Green SM deploys its first electric taxis in the U.S.

A little over a month after entering Europe, Vietnamese electric ride-hailing service provider Green SM has expanded into North America, beginning with the US. This is the VinFast affiliate's ninth market globally.

Image: VinGroup

Green SM deployed its first electric taxis in the U.S. in Los Angeles, California, on 13 October. Customers can book rides through its mobile app available on the App Store and Google Play or traditionally by calling its hotline or hailing a taxi on the street.

As a launch promotion, Green SM is giving customers a 50 per cent discount, capped at 12 dollars per ride, on the first five trips. It is also offering a complimentary Green Pass membership that gives customers ten vouchers, each providing a 30 per cent discount capped at ten dollars per ride. Commenting on the entry into the new market, Hoang Thanh Hang, the CEO of Green SM in the U.S., said: “The United States represents an important milestone in Green SM’s growth journey. We are not simply expanding into a new market. We aim to build trust with customers, drivers and local communities, one journey at a time”.

While Green SM operates both electric scooters and cars in Asian markets, it only uses cars in the U.S. Its Los Angeles fleet consists of only VinFast’s VF 8, a mid-size SUV and the most affordable model from the brand in the US, priced from $39,900 dollars.

VinFast offers the VF 8 in the U.S. in two dual-motor AWD variants, one packing 260 kW and 500 Nm of torque and one with 300 kW and 620 Nm of torque. Both feature an 87.7 kWh NMC battery pack, which, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), delivers a range of 256 miles in the former and 235 miles in the latter. Green GSM has not disclosed which configuration it chose for its fleet or whether it uses both.

Pham Nhat Vuong, the Chairman of VinFast’s parent company Vingroup, established Green SM in 2023. The company operates only using VinFast EVs and has provided around 850 million rides covering nearly six billion kilometres to date. In addition to the US, it offers the electric ride-hailing service in India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos, and the Philippines in Asia and in Denmark and the Netherlands in Europe.