As its ambitions in Europe remain in flux, Vietnamese EV maker VinFast is sharpening its focus closer to home, accelerating a large-scale battery-swapping rollout for electric scooters in Vietnam while preparing to expand into major Asian markets such as India and Indonesia.

The move underscores how central scooters remain to both the company’s strategy and the broader mobility landscape in its home market.

The latest announcements signal a shift in emphasis rather than a new direction. VinFast has been producing electric scooters since the late 2010s and is already the dominant player in Vietnam’s nascent e-scooter segment, having sold more than 400,000 units in 2025 alone.

Nationwide swapping infrastructure

What is new is the scale of its battery subscription model and the ambition to build a nationwide swapping infrastructure that could rival the most advanced systems globally. Battery swapping allows riders to exchange depleted batteries for charged ones in minutes, eliminating charging time and reducing upfront vehicle costs.

VinFast’s pricing model – combining a low monthly subscription of around €7-8 with a small per-swap fee of roughly €0.30-0.35 – is designed to undercut the running costs of fossil-fuel-powered scooters in a country where scooters are the backbone of daily mobility.

With roughly three million two-wheelers sold annually and ownership rates among the highest in the world (80% of the families own one), Vietnam offers a uniquely fertile environment for such a system.

Crucially, scooters address many of the challenges that have limited battery swapping in the passenger-car market. Their batteries are smaller, lighter, and easier to standardize.

It makes manual or semi-automated swapping quick and cost-effective. Infrastructure requirements are lower, and high daily usage – especially among delivery riders –means the time savings are immediately valuable.

By contrast, car batteries are large, heavy, and vehicle-specific, requiring complex robotics and significant capital investment, which has slowed adoption outside a few niche players.

Default mode of transport

Scooters are not just a product category in Vietnam; they are the default mode of transport for commuters, families, and delivery services alike. This makes electrification of two-wheelers arguably more impactful than passenger cars in terms of emissions and urban air quality.

Government pressure, including planned restrictions on internal combustion motorcycles in cities like Hanoi, is further accelerating the transition.

VinFast’s strategy also puts it in direct competition with Gogoro, the Taiwanese pioneer of battery-swapping networks. Gogoro has built a highly successful, partner-driven ecosystem in Taiwan and is expanding internationally.

VinFast is pursuing a more vertically integrated approach, controlling vehicle production, battery technology, and infrastructure deployment. The Vietnamese group’s advantage lies in its strong domestic position and ability to tailor pricing to local conditions, while Gogoro brings a more mature technology platform and global partnerships.

VinFast’s scooter strategy is built on a broad, deliberately tiered model lineup spanning entry-level to premium segments. At the bottom end, models such as the Evo200 and Evo200 Lite are designed for students and urban commuters, starting at around 15-22 million VND (roughly €550-850).

Mid-range models like the Feliz S and Klara S2 typically range between 24 and 32 million VND (€900-1,200), while higher-end scooters, such as the Vento S and flagship Theon S, can reach 47 to 60 million VND (€1,700-2,200) without battery, or over €2,500 when purchased outright.

VinFast’s decision to separate the battery cost from the vehicle price – through rental or swapping – keeps entry prices significantly lower than comparable gasoline scooters, reinforcing its mass-market appeal in Vietnam’s highly price-sensitive but volume-driven two-wheeler market.

World’s largest two-wheeler markets

Beyond Vietnam, VinFast is now targeting some of the world’s largest two-wheeler markets. India, Indonesia, and the Philippines represent hundreds of millions of potential users, many of whom rely on scooters for daily transport.

These markets share key characteristics with Vietnam: dense urban environments, high usage intensity, and limited access to home charging. Battery swapping could therefore prove equally compelling, particularly for commercial users such as ride-hailing and delivery fleets.

While scooters dominate its Asian strategy, VinFast’s broader portfolio reveals a more diversified ambition. Since 2022, the company has fully transitioned to electric passenger cars, offering a range of SUVs and compact models for global markets, though its European expansion in this segment has slowed.

At the same time, it has quietly built a presence in electric public transport through its bus division, with vehicles already in operation in Vietnam and recently introduced to European audiences.

In Europe, VinFast’s electric buses may ultimately provide a more viable entry point than its cars or scooters. The company signaled its ambitions with a high-profile presence at Busworld Europe in Belgium.

It showcased its latest electric bus models and positioned itself as a serious contender in the public transport sector. The continent’s regulatory push toward zero-emission public transport, combined with procurement-driven markets, offers opportunities for new entrants with competitive pricing.

The company’s experience operating its own bus services at home could strengthen its credibility in this segment.

Yamaha’s pilot concept

In Europe, meanwhile, battery swapping remains at an early stage. Yamaha Motor is among the few players actively testing the concept through its ENYRING subsidiary, which is preparing pilot deployments for swappable e-bike batteries in cities such as Berlin and Amsterdam.

The initiative combines a subscription-based battery model with a network of urban swap stations developed in partnership with infrastructure specialist Swobbee, with initial operations expected from late 2025.

However, the rollout remains limited in scale and focused on low-speed micromobility, with only a few dozen stations planned per city and a standardized battery system across a small range of e-bikes.

Other European initiatives, including Swobbee’s broader battery-sharing infrastructure for light electric vehicles and earlier pilot projects with shared e-mopeds, point to growing interest but also underline the fragmented, city-by-city nature of deployment.

Unlike in Asia, where companies such as VinFast and Gogoro are building dense, nationwide ecosystems, Europe’s battery-swapping efforts remain experimental, partnership-driven, and largely confined to niche urban use cases.