VinFast’s EVO 200 is the most affordable electric scooter in the VinFast lineup, following the discontinuation of Ludo, Impes, and Tempest. The EVO 200 is priced at only 22 million VND (excluding battery, with free battery rental for the first year or an option to purchase the battery for 19.9 million VND), but it offers the longest range (200 km) in the VinFast family as well as in the entire Vietnamese market.
Design of the VinFast Evo 200
The VinFast Evo 200 features a neutral design that can be suitable for both men and women, young and old. The design draws inspiration from sleek bees and has a compact size with modern rounded lines similar to European scooters. The dimensions of the scooter are 1,804 x 683 x 1,127 mm (length x width x height) with a weight of 97 kg, making it highly maneuverable in urban areas. Compared to the Honda Vision, the Evo 200 is shorter by 67 mm, narrower by 3 mm, taller by 26 mm, and slightly heavier, mainly due to the weight of the LFP battery on the scooter.
Although the scooter’s shape is suitable for everyone, it is primarily targeted towards young customers, especially high school students (the EVO 200 Lite version does not require a driving license). Therefore, VinFast offers 5 vibrant color options for the EVO 200: yellow, bright red, pearl white, deep blue, and matte black. The scooter in the article has a beautiful deep blue color with a touch of ruggedness. Let’s overlook the additional personalized labels on the scooter to evaluate the VinFast EVO 200 together.
The VinFast EVO 200 seen from the front has a sleek and neutral design that suits a wide range of customers.
The compact size allows for easy maneuverability in tight spaces, which larger and more luxurious scooters like Theon, SH, and Vespa cannot achieve.
The seat is slim and slightly firm, making long rides uncomfortable, but the material is durable and long-lasting. However, the seat is quite short and not suitable for two adults sitting at the same time. Users may consider the length of the seat and change the seat cover material for more comfort.
The prominent V emblem and the turn signal lights are designed to sweep downward, making the EVO 200 easily recognizable when viewed from the front. The scooter is equipped with 12-inch multi-spoke wheels without spokes, and a single disc brake.
The flat and spacious floorboard (except for special models like the Dat Bike) allows for comfortable foot placement and storage. However, the floorboard is quite high (due to the LFP battery underneath), making it difficult for the rider to sit upright and causing fatigue on long rides.
The wide floorboard allows you to easily transport your pets on each ride. The quiet electric motor without noise, smoke, or exhaust emissions is something your pets will appreciate.
The monochrome digital meter displays various bike information including battery capacity, speed, distance traveled, riding modes, ODO, time, and battery temperature.
The handlebar is somewhat of a drawback in the design of the VinFast EVO 200. Although it is large and easy to grip, the handlebar is slightly off compared to the overall design.
The round projector headlight is aesthetically pleasing and adequately bright.
The footrest for the passenger is sleek and compact, but retracting it can be difficult and may accidentally touch the rider’s legs.
The storage compartment is spacious, up to 22 liters, allowing for easy storage of personal belongings and even a half-face helmet. For 3/4 helmets, they can still fit but may need to be placed at an angle.
Performance of the VinFast EVO 200 and important considerations
The VinFast Evo 200 has a maximum power of 2,500W, which allows the scooter to reach a top speed of 70 km/h (in Sport mode) and 45 km/h (in Eco mode), accelerating from 0-50 km/h in just 14 seconds. The Evo 200 Lite version can only reach a maximum speed of 49 km/h, making it suitable for customers who do not have a driving license.
The charging port is located inside the storage compartment. The scooter comes with a 400W charger, which can fully charge the 3.5 kWh battery of the EVO 200 within 10 hours. The scooter can travel up to 200 km after each ideal charge (in Eco mode, with a rider weighing less than 60 kg, and traveling consistently at a speed of 30 km/h). This range is sufficient for a full day of riding without the need to charge. For those who need to travel more than 200 km per day, they will have to carry an extra charger. VinFast has provided many electric scooter charging stations nationwide. However, unlike cars, VinFast’s electric scooter charging stations only offer charging ports without charging cables and adapters, which can be inconvenient for owners.
The motor is located in the rear wheel and is an in-hub type. With this design, it will be difficult for users to repair a tire at regular motorcycle shops as they do not have the necessary tire removal equipment. The best solution is for users to proactively equip themselves with patch mushroom/screw kits on the scooter, which is a temporary and effective repair method without the need to disassemble the tire like with traditional tire repair methods.
The high ground clearance of the scooter allows for riding on sidewalks without worrying about hitting the undercarriage. The front suspension is quite firm, which helps with stability, but it can be uncomfortable when encountering speed bumps, causing the scooter to bounce, which is not suitable for riders with weak wrists or on rough roads. The front and rear brakes are also not optimal in this price range.
The powerful motor allows for climbing steep gradients and going through garage stairwells without any difficulty, unlike Chinese scooters with motors of only 600-800W on the market. This is a significant advantage of the EVO 200.
Real-world travel distance of 20 km including riding in both Sport mode at maximum speed and Eco mode consumed 16% of the battery.
Smart features of the VinFast EVO 200
VinFast provides the E-scooter app for electric scooters to manage all aspects related to the scooter such as trips, battery status, scooter location, and distance traveled.
Be careful with trip records.
The location feature allows owners to easily find their scooters.
Cost of travel for the VinFast EVO 200
An electric scooter always has lower fuel costs than a petrol scooter. With a 3.5 kWh battery that can travel 150 km in real-world conditions, we can estimate the cost to be around 2,000 – 3,000 VND/kWh multiplied by 4 kWh (including transmission losses) = 8,000 – 12,000 VND, with an average of 10,000 VND per 150 km. On the other hand, each petrol scooter would consume at least 2 liters of petrol, which costs around 48,000 VND for an equivalent distance.
However, for the EVO 200 scooters with rented batteries, after the first year of free rental, customers will have to pay a monthly fee of 189,000 VND (for up to 500 km) or 350,000 VND (unlimited mileage). Therefore, for customers who ride less, the costs may be higher compared to petrol scooters.
Summary
The VinFast EVO 200 is a very good scooter considering its price. It has many outstanding advantages compared to petrol scooters, which are much more expensive, but it is not without its flaws.
In general, the EVO 200 is suitable for:
– Customers who want a quiet, smoke-free, and noiseless scooter;
– Customers who ride frequently and do not have to worry about charging the battery.
However, the EVO 200 is not suitable for:
– Customers who have a tall or large physical stature;
– Customers who ride less and do not save much on fuel costs.
