VinFast has for the first time publicly acknowledged range-extender technology, posting an image on its official fanpage containing nothing but the word "REEV". The timing is telling: it came right after the company teased a camouflaged new model it says will be introduced this September.
Observers widely read the teaser silhouette as the VF Wild, the pickup VinFast unveiled as a concept at CES 2024. Its production version has since been spotted testing with minimal disguise, and dealer-sourced reports point to two or three variants using an EREV drivetrain. Earlier spy photos showing a pair of symmetric body panels — plausibly a charging port and a fuel filler — have reinforced that theory.
The Wild may not be alone. In late August, an all-new VinFast SUV was caught on test: roughly VF 8-sized but boxier and more angular, with extra ground clearance, and a front intake hints that it too could carry a range extender.
An EREV, also called a REEV, is an electric vehicle in which only the motor drives the wheels; a gasoline engine acts purely as a generator once the battery runs low. That blend of EV driving with freedom from charging stops explains why the format has caught on with many Chinese carmakers — and it now looks set to reach Vietnam through VinFast.