For years, observers have thought that consumers would be better off leasing EV batteries than buying them in full – because the batteries are prone to degradation, because new technology will make the old obsolete, because one day you may be able to upgrade your car’s battery with a better and soon.
The point is, leasing is rarely financially beneficial to the consumer, unless they really need cash at the time of purchase. Leasing batteries will probably be no different.
Vietnamese automaker VinFast is testing the water with plans to sell EVs while leasing their batteries, and the terms of the deal seem so skewed that I suspect VinFast’s business model is less about the purported consumer benefits than it is about starting from scratch. start to control the batteries to finish. By offering a battery subscription, VinFast can say they are trying to lower the barriers to owning an electric car, but their real game seems to be harvesting the residual value of the battery.