9, its priciest vehicle, accounts for roughly 1% of

sales in Vietnam, and is also shipped to the United States and

Canada, but in low numbers.

VinFast, Vietnam's largest carmaker by sales, does not break

down foreign market sales. A Vingroup affiliate is fast

expanding Vietnam's EV charging network.

PARTIAL SHIFT FROM FULL-EVs

REEVs, like hybrids, use two power sources, an electric

motor and an ICE, but unlike hybrids, the ICE does not drive the

car in REEVs. It only recharges the battery when needed,

extending driving range.

VinFast stopped producing petrol-fuelled cars and shifted to

electric vehicles in 2022. That year, it also joined the COP26

declaration on green transition for cars, pledging to sell

exclusively zero-emission vehicles in leading markets by 2035

and globally by 2040. REEVs produce emissions, but usually less

than plug-in hybrids.

Reuters could not establish whether VinFast plans to develop

REEV technology in-house or acquire it.

"There is no change to our overall strategy," Vingroup said,

adding official details would come "at the appropriate time".

In 2023, VinFast held nearly 80 patents, far fewer than

Tesla's 347 patent families or the thousands held by the major

traditional carmakers, according to the World Intellectual

Property Organization.

Chinese electric carmakers, including Li Auto and Leapmotor,

produce REEVs, while legacy automakers are developing similar

options.

Facing severe air pollution, Vietnam plans restrictions on

petrol-powered vehicles, starting with a ban on petrol

motorbikes central Hanoi from mid-2026.

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