After the barrage of electric pickup truck reveals we’ve been inundated with over the past 12 months, it appears the next frontier in the electric vehicle arena is the delivery van.
The latest to throw its hat in the ring is Canoo, a California-based EV startup which is on the verge of going public. The company is following in the footsteps of fellow EV startups Nikola, Lordstown Motors, and Fisker by entering in a so-called “reverse merger” with a special purpose acquisition company whose shares are already publicly traded, in this case Nasdaq-listed Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp.
Canoo unveiled the new MPDV (Multi-Purpose Delivery Vehicle) last-mile delivery van on Thursday, and said it plans to start sales in 2022. Potential customers should expect a starting price of about $33,000, Canoo said.
It’s the second model from the EV startup after the passenger van unveiled in 2019 and promised for production in 2021. Canoo has also hinted at a sporty coupe as its third model. All three are being designed around a skateboard-style platform with by-wire steering, and for its delivery van, Canoo plans to offer battery sizes ranging from 40-80 kilowatt-hours.
Canoo renderings for potential lineup
For the delivery van, a single electric motor will power the front wheels and offer up to 200 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque. With the 80-kwh battery, Canoo estimates a range of about 230 miles. With DC fast charging, Canoo said the the battery can be charged to 80% capacity in about 30 minutes.
There will be multiple configurations of the delivery van to make it as flexible as possible. The most spacious version at launch will offer 500 cubic feet of storage (including the front cabin) but a larger version classified as a Class 3 truck is planned.
Canoo MPDV electric van
Some of the customization Canoo will offer include the choice of roof height and rear door style, and the availability of lockers and a slide-out ramp. Canoo said there will also be some level of self-driving capability available when sales start.
As for where production will happen, Canoo has previously said it plans to outsource production, but hasn’t discussed those details yet.
