Did VinFast just rip off one of the most recognizable electric bikes in existence?
As VinFast expands its presence in the US, the Vietnamese automaker recently showed off its new DrgnFly electric bike at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. But no sooner did the veil drop than the questions began to swirl about just how close is too close when mimicking other famous e-bike designs.
In this case, the specs of the bike are less important. Sure, it’s got a 750W motor and does 28 mph (45 km/h), but so do a hundred other e-bike models in the US alone, let alone around the world.
What’s more eyebrow-raising is just how closely VinFast’s new electric bike appears to copy SUPER73’s iconic e-bike design.
SUPER73 may not have originated the moped-style electric bike design, but there is little argument that they were one of the earliest companies to embrace the design. Ever since, SUPER73’s heavy investment in marketing and its own rider culture has launched the 20″ wheel moped-style electric bike design to stardom. Drawing upon motorcycle inspiration matched with e-bike cost effectiveness, SUPER73 has now spent years building up a loyal customer base and turning itself into more than just an e-bike company, but rather an entire lifestyle brand.
It’s worked, too. Nearly any other e-bike is difficult to distinguish at a distance. From 50 yards, a Rad and an Aventon just don’t look that different. But anyone who has spent more than a few days in the e-bike industry can likely spot a SUPER73 from half a football field away.
Just like there are countless 750W e-bikes, these days there seem to be countless SUPER73 imitators. And to imitate is one thing. E-bikes like the Ride1Up Revv1 have surely imitated SUPER73 while bringing their own brand’s styling and features to the table. But outright copying is an entirely different story, and the case of the VinFast DrgnFly is starting to push closer to the photocopy end of the spectrum than an artistic interpretation.
The bike model it most closely resembles is the SUPER73-ZX, a bike I had the pleasure of testing out myself. From the nearly identical handlebars and saddle to largely the same frame (minus the S73 cutouts), it’s difficult to find an area on the bike that doesn’t look like it was swapped over from SUPER73’s spare parts warehouse.
An underslung battery adds to the mimicry, and though it doesn’t scream carbon copy by itself, it piles onto the growing list of nearly identical or highly similar features.
Interestingly, the DrgnFly hasn’t only co-opted the outward design, but VinFast also appears to have its sights set on SUPER73’s lifestyle brand status. SUPER73 is perhaps as well known for its fiercely loyal riders who have embraced the lifestyle aspect of SUPER73 culture more than with any other e-bike brand on the market. I’ve seen more customization and personalization on SUPER73 bikes than just about all other brands combined.
According to VinFast Global’s Deputy CEO of Sales and Marketing Tran Mai Hoa, “VinFast’s DrgnFly is not just an e-bike, it’s a lifestyle option for modern users who seek to express their personality.” Sounds pretty familiar to me.
To be fair, VinFast likely played a smaller role in the actual design of the DrgnFly. The company noted that the bike’s design was aided by “Eskild Hansen, an innovative Danish studio with multiple Red Dot Design awards.”
But at the end of the day, it still says VinFast on the nameplate.
We’ve seen e-bikes before that highly resemble other famous models, and they often slip by in a largely unregulated field. But legal battles sometimes ensue when the designs are too close for comfort.
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National Grid Renewables has broken ground on its 100 MW Apple River Solar Project in Polk County, Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin solar farm, which will use US-made First Solar Series 6 Plus bifacial modules, will be constructed by The Boldt Company, creating 150 construction and service jobs. Apple River Solar will generate over $36 million in direct economic benefits over its first 20 years.
Once it comes online in late 2025, Apple River Solar will supply clean energy to Xcel Energy, which serves customers throughout the Upper Midwest. According to National Grid Renewables, the solar farm will generate enough energy to power around 26,000 homes annually. It will also offset about 129,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year – equivalent to taking 30,900 cars off the road.
“We are excited to see this project begin as it underscores our dedication to delivering clean, reliable and affordable energy to our customers,” said Karl Hoesly, President, Xcel Energy-Wisconsin and Michigan. “This project is an important step in those goals while bringing significant economic benefits to Polk County and the local townships.”
Electrek reported in February that Xcel Energy, Minnesota’s largest utility, expects to cut more than 80% – and possibly up to 88% – of its emissions by 2030, putting it on track to hit Minnesota’s goal of net zero by 2040. It also says it’s on track to achieve its clean energy goals for all the Upper Midwest states it serves – Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Michigan.
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Tesla has announced that it will finally deliver 500 kW charging as it is about to install its long-awaited V4 Supercharger cabinets.
The rollout of Supercharger V4 has been a strange one, to say the least.
Tesla has been deploying the new charging stations for two years and calling them “Supercharger V4”, but it has only been deploying the charging stalls.
Supercharger stations are made of two main parts: the stalls, which are where the charging cable is located, and the cabinets, which are generally located further back and include all the power electronics.
For all these new “Supercharger V4”, Tesla was actually using Supercharger V3 cabinets. This has been limiting the power output of the charging stations to 250 kW – although
Today, Tesla officially announced its “V4 Cabinet”, which the automaker claims will enable of “delivering up to 500kW for cars and 1.2MW for Semi.”
Here are the main features of the V4 Cabinet as per Tesla:
- Faster charging: Supports 400V-1000V vehicle architectures, including 30% faster charging for Cybertruck. S3XY vehicles enjoy 250kW charge rates they already experience on V3 Cabinet — charging up to 200 miles in 15 minutes.
- Faster deployments: V4 Cabinet powers 8 posts, 2X the stalls per cabinet. Lower footprint and complexity = more sites coming online faster.
- Next-generation hardware: Cutting-edge power electronics designed to be the most reliable on the planet, with 3X power density enabling higher throughput with lower costs.
Tesla reports that its first sites with the new V4 Cabinets are going into permitting now. The company expects its first sites to open next year.
We recently reported about Tesla’s new Oasis Supercharger project, which includes larger solar arrays and battery packs to operate the charging station mostly off-grid.
Early in the deployment of the Supercharger network, Tesla promised to add solar arrays and batteries to all Supercharger stations, and Musk even said that most stations would be able to operate off-grid.
While Tesla did add solar and batteries to a few stations, the vast majority of them don’t have their own power system or have only minimal solar canopies.
Back in 2016, I asked Musk about this, and he said that it would now happen as Tesla had the “pieces now in place” with Supercharger V3, Powerpack V2, and SolarCity:
It took about 8 years, but it sounds like the pieces are now getting actually in place with Supercharger V4, Megapacks, and this new Oasis project.
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Hyundai has a new secret weapon it’s about ready to unleash. To revamp the brand in China and counter BYD’s surge, Hyundai is launching a new AI-powered EV next year. The new model will be Hyundai’s first dedicated electric car for the world’s largest EV market.
With the help of Haomo, a Chinese autonomous startup, Hyundai will launch its first EV equipped with generative AI. It will also be its first model designed specifically for China.
A Hyundai Motor official said (via The Korea Herald) the company is “working to load the software” onto the new EV model, “which will be released in the Chinese market next year.” The spokesperson added, “The level of autonomous driving is somewhere between 2 and 2.5.”
In comparison, Tesla’s Autopilot is considered a level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) on the SAE scale (0 to 5), meaning it offers limited hands-free features.
With Autopilot, you still have to keep your eyes on the road and hands on the steering wheel, or the system will notify you and eventually disengage.
Haomo’s system, DriveGPT, unveiled last spring, takes inspiration from the OpenAI’s popular ChatGPT.
The system can continuously update in real-time to optimize decision-making by absorbing traffic data patterns. According to Haomo, DriveGPT is used in around 20 models as it looks to play a bigger role in China.
Hyundai hopes new AI-powered EV boosts sales in China
Electric vehicle sales continue surging in China. According to Rho Motion, China set another EV sales record last month with 1.2 million units sold, up 50% from October 2023.
Over 8.4 million EVs were sold in China in the first ten months of 2024, a notable 38% increase from last year.
BYD continues to dominate its home market. According to Autovista24, BYD accounted for 32.9% of all PHEV and EV (NEV) sales in China through September, with over half of the top 20 best-selling EV models.
Tesla was second with a 6.5% share of the market, but keep in mind these numbers only include plug-in models (PHEV).
Like most foreign automakers, Hyundai is struggling to keep up with the influx of low-cost electric models in China. Beijing Hyundai’s sales have been slipping since 2017. Through September, Korean automaker’s share of the Chinese market fell to just 1.2%.
Last month, Hyundai opened its first overseas digital R&D center in China to help kick off its return to the region.
According to local reports, Hyundai is partnering with other local tech companies like Thundersoft, a smart cockpit provider, and others in China to power up its next-gen EVs
With its first AI-powered EV launching next year, Hyundai hopes to turn things around in the region quickly. The new model will be one of five to launch in China through 2026.
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