VinFast to enter the US market with electric buses

The Vietnamese manufacturer VinFast aims to move even faster than its Chinese counterparts in gaining market share, launching a full-scale offensive to conquer Europe and North America simultaneously with its electric buses. The company, founded in 2017, made its first appearance at the Busworld Europe exhibition in Brussels last year, regarded as the industry’s largest international gathering, before also being represented at the BUS2BUS 2026 trade fair in Berlin this April, and has now showcased its products at the APTA 2026 TRANSform & EXPO trade show, held in Chicago between 4 and 7 October, alongside announcing its plans to enter the local market and the cooperation agreement underpinning them. There is no shortage of newly emerging challengers in the urban bus segment across the Atlantic at present: sensing the market gap that has developed in recent years, in addition to the Vietnamese,Poland’s Solaris and ABC Companies, which is well acquainted with local operating conditions, are also entering this segment.

A few decades ago, it would have been inconceivable for a Vietnamese vehicle manufacturer to sell buses in the United States, but just as Indian manufacturers originally established with British interests are nowadays acquiring British brands (and deciding to discontinue them), we have lived to see this too. According to the announcement made at the Chicago trade show, VinFast will be assisted in its entry into the United States market and the local introduction of its eBus platform by NexMove. Under the agreement, NexMove – an affiliate of Zeem Solutions, which specialises in charging infrastructure for commercial vehicle fleets and related services – will offer VinFast electric buses across the Atlantic as part of a comprehensive service package. Under a single contract, this will cover not only the vehicles but also the necessary charging equipment, maintenance and operation, while guaranteeing availability of 97% or higher. According to the official communication, prospective customers will therefore only need to provide drivers and insurance. This service-based business model (Transportation-as-a-Service, TaaS) enables a gradual, controlled market rollout. VinFast and NexMove will also work jointly on establishing US production in order to ensure that the vehicles comply with the requirements of the Buy America provisions, which are mandatory for buses purchased with support from the federal transport authority (Federal Transit Administration, FTA).

Although the manufacturer’s announced plans envisage sales of locally adapted versions of the VinFast EB8 midibus and the full-size EB12 single-deck electric bus, it was the former and the medium-sized EB10 model that represented the brand in Chicago. Details of the technical specifications of the versions to be supplied to the US market have not been officially disclosed, but according to reports in the local press, the vehicles will receive lithium iron phosphate (LFP) traction battery packs with an installed total capacity starting at 266 kWh, sufficient for approximately 180 miles (288 kilometres), while charging from 20% to 80% will take just 45 minutes. The vehicles will be equipped, among other things, with artificial intelligence-based digital cameras and a 4D radar system that provides real-time warnings of safety risks. VinFast also highlights advanced corrosion protection, while promising competitive warranty services, intelligent fleet management and low operating costs.

Around 2,000 VinFast-built electric buses are currently in operation in Vietnam; most recently, 53 examples entered service on the streets of the country’s capital, Hanoi, on 5 and 6 October, coinciding with the Chicago exhibition. VinFast now intends to bring this experience gained under real-world operating conditions to the US market, to which the company has been exporting its electric passenger cars since the end of 2022. The first demonstration buses intended for US customers will still be versions without type approval, to be used exclusively for testing and evaluation purposes. Sales and deliveries of series-production vehicles that have already received type approval are scheduled to begin in 2028.

Photos: VinFast US