Green SM has begun operating electric taxis in the United States, deploying its first vehicles in Los Angeles, California, on 13 October. The launch marks the Vietnamese ride-hailing provider's entry into North America and its ninth market worldwide, arriving a little over a month after the company expanded into Europe. Los Angeles is the company's first US city.
Customers in Los Angeles can book a ride through Green SM's mobile app, which is available on the App Store and Google Play, or through more traditional routes, such as calling the company's hotline or hailing a taxi on the street.
To mark the launch, Green SM is offering a 50 per cent discount, capped at $12 per ride, on customers' first five trips. It is also providing a complimentary Green Pass membership that includes ten vouchers, each giving a 30 per cent discount capped at $10 per ride.
Executive view
Hoang Thanh Hang, the CEO of Green SM in the US, framed the move as more than a geographic expansion. “The United States represents an important milestone in Green SM’s growth journey,” Hang said. “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.”
An all-VinFast, car-only fleet
Green SM operates both electric scooters and cars in its Asian markets, but in the US it will use only cars. Its Los Angeles fleet consists solely of VinFast's VF 8, a mid-size SUV that is the brand's most affordable model in the US, priced from $39,900.
VinFast sells the VF 8 in the US in two dual-motor all-wheel-drive variants. One produces 260 kW and 500 Nm of torque, while the other delivers 300 kW and 620 Nm. Both draw on an 87.7 kWh NMC battery pack. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, that pack provides 256 miles of range in the first variant and 235 miles in the second. Green SM has not disclosed which configuration its fleet uses, or whether it operates both.
Company background
Green SM was established in 2023 by Pham Nhat Vuong, the chairman of VinFast's parent company Vingroup. The company operates exclusively with VinFast electric vehicles and says it has provided around 850 million rides covering nearly six billion kilometres to date.
Beyond the US, Green SM offers its electric ride-hailing service in India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and the Philippines in Asia, and in Denmark and the Netherlands in Europe. Its European operations, in Denmark and the Netherlands, began a little over a month before the US launch.