The Livestream Car Company: Inside VinFast's $530M Pivot

The Livestream Car Company: Inside VinFast's $530M Pivot

VinFast's $530M restructuring, the livestream model that sold 27,000 cars in 66 hours, used EV prices turning a corner, and UK public charging now at 79p/kWh. This week on Primetime EV Live, we go deep on one story. VinFast. The Vietnamese EV brand listed on the Nasdaq has just announced a $530 million restructuring. They're going asset-light, separating brand from manufacturing and rebuilding their European presence through dealer partnerships. The more interesting story is how they sold cars in the first place. In May 2024 they took 27,649 pre-orders for the VF 3 mini-SUV in 66 hours through nine livestream sessions on Vietnamese e-commerce platforms, with 15 influencers. The same way TikTok sells lipstick. We look at what that model looks like, whether it's coming to Europe, and what it tells us about how cars get bought now. Then: used EV prices in the UK rose 1.1% in April. The first growth of the year and the strongest of any fuel type. The early-adopter phase is officially over. Plus the Zapmap Price Index for April 2026 - public rapid charging now at 79p per kilowatt-hour, up 3p in a single month. The 9× home-vs-public gap, the 7 million UK drivers without a driveway, and what to do about it. CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Introduction 00:01:30 What is VinFast and what's happening in May 2026? 00:08:00 How does VinFast sell cars on livestream — and is it coming to Europe? 00:15:00 Are used EV prices going up or down in the UK in 2026? 00:22:00 How much does public charging cost in the UK in 2026? 00:28:00 Your questions: batteries, VinFast UK, home chargers, used Teslas 00:29:30 Club CTA and sign-off Sources: SEC filing 12 May 2026 · AAA Data · Cazana · SMMT Q1 2026 · Zapmap Price Index April 2026 Join the Primetime EV Club - free - at primetimeev.com/club for the best UK charging rates and lease deals every month. Brand partnerships: hello@primetimeev.com

Used EV battery health truth, 2 million EVs & the electric Hilux | Primetime EV Live

00:00:00 Introduction00:01:30 Used EV battery health — what 8,000 cars actually showed00:05:24 UK hits 2 million EVs — April sales & Iran fuel prices00:08;39 Electric Toyota Hilux — £52,845, 150 miles, orders June00:14:08 VW cancels electric Golf + eVED road charge 202800:19:09 B&Q gets £11M of EV chargers00:24:00 Q&A00:26:54 Subscribe & Join the Club UK EV sales April 2026, used electric car battery health UK, electric Toyota Hilux UK, eVED road charge 2028, VW Golf electric UK — this week's Primetime EV Live covers all of it.Five stories in 30 minutes:THE BATTERY TRUTH. The UK's largest used EV battery study tested 8,000 electric vehicles across 36 manufacturers — ages 0 to 12 years, up to 160,000 miles. Average battery health: 95.15%. At 8–9 years old the median is 85% — well above the 70% OEM warranty floor. Annual degradation rate: 2.3%. If you've been putting off buying a used EV because of battery fears, this episode is the one to listen to.UK HITS 2 MILLION EVS. The UK crossed two million registered battery electric cars this week. April registrations were up 59% year-on-year at 26.2% market share. But Renault reports a 42% surge in EV enquiries since the Iran conflict began — petrol at £1.90/litre is doing what no incentive quite managed.ELECTRIC TOYOTA HILUX. £52,845 after the £5,000 Plug-in Van Grant. 59.2kWh battery, 150 miles WLTP range, 150kW DC charging. Orders open June 2026. Towing limited to 1,600kg vs the diesel's 3,500kg. We work out exactly who this makes sense for.VW GOLF EV CANCELLED + eVED 2028. Volkswagen confirms no electric Golf in 2028. And the mileage-based eVED road charge arrives April 2028 at 3p per mile — roughly £255/year for a typical driver. We look at whether that's fair, and why the 2028 rate isn't the number to watch.B&Q GETS £11M OF CHARGERS. RAW Charging and B&Q announce a major EV charger rollout across B&Q car parks. The retail park charging gap is finally getting addressed.──────────────────────────────⚡ FREE: Join the Primetime EV ClubCheapest public charging rates every month · best lease deals · weekly EV digestNo algorithm. Direct to your inbox.👉 primetimeev.com/club📧 club@primetimeev.com──────────────────────────────

BYD Is Now UK's #1 EV Brand, HMRC's VAT Fight & Used BMW i3 Deep Dive

0:00 Introduction 1:30 BYD becomes UK's best-selling EV brand 8:00 HMRC appeals the VAT ruling 14:30 UK hits 2 million EVs — but ZEV mandate gap 20:30 Deep dive: Used BMW i3 — which one to buy 26:30 Public charging vs petrol — the real numbers 28:00 Q&A 29:30 Subscribe & Join the Club BYD UK best-selling EV brand 2026. UK 2 million electric cars. ZEV mandate 2026 UK. Electric car grant UK 2026. Used BMW i3 UK 2026. Public EV charging VAT UK 2026. HMRC VAT appeal electric car. BMW i3 battery health check. EV news May 2026.This week on Primetime EV: BYD is now the best-selling electric vehicle brand in the UK — 12,754 BEVs sold January to April, overtaking Tesla, Kia, BMW and Volkswagen in just three years.HMRC has appealed the First-Tier Tribunal ruling that said public EV charging should attract 5% VAT, not 20%. We break down what that means for the 40% of households without a driveway — and who it hurts most.The UK hits two million electric cars on the road. But the ZEV mandate requires 33% of new car sales to be EV this year and we're at 23.1%. The electric car grant is back at up to £3,750 — we cover which cars qualify.And a full deep dive on the used BMW i3: three battery generations, prices from £7,400, the 120Ah sweet spot, and the one check you must do before buying.Join the Primetime EV Club free — primetimeev.com/clubCheapest charging rates, best lease deals, weekly EV digest.club@primetimeev.com

BYD Flash Charging UK 2026, EV Car Tax Changes & Social Leasing Explained | Primetime EV

0:00 Introduction Five stories, thirty minutes 1:30 BYD Flash Charging - UK 2026200 stations, Uxbridge first, 1,500kW explained 8:00 Car Tax Changes April 2026 £50k threshold, BiK changes, which cars benefit 14:30 Public Charger Reliability 71% success rate, why chargers fail 20:30 Social Leasing — £77/month T&E UK proposal, France precedent 26:30 ZEV Mandate Review What the review means for buyers now 28:00 Q&A Four questions answered 29:30 Join the Club primetimeev.com/club BYD Flash Charging is coming to the UK in 2026. BYD UK confirmed this week they're targeting 200 Flash Charging stations here by end of year — first station at BYD's Uxbridge HQ, before the Denza Z9GT arrives in August or September. The system delivers 1,500kW — four times faster than the fastest rapid chargers currently on UK motorways. Open to all EVs via CCS2 connectors.Car tax changed on 1 April. The Expensive Car Supplement threshold for EVs moved from £40,000 to £50,000 — saving buyers of the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6, BYD Seal and Hyundai Ioniq 6 over £2,200. BiK rate changed from 3% to 4% — still five times cheaper than petrol on company car tax.Public charger reliability: legal requirement is 99% uptime. Actual first-time success rate: 71%. Only 3.9% of UK operators meet the legal standard. I look at why — payment terminals, back-end API failures, physical maintenance issues.T&E UK and EVA England joint letter to government: social leasing of EVs for £77/month for lower-income households. France launched a similar scheme in December 2023 — planned for 25,000, got 90,000 applications.ZEV mandate formal review confirmed for 2026. Manufacturers currently averaging £11,000 discount per EV to hit targets. 2026 is likely the peak competitive pricing window for UK EV buyers.──────────────────⚡ FREE: Join the Primetime EV ClubCheapest public charging rates every month · Best lease deals · Weekly EV digest👉 primetimeev.com/club📧 club@primetimeev.com──────────────────

UK EV Charging Grants 2026 — £500, Who Qualifies, and What Just Closed

UK EV charging grants changed significantly on 1 April 2026. The government increased the maximum OZEV grantfrom £350 to £500 per socket — covering up to 75% of installation costs for renters, flat owners, residential landlords, businesses, and properties without driveways. Five schemes are currently open. Three closed on 31 March. In this episode Danny covers every scheme in detail: who qualifies, how much you can claim, what the eligibility conditions are, and how to apply before the final yearwindow closes in March 2027. WHAT'S COVERED The Flats& Renters Grant Up to £500 for renters and flat owners with private off-street parking. New application platform from 1 April 2026. The Residential Landlord Grant Up to £500 per socket for residential landlords. Up to 200 grants per year across properties. The On-Street / Cross-Pavement Grant Up to £500 for households without driveways using an approved cross-pavement charging solution. The Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) Up to £500 per socket, up to 40 sockets across all sites. Open to businesses, charities and public sector organisations. Extended to March 2027 — described by OZEV as thefinal year. The Education / Schools Scheme Up to £2,000 per socket for state-funded schools and colleges. Note: this grant reduced from £2,500 on 1 April 2026 — the only scheme to go down, not up. What closed on 31 March 2026 The Staff & Fleets Grant, Commercial Landlord Grant and Landlord Infrastructure Grantall closed to new applications. Most online articles have not updated. This episode identifies which sources to ignore. LEVI — the bigger picture £381 million funding over 100,000 public street chargers across England. What it means for drivers without driveways and when to expect installations on residentialstreets.   USEFUL LINKS Official grant page: www.gov.uk/guidance/electric-vehicle-chargepoint-grants [www.gov.uk/guidance/electric-vehicle-chargepoint-grants] Join the free Primetime EV Club: https://www.primetimeev.com/club/ [https://www.primetimeev.com/club/] Contact:hello@primetimeev.com Primetime EVis the UK's independent EV media channel. No advertiser influences editorial.