VinFast (VFS) unleashes ‘Wild’ EV pickup concept, announces plans to sell VF 3 mini SUV in US
Vietnamese EV automaker VinFast set the tone at the Las Vegas Convention Center this morning, detailing the first product announcement of day one in the West Hall. In addition to officially launching its line of Drgn Fly E-Bikes, VinFast shared plans to sell its ultra-compact VF 3 globally, and pulled the sheet off a pickup truck concept called the VF Wild.
VinFast has come a long way since it presented its lineup of Vietnamese-built EVs in front of the crowd at CES 2023 last year, with plenty of ups and downs. That is to be expected when you’re operating at the speed the VinGroup-owned automotive subsidiary operates. At times, it’s baffling.
The past year alone, we saw the automaker combine its US and Canadian business entities, broke ground on its first US production facility in North Carolina, and began initial deliveries in North America following several delays.
We saw the debut of the VF 5, reported billions in new funding to keep pushing forward, and even drove the VF 8 City Edition last year… before they were recalled. Since then, we’ve seen deliveries grow, and the young automaker turned some heads with the debut of an electric mini SUV called the VF 3 – originally priced under $20,000 – last June.
While the model was originally slotted for the Vietnamese market, interest from other regions sparked rumors that VinFast was considering selling the VF 3 in the US. Today, the automaker confirmed the VF 3 will now be sold as a global EV model, and was joined on stage by VinFast’s latest concept EV – the VF Wild pickup.
Oh, the Jabbawokeez were there too.
VinFast to sell VF 3 globally, debuts its first electric pickup
In front of a crowd at CES 2024, VinFast confirmed it will now sell the VF 3 mini SUV globally, just six months after unveiling the EV for Vietnam. Sitting atop 16-inch wheels, the VF 3 measures in at a modest L125.6 x W66.1 x H63.8 inches, designed with young city drivers in mind.
It also offers 125 miles of range on a single charge. Per VinFast Global’s Deputy CEO of Sales and Marketing, Ms. Tran Mai Hoa:
With the global launch of the VF 3, we are pleased to introduce a new electric car in our range. More importantly, we are providing a new companion for a generation of young drivers who value practicality alongside personality. The VF 3 aims to unbound the imagination of urban mobility that is not only sustainable but also accessible for everyone.
Details remain slim at this point, but other features in the VF 3 include a 10-inch infotainment screen fitted with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, and a folding second-row allow for more cargo space (total capacity of 550 liters).
VinFast states that early reservations for the VF 3 will begin sometime in 2024, and those timings plus delivery windows will follow. Other pertinent details like pricing and warranty policies have also yet to be shared. As we previously reported, the initial pricing announced for Vietnam converted to approximately $20,000 – but that could certainly change.
Following the VF 3 announcement, VinFast introduced the Jabbawockeez dance crew, who shuffled over to what could perhaps be the star of the automaker’s show this morning, its new pickup concept. Check it out:
The VF Wild remains a concept but is described as VinFast as its first attempt at an electric pickup model and a design example of its goal to expand its product range to suit a wider audience. With dimensions of 209 inches (5324mm) in length and a width of 79 inches (1997mm), the VF Wild falls into the mid-size pickup category. It comes equipped with
The VF Wild remains a concept but is described as VinFast as its first attempt at an electric pickup model and a design example of its goal to expand its product range to suit a wider audience. With dimensions of 209 inches (5324mm) in length and a width of 79 inches (1997mm), the VF Wild falls into the mid-size pickup category.
It comes equipped with a bed length that can expand from 5- to 8-feet when its rear seats are automatically folded down automatically. Despite it remaining a concept, VinFast is hailing VF Wild as the largest bed in its segment. Ms. Tran Mai Hoa once again spoke:
We’re very proud to introduce the VF Wild concept, which encapsulates our mission to make sustainable, high-quality electric vehicles accessible to a broader market. This is not just a new product in our offering – it showcases our aspiration to venture into the fast-paced and thriving electric pickup truck market.
There are no immediate plans to bring the VF Wild to production, but someone at VinFast on the floor at CES told Electrek that the goal is to eventually deliver a production pickup evolved from today’s concept on display. Here’s a video of the unveiling. What do you guys think?
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Germany’s largest offshore wind farm under construction, EnBW’s He Dreiht, just hit a big milestone: The first enormous turbine is now up in the North Sea.
He Dreiht – which means “it spins” in Low German – is using Vestas’s massive 15 megawatt (MW) turbines, the first project in the world to install them. Just one spin of one of the rotors can generate enough electricity to power four households for an entire day.
When it’s finished, He Dreiht will have 64 mega turbines cranking out 960 megawatts (MW) of clean power – enough to supply around 1.1 million homes. And it’s being built without any government subsidies.
EnBW, one of Germany’s major energy companies, has been working in offshore wind for more than 15 years, but He Dreiht is their biggest project yet. “It will play a key role in helping us to significantly grow our renewable energy output from 6.6 GW to over 10 GW by 2030,” said Michael Class, who heads up EnBW’s generation portfolio development.
The project is a win for Vestas, too. “With the installation of the first V236-15.0 MW, we have reached an important milestone for both the He Dreiht project and our offshore ramp-up, which helps Germany build a more secure, affordable, and sustainable energy system,” said Nils de Baar, president of Vestas Northern & Central Europe.
He Dreiht is located about 85 kilometers (53 miles) northwest of Borkum and 110 kilometers (68 miles) west of Helgoland. At peak times, more than 500 workers will be out at sea building the farm, using a fleet of more than 60 ships. EnBW’s offshore team in Hamburg is running the show.
The installation process is a major operation. The 64 foundations were already set in the seabed last year. Parts for the turbines are loaded onto the installation vessel Wind Orca in Esbjerg, Denmark, and shipped out in a 12-hour journey to the construction site. From there, the turbines are lifted into place. Meanwhile, crews are also working on internal wind farm cabling.
A partner consortium made up of Allianz Capital Partners, AIP, and Norges Bank Investment Management owns 49.9% of the shares in He Dreiht.
Read more: Trump admin halts $5 billion NY offshore wind project mid-build
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Tesla has released a quick update about its Tesla Semi factory in Nevada. It says that it is on track for volume production of the electric semi truck in 2026.
The Tesla Semi was first scheduled to go into production in 2019, but it has faced numerous delays.
Now, it appears that there is finally some momentum to bring it to volume production.
For the last two years, Tesla has been working to build a new factory next to Gigafactory Nevada, where it builds the battery packs and drive units for most of its electric vehicles built in North America.
Today, Tesla released a “progress update on the factory, confirming that it finished building and it’s now working on deploying the production lines:
Tesla had previously mentioned aiming for volume production by 2025, but it is now only talking about starting production toward the end of the year and ramping up next year.
The automaker reiterated its planned production capacity of 50,000 units.
We recently reported that an early Tesla Semi customer, Ryder, stated that the electric truck program is experiencing more delays and a price increase described as “dramatic.”
They now expect to take deliveries of their first trucks later in 2026 and said that the price has increased “dramatically,” leading them to scale back their pilot program from 42 to 18 Tesla Semi trucks.
When originally unveiling the Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker mentioned prices of $150,000 for a 300-mile range truck and $180,000 for the 500-mile version. Tesla also took orders for a “Founder’s Series Semi” at $200,000.
However, Tesla didn’t update the prices when launching the “production version” of the truck in late 2022. Price increases have been speculated, but the company has never confirmed them.
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Vietnamese solar panel maker Boviet Solar just opened the doors to its first US factory — a huge new PV module plant in Greenville, North Carolina.
The company dropped $294 million into the state-of-the-art facility, which will pump out Boviet’s Gamma Series monofacial and Vega Series bifacial solar panels. They’re using advanced PERC and N-Type solar cell tech, which basically means these panels are built to deliver higher efficiency and better performance across residential, commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects.
The Greenville factory’s first phase is now online with an annual PV module output capacity of 2 gigawatts (GW). For Phase 2, which is scheduled to come online in the second half of 2026, Boviet will invest another $100 million to add 600,000 square feet and ramp up to another 2 GW. It will make high-efficiency solar cells.
Once both phases are complete, Boviet’s campus will cover more than 1 million square feet of manufacturing and R&D space. It’s one of the biggest clean energy manufacturing projects North Carolina has ever seen.
The jobs impact is significant, too. The first phase will create 460 skilled local jobs. Phase 2 is expected to add another 908, bringing the total to over 1,300 direct jobs, plus nearly 2,000 more indirect jobs across the region. That’s good news for Pitt County’s economy, real estate market, and workforce training programs.
“This facility is not just creating jobs, but creating opportunity, innovation, and a stronger foundation for eastern North Carolina,” said Senator Kandie Smith. Governor Josh Stein added that Boviet Solar’s move shows how North Carolina is leading the way in clean energy growth.
Read more: Thomas Built Buses debuts its next-gen electric school bus
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