VinFast is taking a familiar electric-vehicle (EV) problem in Southeast Asia, namely high upfront cost, and attacking it with a less familiar answer for the region: long-term rentals aimed at ride-hailing and transport drivers.

The Vietnamese automaker said it is rolling out a green vehicle rental programme in Indonesia and the Philippines, starting in Greater Jakarta and Metro Manila. The idea is that instead of asking drivers to buy EVs outright, VinFast will let them rent models from its Green line through authorised dealers, with daily rates starting at IDR 312,500 (~US$18.6) in Indonesia and PHP 1,000 (~US$17.5) in the Philippines.

Also Read: Inside Thailand’s EV and battery push: Balancing growth with sustainability

While it may sound like a small product tweak, it is indeed a strategic attempt to open two markets where interest in EVs is rising, but affordability, financing, and access to charging are still hindering adoption. It is also another sign that VinFast is not merely selling cars in Southeast Asia, but is trying to build an operating model around fleets, charging, incentives, and urban transport economics.

Why rentals matter more than another EV launch

VinFast’s target is not the aspirational private buyer; instead, it is going after drivers who care less about brand theatre and more about whether the vehicle helps them earn.

That matters in Indonesia and the Philippines, where ride-hailing, shuttle services, and informal transport networks form a large part of urban mobility. In both countries, thousands of drivers work on thin margins, making the total cost of ownership more important than horsepower or touchscreen size. For this group, buying an EV outright can still feel risky. Battery concerns, patchy charging networks, and financing costs have kept many on the petrol treadmill.

A rental model changes this scenario. It lowers the upfront hurdle, shortens the time needed to start earning, and shifts EV adoption from a capital expenditure decision to an operating expense. In other words, VinFast is trying to turn electric mobility into a cash-flow product.

The company framed the move as part of the “green transition of the commercial transport sector”. That is fair enough. But the harder-edged reading is this: if consumers are still hesitant to buy EVs, get drivers to use them for work first.

Indonesia is the stronger bet

Of the two markets, Indonesia gives VinFast the clearer runway.

The country has the largest automotive market in Southeast Asia, strong government support for EV manufacturing, and a growing ecosystem that includes local assembly ambitions, tax breaks, charging investments, and aggressive competition from Chinese brands, such as BYD and Wuling, as well as Hyundai. Indonesia also has something else the EV industry loves to talk about: nickel. Whether that turns into a lasting competitive advantage is another debate, but it has unquestionably helped put EVs near the centre of industrial policy.

In market terms, Indonesia is already several steps ahead of the Philippines. Battery-electric passenger car sales have climbed sharply in recent years, crossing roughly the 40,000-unit mark in 2024 based on industry data, with penetration still modest but no longer trivial. Electric two-wheelers and commercial fleets add further volume. The overall market remains small relative to total vehicle sales, but it is now large enough for automakers to test more tailored distribution models.

Also Read: 5 ways Indian EV makers can achieve world-class manufacturing efficiency

The adoption drivers are clear:

• Fuel-price sensitivity among drivers and fleet operators
• Government incentives for EV production and purchases
• Urban congestion, which makes lower running costs attractive for high-mileage users
• Ride-hailing and delivery demand, which suits vehicles with predictable daily routes
• Growing charging infrastructure, especially in major cities

That does not mean VinFast’s strategy is guaranteed to work. Indonesia is already crowded, and price competition is becoming vicious. But if a rental-led EV model is going to gain traction anywhere in Southeast Asia outside Vietnam, Indonesia is one of the most plausible places.

The Philippines is promising, but harder

The Philippines is a different story: promising, but operationally tougher.
EV adoption is growing from a much smaller base. The Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act gave the sector a policy push, import duties on some EVs were eased, and higher fuel costs have made electric mobility more attractive on paper. But the country still faces stubborn constraints: a less mature charging network, a fragmented geography, and transport economics often dictated by daily cash flow rather than long-term cost calculations.

That said, Metro Manila is the place where an EV rental proposition can make sense. Traffic is brutal, daily driving distances are high, and many drivers need a vehicle they can monetise immediately. If VinFast can ensure dependable after-sales support and convenient charging, the rental model could remove some of the hesitation that has slowed EV uptake.

The Philippine EV market remains small by regional standards, with electric car sales still in the low thousands annually and overall penetration in the low single digits. Yet growth rates are strong, partly because the base is so small. For VinFast, that can be an advantage. It is easier to shape a young market than steal share in a fully formed one.

The risk is execution. A rental programme only works if vehicle uptime is high. Drivers will not tolerate a future-of-mobility pitch if it leaves them waiting for chargers, parts or repairs.

This is bigger than vehicle access

VinFast’s move is also about ecosystem control.

The company is not just offering vehicles; it is pairing them with financing, dealership access and support from V-Green charging stations, including free charging in Southeast Asia through March 2029. Its parent, Vingroup, has also been pushing related incentive campaigns, including trade-in offers and discounted Green SM electric ride fares in Indonesia.

Also Read: How electric luxury cars are reshaping the industry

This layered approach matters. EV adoption in emerging markets rarely hinges on the vehicle alone. It depends on whether the manufacturer can reduce friction across the entire ownership or usage cycle: financing, charging, servicing and resale. VinFast appears to have concluded that the region’s next wave of growth will not come from waiting for the middle class to buy in en masse. It will come from making EVs useful to workers first.

That is where the rental model differentiates itself. It shifts the sales pitch from environmental virtue to unit economics.

Is the EV market in these countries big enough?

Big enough to matter, yes. Big enough to be easy, no.

Indonesia is already one of Southeast Asia’s most important EV battlegrounds. In value terms, it is a multi-billion-dollar opportunity over the coming decade, supported by domestic manufacturing ambitions and steadily rising consumer awareness. Passenger EV volumes are climbing, commercial adoption is growing, and competition is intensifying.

The Philippines is smaller, but it has a credible long-term case. Urban transport demand is huge, fuel costs remain a political and economic issue, and policy support is gradually improving. The market is still embryonic compared with Indonesia, but that also means there is room for unconventional models such as rentals, especially in commercial fleets.

In both countries, the near-term winners are likely to be companies that can solve affordability and operating costs rather than simply import more models.

Is the Middle East war affecting EV sales in Southeast Asia?

Indirectly, yes, but not in the tidy way automakers might hope.

Conflict in the Middle East tends to feed volatility in oil prices and shipping costs, which can strengthen the case for EVs by making petrol and diesel vehicles more expensive to run. For commercial drivers in Jakarta or Manila, higher pump prices can sharpen the appeal of fixed-cost electric usage models.

But war-driven uncertainty cuts both ways. When households and small businesses feel economically squeezed, they often delay big-ticket purchases, including vehicles. That can dampen consumer EV sales even as the logic of electrification improves.

In Southeast Asia, the impact is therefore mixed. Higher fuel prices help the EV narrative, but they are not the main driver of adoption. Infrastructure, financing, policy support, battery confidence and after-sales service still matter far more. For VinFast’s rental strategy, however, Middle East-linked fuel volatility may provide exactly the nudge it needs. If drivers can avoid petrol price shocks by paying a fixed daily rental and charging at low or no cost, the maths becomes easier to explain.

The real question: can VinFast make the economics stick?

That is ultimately what this announcement comes down to.

VinFast is trying to crack two difficult markets not by waiting for EV demand to mature naturally, but by engineering a usage model that lowers risk for working drivers. It is a smart reading of Southeast Asia, where many consumers do not lack interest in electric vehicles so much as trust in the economics.

Also Read: SLEEK EV’s US$8.5M Series A funding signals a more mature EV playbook

Indonesia gives the company scale, policy momentum and stronger EV tailwinds. The Philippines offers a tougher but potentially high-upside urban transport play. In both markets, the strategy has a decent chance, provided VinFast can deliver the unglamorous things that matter most: charger availability, reliable servicing, low downtime, and predictable driver earnings.

If it cannot, this will look like another ambitious EV rollout dressed up as accessibility. If it can, VinFast may have found a more effective way to push electrification in Southeast Asia than simply opening another showroom and hoping sentiment catches up.

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In May, PLAUD introduced its wearable AI voice recorder, PLAUD NotePin, to the Singapore market, following recognition at the 2025 Red Dot Design Awards.

The device is designed to help users record, transcribe, and summarise spoken content using a minimalist, clip-on form factor. Intended for professionals, students, and creatives, it features tools such as one-tap activation, AI-generated summaries, and integration with services such as Zapier.

Available in Singapore from May 14, the device will be available through physical and online retail channels.

Nathan Hsu, CEO and Co-founder of Plaud.ai, said in an email interview with e27 that winning the Red Dot Design Award was an “incredibly meaningful” experience.

“The design philosophy was simple: make it so light and versatile that users forget they are wearing it … We wanted it to adapt to you, not the other way around. But good design is not just about looks – it is about the experience. That is why we focused on making it dead simple: one press to start recording with haptic feedback so you know it’s working, even without looking.”

Also Read: AI to add US$950B to SEA’s GDP—Here’s where the growth will come from

In this interview, Hsu shares the ideas behind developing this product, including why the company chose to release it as a hardware device. The following is an edited excerpt of the interview:

What inspired the creation of the PLAUD NotePin, and how does it address the evolving needs of professionals, students, and creatives in today’s fast-paced world?

The PLAUD NotePin was inspired by the need to free professionals from the mundane task of manual note-taking, allowing them to focus on creative, high-value work. It is more than just an AI device; it is designed to function as a “memory capsule” that helps users improve productivity and efficiency in their careers.

The device addresses evolving needs by eliminating friction, supporting diverse professionals, saving significant time, and enabling full engagement.

Given the dominance of mobile and cloud-based tools, why did PLAUD.AI choose to release its solution as a hardware device? What benefits does hardware bring to the user experience?

It is a great question: Why hardware when everyone’s phone can record? The truth is, we have all been in that moment where a brilliant idea strikes or an important conversation starts, and by the time you unlock your phone, find the app, and hit record, the moment’s gone. With NotePin, it is just one press and you are recording. No friction, no fuss.

Also Read: AI search is quietly eating Google — Here’s what startup founders need to know

The dedicated hardware also means you are not draining your phone battery or interrupting other tasks. Plus, there’s something about the audio quality – our high-fidelity microphones are specifically designed for voice capture, and you can position the device optimally rather than awkwardly holding your phone.

In professional settings, it is also more discreet and respectful than pointing a phone at someone. We have built in 30-hour continuous recording capability and 64GB of storage, which goes way beyond what most phones can handle. And here’s the thing – it works even without network connectivity, so you never miss a moment. Sometimes the best technology is the one that gets out of your way and just works, and that is exactly what dedicated hardware delivers.

Singapore is the first market in Southeast Asia to have the NotePin. What made it the ideal launchpad, and what have you learned from early adopters here?

We believe Singapore’s young, digitally native population will readily embrace AI solutions. We also value the professional demographics here, highly concentrated in knowledge workers who value productivity tools. A multilingual business environment aligns with NotePin’s 112-language support, a culture of early adoption for productivity-enhancing technology, and professional templates suited for Singapore’s business-first culture.

Can you share more about PLAUD.AI’s user acquisition strategy—how are you building awareness and encouraging adoption across different user segments?

Our user acquisition strategy is about meeting people where they are and showing them immediate value. We have positioned ourselves clearly as the “World’s No.1 AI Voice Recorder Brand” and created targeted messaging for different professionals – whether it is helping salespeople capture every client detail or enabling healthcare workers to focus on patient care rather than documentation.

Also Read: Why AI needs context and curiosity, not toxic positivity

The pricing strategy is key here: We offer a Free Starter Plan with 300 minutes per month so people can experience the value before committing. We are building credibility through recognition such as the Red Dot Design Award, integrating with tools people already use through Zapier, and expanding strategically—we recently opened our Japan office and launched “PLAUD for Business” for enterprise clients.

Most importantly, we let the ROI speak for itself: when users realise they can save 260 hours a year, that is US$8,845 in potential earnings. That message resonates across all segments.

Looking ahead, how does PLAUD.AI plan to evolve its product ecosystem?

We are excited about what is coming next. In the immediate future, we are launching a Template Community where users can share and discover templates for every professional scenario, expanding our integrations from Zapier to 50+ apps, and releasing a desktop application that can automatically record online meetings.

We’re constantly upgrading our AI capabilities – we are already working with the latest models such as GPT-4.1, Claude 3.7, and Gemini 2.5.

But beyond the technical roadmap, our vision is to create an ecosystem where PLAUD becomes essential. We are deepening our enterprise offerings, exploring new features based on user feedback, and expanding across Southeast Asia and beyond.

The goal is not just to be a recording device. It is to be the intelligent layer that captures, understands, and organises the information that matters in your professional life. We are building for a future where no important idea or conversation is ever lost.

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Image Credit: PLAUD.AI

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept in Singapore; it has definitively arrived, reshaping the professional landscape and demanding a proactive response from employers and workers alike.

Since the mainstream arrival of generative AI in 2022, its influence has become deeply rooted across Singapore’s workforce, fundamentally altering how decisions are made and work is executed. This shift is not just beginning; it is accelerating.

AI’s mainstream arrival and workforce sentiment

The findings of a national study, “Work Ahead,” commissioned by Indeed, a leading job site and global hiring platform, reveal that Singaporean professionals are far from strangers to AI. Over one in three professionals (36 per cent) are already actively utilising tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini in their daily workflows.

Also Read: Generative AI: The unstoppable force reshaping work and engagement across SEA

This pervasive adoption indicates that discussions around AI’s ability to boost productivity have moved beyond theoretical questions; the pressing concern now is how AI will redefine careers, create new jobs, render others obsolete, and fundamentally change the relationship with work.

Despite the rapid integration, the workforce exhibits mixed emotions regarding new technologies. While a significant portion remains optimistic (36 per cent), excited (34 per cent), and confident (34 per cent), a notable 11 per cent feel overwhelmed by the immense digital change impacting job opportunities. This highlights a critical insight: AI adoption is present, but the true opportunity lies in deepening its impact through more structured, consistent, and official training initiatives.

The critical role of employer-led training

For Singaporean jobseekers, the real draw of an employer is their tangible commitment to AI learning, fostering confidence to thrive in a rapidly changing workplace. This preference is evident in the fact that over two-thirds (67 per cent) of workers who currently utilise technology at work report receiving structured training or certification from their companies.
The demand for learning is robust, with nearly four in five (77 per cent) of these workers indicating a desire for more training in the next two to five years.

Intentional upskilling is not merely a beneficial practice; it acts as a career accelerator. Workers who build AI skills are better positioned for higher pay, promotions, and future roles. However, a significant barrier remains: 42 per cent of workers state they do not receive time off or compensation for training, while a third prefer hands-on learning over poor-quality instruction, and one in five are actively avoiding new technologies altogether. This suggests a gap between worker aspirations and employer provisions.

Bridging the digital divide and generational shifts

The report also sheds light on a crucial digital divide within the workforce. Blue-collar workers are more than five times more likely to avoid using new technologies at work (20 per cent) compared to their white-collar counterparts (4 per cent). This disparity exists despite both groups demonstrating similar levels of confidence in their current technology usage (26 per cent vs 30 per cent respectively).

Furthermore, business leaders are setting the pace for tech adoption, with 45 per cent describing themselves as more tech-confident than their teams, compared to only 26 per cent of non-leaders.

While younger generations show higher current usage of generative AI tools at work—42 per cent for 18-24 year olds and 40 per cent for 25-34 year olds—compared to older demographics, including 26 per cent for workers aged 55 and above, the core message remains clear: confidence in workplace technology is not inherently tied to age or job type. Instead, it hinges on the provision of support and opportunities. As tech access expands, stagnant confidence could push workers towards employers who invest in digital readiness, making training a key driver of retention.

Boosting confidence and retaining talent

For employers, attracting and retaining growth-minded talent in an AI-shaped economy hinges on providing practical, inclusive upskilling opportunities. The top five confidence boosters for tech adoption include:

Also Read: AI to add US$950B to SEA’s GDP—Here’s where the growth will come from

• Easy-to-use, well-documented technology.
• Structured training (e.g., workshops, courses).
• Using the technology in a safe, low-pressure environment.
• Access to self-paced online learning tools.
• Clear communication about upcoming tech changes.

Ultimately, the report underscores a fundamental truth for Singapore: “Talent thrives where growth is backed. In Singapore, inclusive upskilling is the edge in the talent game”.

As AI continues to accelerate, confidence among the workforce is lagging. Employers who prioritise practical, inclusive upskilling will not only retain their current talent but also actively attract the new wave of growth-minded workers.

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The image was generated using ChatGPT.

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Hasan Venture Capital has integrated AI across its investment processes to boost efficiency while maintaining its ethical investment principles. At the helm of this vision is Umar Munshi, Managing Partner at Hasan VC, who believes that AI is a technological advantage and a moral imperative in the evolving venture capital space.

The firm’s approach to due diligence exemplifies how AI can refine venture operations without compromising human insight. “AI is now embedded in our analyst processes to augment and empower our team to carry out faster and better evaluation of startups,” Munshi shares in an email interview with e27.

The firm has significantly enhanced its decision-making efficiency by integrating AI tools to collate and interpret data from various formats, including video interviews and documents. Yet, this acceleration in analysis is balanced by human judgment.

“We directly benefit from AI at low cost now, while simultaneously recognising the value of human input, perspective and intuition,” says Munshi. This hybrid model fosters an investment process that is “more intelligent, ethical, and geared toward long-term value.”

AI for portfolio empowerment

Hasan Venture Capital’s application of AI doesn’t stop at internal operations. As a venture capital firm with a strong focus on halal innovation, the firm actively helps its investee companies integrate AI in ways that align with their values.

“We promote a knowledge-sharing culture within our founders’ community,” explains Munshi. “We assist investees in strategic grants, global networks, and ecosystem bridges—specifically those aimed at scaling values-based AI-powered businesses.”

Also Read: Wan Wei Soh: Driving AI inclusivity and growth for innovators

One striking example is Qara’a, an AI-powered Quran learning app within the Hasan VC portfolio. The platform personalises learning for over two million users worldwide using machine learning, while adhering to strict ethical guidelines.

“All content is reviewed by qualified scholars, ensuring integrity and trust,” Munshi notes. “This reflects our broader vision: technology should serve humanity, not exploit it.”

With AI now saturating startup narratives, distinguishing substance from spin has become crucial. “We have observed that some companies engage in AI-washing, marking exaggerations of their use of AI,” Munshi cautions. Hasan Venture Capital counters this by examining the tangible impact of AI implementations.

Their evaluation framework is rooted in the AAOIFI Shariah principles, guided by Islamic finance ethics. With Adl Advisory as their Shariah advisor, every potential investment undergoes rigorous screening of commercial, legal, and financial practices to ensure justice and participatory investment terms.

Beyond compliance, the firm prioritises startups with authentic market fit and a community-first ethos. “Our focus lies on businesses that operate within expanding markets and cater to underserved populations, including Muslim communities,” says Munshi. “Founders must show deep passion, strong values, and a commitment to solving real-world problems.”

A future of purposeful, AI-driven investing

Looking ahead, Hasan Venture Capital views AI as a catalyst for ethical transformation in venture capital. Munshi envisions a future where “AI offers new ways to measure impact, improve transparency, and scale values-driven innovation.” This aligns with a model that Munshi refers to as the “camel startup model”—emphasising resilience, capital efficiency, and sustainable growth over rapid, risky expansion.

Also Read: Your supply chain isn’t just boxes, it’s personal data too

“We’re not interested in hype,” Munshi asserts. “We are actively supporting AI ventures that align with Shariah principles and embody the camel ethos: companies built to endure, deliver consistent value, and grow responsibly.”

This long-term outlook, coupled with a principled investment framework, sets the firm apart in a crowded, sometimes ethically ambiguous, venture landscape. “At Hasan VC, we prioritise long-term value over short-term trends, challenging the conventional VC mindset that often favours quick gains and fast exits over real, enduring potential,” says Munshi.

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Image Credit: HASAN Venture Capital

The post How Hasan Venture Capital uses AI to build an ethically grounded investment future appeared first on e27.

If you want to better understand where the future of AI is being built, stop watching the biggest stages and start looking at the edges.

While big tech dominates AI headlines, I believe the real progress is being made elsewhere, in the world of AI startups. Small, focused teams are quietly driving the true potential of AI and unlocking tangible AI products that are not only working, they are transforming how business gets done, not just in the future, but today.

And it’s time CFOs, boards, and executive leaders recognised their tremendous value.

Startups don’t just drive innovation; they are the innovation engine

In every major tech wave, it’s rarely the established incumbents who create the breakthrough products, services and apps; it’s often the outsiders.

Apple didn’t invent ride sharing, Uber did.

Google didn’t invent the leading online marketplace for accommodation, Airbnb did.

Amazon didn’t invent one of the first streaming platforms that provides us access to millions of songs for free, Spotify did.

Our smartphones and their app stores just enabled them. That’s the playbook. Big tech and their platforms scale the infrastructure, but startups often bring the ingenuity, urgency, and risk appetite to build the new ideas that change the world.

Also Read: 3 game-changing GenAI insights every digital-native business needs to know

The same is playing out in this new race to unlock AI’s potential.

In my work at Meliora, I’ve seen firsthand how generative AI founders are focusing less on hype and more on building tools that solve real problems for businesses today. From automating compliance to streamlining procurement, these founders aren’t imagining the future of AI. They’re distributing it.

Urgency beats infrastructure

While big rech fine-tunes large models and negotiates internal processes, startups are sprinting. With smaller teams and sharper focus, they’re closer to the problem and faster to the solution.

Take Quickfind AI, which simplifies purchasing decisions for SMBs with intelligent, conversational workflows. Or Fluency AI, which turns fragmented SOPs into usable, generative playbooks for large teams. These companies are delivering practical, scalable AI, not someday, but right now.

That speed, focus, and user obsession is what big organisations often lose. But it’s exactly what they need to recapture if they want to stay relevant in an AI-first world.

Real AI is already here, and it doesn’t look like AI

Forget the keynote hype reels. The best AI today doesn’t try to look futuristic. It just makes work better, enabling existing systems and the people behind them to work smarter.

Relevance AI is empowering teams to build sophisticated productivity tools without writing lines of code. Blunge AI is helping marketing teams generate brand-safe visuals in seconds. None of this is a “future vision.” It’s happening already and at scale.

Also Read: GenAI adoption is rising in Asia, but ROI remains elusive: Adobe

And that’s the shift we need to recognise. The future of AI won’t be one big leap. It will be thousands of small, usable innovations that spread quickly because they work.

Business need startups more than ever

Startups are no longer just disruptive, they are an essential part of the innovation ecosystem. In fact, many of the most powerful tools business uses today were born in dorm rooms, not boardrooms.

From Slack to Stripe to Canva, the pattern is clear. Startups build, platforms enable, and enterprises adopt.

It’s not a matter of big versus small, it’s an ecosystem. But if companies want to keep pace with AI’s next evolution, they can’t build everything in-house. They need to plug into the creativity, focus, and urgency that startup teams deliver best.

It’s this clarity and urgency that has shaped our approach at Meliora as we continue to back founders driving meaningful AI innovation.

The bottom-up future of AI

If you want to truly understand what’s truly next in AI, don’t default to the biggest names in the room. The most meaningful breakthroughs are coming from focused, fast-moving startups solving real problems with clarity, speed, and purpose.

Because this is where the creative intelligence of AI lives, and the future belongs to those who know where to look.

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Editor’s note: e27 aims to foster thought leadership by publishing views from the community. Share your opinion by submitting an article, video, podcast, or infographic.

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