VinFast’s new VF 9 electric SUV boasts 330 miles EPA range, but it will cost you
Vietnamese EV maker VinFast (VFS) announced Monday that its new VF 9 electric SUV has earned up to 330 miles EPA range, outperforming its own benchmarks.
VinFast burst onto the scene after vowing to end internal combustion vehicle production and unveiling the VF 8 and VF 9 electric SUVs at the 2021 LA Auto Show.
The automaker moved quickly, gathering reservations and delivering its first 100 models last September.
However, after shipping its first batch of electric vehicles (VF 8 City Edition models) to the US in late November, VinFast’s momentum was slowed.
VinFast delayed deliveries by several months to load its vehicles with the latest software, as the first customer delivery took place on March 1. Following the rollout, VinFast introduced a new pricing promo to keep pace with Tesla’s price cuts earlier this year and kickstart its North American campaign.
The EV maker’s second batch of nearly 1,900 VF 8 models arrived in May with a longer battery range. The VF 8 Eco has 264 miles EPA range while the Plus trim features 243 miles, with prices starting at $46,000 and $51,800, respectively.
VinFast VF 9 EPA range and pricing
After shipping its second batch of EVs, VinFast CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy said, “We expect to export the VF 9” in the coming months.
The VinFast VF 9 is a larger three-row all-electric SUV with two electric motors and an AWD powertrain with 402 total horsepower.
VinFast announced Monday that its VF 9 received 330 miles certified EPA range for the Eco trim and 291 miles for the Plus trim. The figures beat initial estimates of 272 miles and 262 miles, respectively.
The company says the exterior is designed by the iconic Italian car design firm Pininfarina, with optimized aerodynamics. Meanwhile, the interior is “meticulous and sophisticated,” with advanced technology to maximize comfort for every passenger.
The electric motors produce up to 402 hp (300 kW) and 620 Nm maximum torque. The VinFast 9 also comes with Level 2 ADAS and a suite of intelligent and entertainment features.
For example, VinFast recently partnered with Sony Pictures Entertainment to launch a new in-car streaming service.
Despite the higher EPA range figures, the VinFast VF 9 will have an MSRP of $83,000 (Eco) and $91,000 (Plus).
VinFast has hit several significant milestones over the past month or so. The EV maker broke ground at its North Carolina facility at the end of July, where it will focus on building VF 7, VF 8, and VF 9 electric models.
More recently, VinFast completed its SPAC merger with Black Spade Acquisition Co (BSAQ) as shares began trading under the ticker “VFS” last week.
The VF 9 is already being delivered in Vietnam and is expected to reach customers in North America by the end of the year. Reservations are open globally.
Electrek’s Take
Demand for a three-row electric SUV continues building, and VinFast looks to fill it with the VF 9. With up to 330 miles EPA range, the VF 9 outperformed the automaker’s expectations.
However, VinFast may have difficulty competing with an $83K starting price tag. The VF 9 will compete with the Rivian R1S, which starts at $78K for about 260 miles range. Adding the optional large battery pack bumps that number up to 352 miles, but it will cost an extra $6,000.
The VF 9 will also compete against Tesla’s Model Y, which starts at $47,740 for 279 EPA miles range, plus an additional $2,500 for third-row seating. Or you can opt for the model Y Long Range with 330 miles EPA range for $50,490, plus the extra $2,500 for a total of $52,990.
Kia is launching its first seven-seat electric SUV, the EV9, which is expected to start at around $60K for the standard battery pack or $70K for the larger battery pack with up to 300 miles range.
We’ll see how the VinFast VF 9 stacks up as it’s expected to begin rolling out later this year in the US.
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Environment
U.S. could reach deal with Canada that avoids oil and gas tariffs, energy secretary says
HOUSTON — The U.S. could reach an agreement with Canada that avoids tariffs on imports of oil, gas and other energy resources, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday.
Wright said such a scenario is “certainly is possible” but “it’s too early to say” in response to a question from CNBC during a press conference at the CERAWeek by S&P Global. The U.S. is in “active dialogue” with Canada and Mexico, the energy secretary said.
President Donald Trump has paused until April 2 tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports that are compliant with the agreement which governs trade in North America. Trump originally imposed broad 25% tariffs on goods from both countries as well as lesser 10% tariffs on energy imports from Canada.
It’s unclear, however, how much of the oil, gas and other energy that the U.S. imports from Canada is compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. Wright declined to provide specifics when CNBC asked how much of those imports are USMCA compliant.
“I’m going to avoid the details for now,” Wright said. The energy secretary said, “We can get to no tariffs or very low tariffs but it’s got to be reciprocal” in an interview with CNBC’s Brian Sullivan.
Canada’s energy minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, warned last week that energy prices will rise in the U.S. if the tariffs on energy imports go into full effect.
“We will see higher gasoline prices as a function of energy, higher electricity prices from hydroelectricity from Canada, higher home heating prices associated with natural gas that comes from Canada and higher automobile prices,” Wilkinson told CNBC’s Megan Cassella in an interview.
The U.S. has been the largest producer of crude oil and natural gas in the world for years. But many refiners in the U.S. are dependent on heavy crude imported from Canada. The U.S. imported 6.6 million barrels of crude oil per day on average in December, more than 60% of which came from Canada, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Wright acknowledged that the tariffs are creating uncertainty in energy markets as negotiations continue.
“We’re in the middle of negotiations for where things are going to go with tariffs, so that feels frightening and gripping right now but this time will pass,” Wright said. “Deals will be made, we’ll get certainty and we’ll have a positive economic environment for Americans going forward.”
U.S. crude oil fell more than 1% Monday to close at $66.03 per barrel, while global benchmark Brent closed at $69.28 per barrel. Crude oil futures have pulled back substantially as Trump’s trade policy creates uncertainty and OPEC+ has confirmed that it plans to gradually bring back 2.2 million barrels per day of production beginning next month.
Apple is rolling out a notable update to Apple Maps EV Routing for Ford drivers. Starting today, Ford Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers can use Apple Maps EV Routing via CarPlay to plan road trips that include Tesla Superchargers – or any station that uses the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector.
As I’ve explained before, Ford began shipping adapters CCS to NACS adapters that allow Mach-E and Lightning drivers to charge at Tesla Superchargers last year. Until today, however, Apple Maps was unaware of this change. This meant Apple Maps EV Routing would only route Mach-E and Lightning drivers to CCS charging stations, even though a route with Tesla Superchargers might’ve been more efficient.
With today’s change, Apple Maps via CarPlay will now include NACS fast charging stations, such as compatible Tesla Superchargers, in recommended route planning recommendations.
In a blog post, Ford explains:
Apple Maps EV Routing in CarPlay allows drivers to input their route and can view the estimated battery level they will have when they get to a destination, as well as suggested charging stations along the way if charging is needed. Previously, Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning drivers would have to manually open another app, then enter a NACS fast charger as a destination to have it added to their route. Now, with the Apple Maps EV Routing and NACS fast charger integration, the experience will be more seamless.
How to Use Apple Maps EV Routing in CarPlay:
- Connect your Apple iPhone to CarPlay.
- Open Apple Maps, go to Settings, and confirm your preferred charging network(s) – make sure you select a NACS fast charging station, such as Tesla Supercharger. You only have to do this once.
- Enter a destination.
- Apple Maps will then calculate the estimated state of charge you will have when you get to a destination.
- If a charge is required, depending on the fastest route, it will automatically route you to a NACS fast charging station.*
This is a significant update to the Apple Maps EV Routing experience for Ford drivers. Next up on my wishlist is support for battery preconditioning when using Apple Maps EV Routing. Android Auto added this feature last October.
The new feature is available now to iPhone users running iOS 17 or later. No software update is required for your car.
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James Murdoch, a Tesla board member and friend of CEO Elon Musk, has confirmed that he sold about $13 million in stock today as the stock (TSLA) crashed.
There has been a lot of insider trading at Tesla lately, and by trading, we mean selling – cause no insider is ever buying at Tesla.
We recently reported on Kimball Musk, Elon’s brother, and Tesla’s Chief Financial Officer Taneja Vaibhav recently selling ahead of a recent drop in the company’s stock price.
Tesla’s chairwoman, Robyn Denholm, also sold $33 million worth of Tesla shares last week and over $100 million in the last 3 months.
Now, it’s James Murdoch’s turn. The Tesla board member just confirmed, through a required SEC filing, that he sold 54,776 Tesla shares for just over $13 million today:
He sold as Tesla’s stock crashed 15% today. It is now down more than 50% from its all-time high just a few months ago.
Murdoch was appointed to Tesla’s board in 2017.
He is better known as the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the former CEO of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019.
Murdoch was one of the Tesla board directors who was forced to return almost $1 billion in cash and stock options to Tesla as part of a settlement for over-compensation.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla insiders are unloading, and those are just the ones we know about. Public companies only have to report insider trading for board directors and listed top executives.
For the latter, Tesla purposefully only lists 3 people: Elon, Vaibhav Taneja, Tesla’s CFO, and Tom Zhu, whose role at Tesla has bit quite fluid in recent years.
Therefore, we don’t know about the dozens of other top executives potentially selling their shares right now amid a giant correction.
It’s really suspicious because there are clear top leaders at Tesla who are often on Tesla’s earnings calls, and they are not even listed, like Lars Moravy, for example.
But it’s par for the course at Tesla, which has some of the worst corporate governance I have ever seen. It’s truly shameful.
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