Vietnamese electric ride hailing service launches in L.A. with its own cars and drivers
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Set us as preferred Los Angeles is getting a new all-electric ride hailing service as Vietnam’s Green SM launches in the city.Its cyan-colored vehicles will compete with Ubers, Lyfts and autonomous taxis to shuttle customers across busy streets and freeways.
The vehicles arrive amid a surge in transportation options as several robotaxi companies ramp up operations in Southern California and public officials work to expand the public transit network in time for the 2028 Olympic Games.The company’s all-electric approach also comes as California drivers are being offered new state incentives to buy their own EVs.
Green SM was founded in 2023 and has operations across Asia and Europe, including in India, Denmark and the Philippines.Business As the robotaxi race heats up across the country, key players including Waymo, Zoox and Tesla claim their technology is safer than human drivers.“Green SM comes to Los Angeles with an operational foundation and a culture for service developed over years of experience,” said Christopher Walker, head of operations for Green SM U.S.
“We have learned that service quality is often defined by how well we execute the fundamentals.”The company’s launch in Los Angeles on Tuesday marks its first entry into the U.S.market.
It brings with it a model for ride hailing that differs from the dominant Uber and Lyft.Green SM owns and maintains its fleet of electric vehicles, built by the Vietnamese global automaker VinFast.VinFast transitioned to 100% electric vehicles in 2022 and is the top-selling vehicle brand in Vietnam, but it isn’t widely available or popular in the U.S.The new fleet of VinFast SUVs brought to Los Angeles by Green SM could help the Vietnam-based automaker gain traction in California.
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