Canoo van or multi-purpose delivery vehicle makes its world debut today. Canoo is a new company that plans to produce, rent, and sell electric vehicles of all kinds. You may have already heard about their commuter vehicles that the company plans to distribute on a subscription basis. This announcement is about a battery-electric utility van that may be used for commercial or recreational purposes and comes in various sizes and configurations.
It’s based on an electric “skateboard” platform that can accommodate battery packs of various sizes (40 kWh – 80 kWh). Canoo says that their skateboard architecture is one of the lowest and low profile in the industry. It’s configurable and flexible. The architecture allows for a complete drive-by-wire operation. This includes steering, acceleration, and braking. As such, this platform allows for a flexible interior design since the driver’s position and controls can be placed in a variety of locations.
The new Canoo Van will be initially offered in two configurations: MPDV1 and MPDV2. These are smaller configurations of the van, but the MPDV2 has a higher total roof height of 8.4-feet that allows for a person to stand up inside the van. The starting price for the MPDV1 is listed at $33,000. This is a very affordable price for businesses and individuals.
This Canoo delivery vehicle is still relatively compact in size and should work great in a large city environment. Although Canoo also showed several renderings of much larger van configurations – these are likely to come much later. These first vans will be configured with a front-wheel-drive system and a 200 horsepower / 236 lb-ft of torque electric motor. The driving range of a full charge is listed between 110 mi – 230 mi (EPA estimates) depending on the battery size.
Canoo says limited production and sales will begin in late 2022, and full production will launch in 2023. Yes, we are still at least two years away from seeing these vans out in the world.
The company is offering a $100 pre-order on their website starting today. This Canoo Van concept from a start-up company joins several other electric van initiatives from established companies such as Fiat, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz. Ford eTransit and the next generation Mercedes-Benz eSprinter van were recently announced as well.
What do you think about the design and functionality of this electric van concept? Please let us know in the comments below.
Check out more information in the video below from Canoo.
