1 Year of EVsafe — From 0 to 100+ Stations

A small parking lot, a first charging post, a question no one knew the answer to.

The question 365 days ago

A year ago, we stood in front of a parking lot in Hanoi — installing the first charging post for a startup that didn't yet have a name.

That day, no one knew:

• Does the electric motorbike community need an open charging network or not?
• V-Green has closed its network for VinFast — so what about other electric motorbikes?
• Can a young startup convince its very first host to trust it?

365 days later, the answer is clear: Yes.

The numbers after 1 year

• 100+ active charging stations
• Tens of thousands of charging sessions
• 100+ pilot hosts
• 4 landing pages
• 6 SKUs (AC 11M–14M + DC 150M–310M)
• 1 brand anthem — “Khát Vọng Xanh” (3-minute rock song)
• A team of ~10 people

Not as many as V-Green (150K+ ports). But enough to know that the open market is real.

The 5 hardest lessons (shared by Mike)

1. Pilot first, pitch later

We burned Q1/2026 on 100+ real stations — not a pretty deck.

When we met V-Green, Mr. An said:

“You have real data; most startups only have assumptions.”

Real data = leverage. A pretty pitch deck is just the wrapper.

2. Open beats closed long-term

V-Green closes its network — serving only VinFast. A short-term advantage.

But every electric motorbike other than VinFast entering Hanoi from 01/07/2026 needs charging — and Ring Road 1 bans petrol vehicles. That is exactly EVsafe's TAM.

Vietnam's EV community needs an open network — and EVsafe is here.

3. Team execution > founder vision

I draw the vision. The team executes.

Quân runs ads, Lyra does content, Huy leads sales, Kaitlyn handles operations — each person owns their own domain.

The founder doesn't micromanage. The founder just unblocks.

4. HR matters more than product

Losing a good candidate over a low counter-offer = losing 4–6 weeks of recruiting effort.

Lesson: compensation discipline from the very start. Invest in the right people at their true value.

5. Brand anthem > brand colors

Some startups spend hundreds of millions on brand guidelines + logo design.

EVsafe invested in a brand anthem: “Khát Vọng Xanh” — a 3-minute rock song.

The result: emotion compounds. Many people, after hearing the anthem, said: “I want to work with you.”

47 days to go

01/07/2026 — Hanoi bans petrol motorbikes within Ring Road 1. Countdown.

EVsafe is ready — 100+ active stations, an open network, serving every electric motorbike brand.

Thank you

Thank you to the first 100+ pilot hosts — your trust is the foundation for everything that follows.

Thank you to the EVsafe team — Quân, Lyra, Huy, Derek, Thomas, Kaitlyn, Ben, Henry — who burned their energy together throughout this first journey.

Thank you to Mr. Thời (CEO of CHTLab) — who backed this young startup during its hardest phase.

Thank you to every rider, every apartment management board, every venue owner who tried us and trusted us.

The long road has only just begun

“The green aspiration has completed its first leg.”

The long road ahead is expanding into the South, connecting electric cars, and covering every single route.

Anyone who wants to join us — venue owners, partners, investors — get in touch: https://evsafe.io/

Michael Phan — Founder of EVsafe