Canoo, a start-up company based in Los Angeles, CA, introduces this all-electric pickup truck concept this week. At first glance, it appears to be a cab-over design, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. It’s a compact platform that can accommodate seating for four and a bed for 4×8-foot sheets of material. There is a cargo area in the front, the bedsides fold into tables, and the bed floor can be extended from around 6-feet to 8-feet. Why can’t every truck have these handy features?
The all-electric “skateboard” chassis and full drive-by-wire capability allow the design of this truck to take this shape and allow freedom to position the cabin and other components in this way.
Canoo says that the truck design allows for two electric motors, one in the front and the other in the rear. This offers the truck all-wheel-drive capability. Each motor is quoted at around 300 horsepower, so combined 4×4 power can be as high as 600 horsepower.
This truck’s wheelbase is somewhere between 112.2 and 112.8 inches long – if it’s the same chassis as the one for the MPDV electric van that Canoo announced last year. For comparison, this is about the same wheelbase as a BMW X3 crossover. Toyota Tacoma’s wheelbase is 127.4 inches long.
Canoo has not release most other specifications for this truck, such as battery sizes, charge times, and driving ranges. Some of these images show that the driving range is 250 miles. This would equate to around 60-80 kWh of battery capacity, if you compare to the MPDV vehicle they announced.
Let’s focus on the other bed and tailgate features this truck showcases. Why can’t some of the other manufacturers offer similar features on their truck beds? The rear bed floor slides out towards the back like a drawer. It takes the license plate with it, so the license plate is always visible. The bed extension also has brake and backup lights to remain safe and legal while driving or stationary. The tailgate is comprised of two “barn doors”.
The bed size fold down to make convenient tables, there is a pull-out drawer in front of the rear tires that serves as a step and storage for small items. There are plenty of lights and charging ports throughout the front, interior, and the bed area of this truck concept.
Canoo has already partnered with Hyundai for electric chassis development, and partnered with ROUSH for low-volume beta vehicle production.
Pricing, pre-orders, and production vehicle availability of this truck have not been announced. The Canoo MPDV with 2WD is said to start at $33,000 and general availability starting in 2023. We do not yet know when this truck will actually come to market.
