Just a few months ago, we saw that Vietnamese EV maker VinFast, which gained notoriety in the US a few years ago for making an EV SUV, gets the highest reviews here. totally immersedApparently it was about to bring some of its EV scooters to Indonesia for the first time. And for those unfamiliar with vehicle culture in Indonesia, this makes a lot of sense: this is a place where small-displacement motorbikes reign supreme, and it’s also a place where electrification is making inroads, thanks in large part to a concerted government push for mass EV adoption.
Four years ago, I rode Vinfast’s scooters. In fact, at the time, the company told me it was planning to bring them to the US as well. Notably, at the time, the company did not give any timeline for this plan; And to be fair, this is something that many companies do for a variety of reasons.
I can’t say for sure what the motivating factors were in this specific case. what i to do Know that EV scooters like the VF work better in places where traveling on two wheels is a cultural norm. Unfortunately, even though I and others wish it were different, it’s not something that describes most of the riding culture in America. There are some of us who will undoubtedly do this; and always will be. But generally speaking, we’re weird people.
But let’s say you’re a decision-maker at WinFast. If you are, then a place like Indonesia makes complete sense that you would want to launch your EV scooter there. Maybe that’s why, starting from the weekend of July 18, 2026, VinFast started opening dealerships throughout Indonesia. It is also offering its autos in the country. It is especially pushing its electric scooter line In its promotional material.
The grand opening of its dealership network in Indonesia will run from July 19 to July 25, 2026, and it will come with a few different battery options. The entire line relies on a pair of 1.5 kWh LFP batteries mounted under the seat, and owners can either choose to join a battery-swapping subscription scheme, or charge them at home like any other rechargeable modern device. During the motorbike launch period, VF is also offering one year of free battery swapping at its V-Green battery swapping centers to early adopters. There is one limitation to keep in mind: “Free swaps for a year” apparently only covers a total of 20 swaps per month.
But it looks like VinFast is just getting started on its international expansion plans.
New design patent filing shows Indonesia isn’t the only country that starts with “I” and is on the expanding list
Which is the world’s largest motorcycle market in 2026? If you said “India”, you would be correct. To be fair, if you said this most of the time you would be right. Importantly, India is also in a state of transition, where more EV infrastructure and EV adoption is still being rolled out on a regular basis.
When these two factors are taken together, it is almost incomprehensible why a company like VinFast would want to wade straight into those waters and enter the Indian EV two-wheeler market. Although no formal announcement has been made yet, the fact that VinFast has filed two separate EV two-wheeler design patents in India indicates the company’s interest in that market. And it’s worth noting that while one of them looks like the familiar face of the EV scooter we already know, the other appears to be an actual EV motorcycle that we haven’t seen before.
Photo by: RideApart.com
Filing a design patent clearly signals interest in a market, even if a company has not yet established itself in said market. What it doesn’t do is indicate any kind of time frame, as VF told me years ago. The design patents also don’t give technical details, so there’s no telling what type of motor or battery or anything else might be included in that EV motorcycle.
This is a low-resolution profile shot, and the bodywork (though not the headlights) makes it bear a slight resemblance to the Honda WN7, which has been in the design awards race since its debut. How will it perform against domestic machines like the impressive Ultraviolette F77? What about Hero’s entry into EV motorcycles?
India is massively fond of motorbikes, it’s true; But it’s also an incredibly competitive market. Will Vinfast be able to carve a niche for itself? We’ll be interested to see how things progress.
