'Customers were surprised because they didn't get carsick'

“VinFast VF 5 Plus has improved my life”

Who can feel the advantages and disadvantages of electric cars most clearly? It must be electric taxi drivers - people who have to drive hundreds of kilometers every day, many long trips and spend more time at charging stations than anyone else. Mr. Bui Van Vu, a Green SM taxi driver in Ho Chi Minh City, is such a person.

Mr. Bui Van Vu (HCMC) has been a taxi driver for many years.

Before joining Xanh SM, Mr. Vu worked as a driver for a traditional taxi company for 6 years. After that, he quit his job and bought a Class A gasoline car to register for technology driving applications. However, his income was not as expected because of high costs. While he was hesitating, Xanh SM was established, he decided to try a new direction.

Mr. Vu noted that using electric cars saves much more fuel costs than gasoline cars.

Since joining the electric car driver team, his income has improved significantly. He calculated that VinFast VF 5 Plus consumes about 14 kWh of electricity for every 100 km. With the current electricity price of about 3,800 VND/kWh, on average, he only spends about 54,000 VND for charging every 100 km. This figure is much more economical than gasoline cars of the same class.

He said that previously, driving a gasoline car in the same segment would cost about 7 liters of gasoline to run 100 km. With gasoline prices constantly fluctuating, sometimes reaching more than 25,000 VND/liter, it would cost an average of about 175,000 VND for 100 km, which is more than 3 times the cost of running an electric car.

Mr. Vu's income has increased about 40% since using electric cars.

“Through practical experience, the cost of using an electric car is really low. Both operation and maintenance are more comfortable than when I was driving a gasoline car. This cost savings creates conditions to increase income compared to before,” said Mr. Vu.

More specifically, he revealed that he currently earns about 25 million VND/month. After deducting the cost of the car, which is about 3.6 million VND, mainly for charging the electric car, he still has more than 21 million VND per month, not to mention tips. Overall, his income has increased by about 40% compared to before when he used a gasoline-powered car.

Both the driver and the passenger enjoy sitting in an electric car.

Having driven the VinFast VF 5 Plus for about 6 months, Mr. Vu has gone through software updates - a very different feature from gasoline cars and also a point that makes him especially satisfied. Each time, he evaluates the car to be better, smoother, and more comfortable. Meanwhile, with gasoline cars, car owners cannot proactively update features or improve the driving experience, but can only "upgrade" or buy a newer car.

VF 5 Plus has a driver-oriented cockpit design with many advanced technologies, beyond the segment.

Not only that, technology is also a huge difference. The cars Mr. Vu used before were all Class A gasoline cars. The technology on these cars was almost negligible. Therefore, when he switched to driving a Class A electric car from VinFast, he was very surprised by the equipment on the car such as virtual assistant, blind spot warning...

“These technologies help drivers observe their surroundings more easily and handle situations better,” he said.

Mr. Vu especially appreciates the virtual assistant. When he wants to turn on or off the air conditioner, increase or decrease the temperature according to the customer's request... he just needs to give a voice command, the car will automatically adjust as desired. Meanwhile, he can still focus on the road, thereby limiting dangerous situations that may occur.

Not only does it benefit the driver, the electric car also makes the passengers feel more comfortable. Mr. Vu said that most customers feel satisfied when being picked up and dropped off by electric car. They rate the driver as friendly and the car as having “3 no’s” – no smoke, no smell, no noise.

Thanks to its smokeless, odorless, and noiseless advantages, VF 5 Plus brings comfort to both drivers and passengers.

A female passenger even shared with him that every time she had to call a taxi, she felt carsick as soon as she opened the door. But when she sat in the VinFast VF 5 Plus electric car, her feeling was completely different.

“The female passenger exclaimed: 'Why do I get sick when I ride other brands of cars, but when I ride your car, I don't feel sick at all?' That was the first time I truly understood how beneficial electric cars are to users,” he confided.

Reasonable operating range, good charging station coverage

The VF 5 Plus can travel 326.4 km on a full charge, according to the NEDC standard.

As someone who has to drive all day, sometimes taking passengers to provinces such as Vung Tau, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, the West..., Mr. Vu shared that the operating range of more than 300 km of VinFast VF 5 Plus is suitable. After a day of driving, he comes back at night to the VinFast charging station to fully charge the battery so that the car is ready to go again the next morning. After taking passengers until noon, he only needs to "add" 20-30% more battery to be enough to use until late at night.

When going to the provinces, VinFast charging stations have good coverage, so he has never had to worry about distance or charging stations. On long trips, while waiting for customers, he takes the opportunity to charge for about 45 minutes and then "generously" takes customers back to Ho Chi Minh City without having to worry about anything.

Mr. Vu shared that on his daily passenger journey, he can take advantage of the time to charge his battery to rest.

“The time spent charging the car is also valuable time for me to rest, not downtime. Many times, before I finish my cup of coffee, the battery is already full,” said Mr. Vu.

PV

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tai-xe-cong-nghe-chay-vf-5-plus-khach-ngac-nhien-vi-khong-he-say-xe-post298992.html