Electric car startup Canoo, formerly known as
EVelozity, has just unveiled its very first production-bound EV that it hopes to
start building in 2021. The vehicle is simply dubbed the Canoo and is an all-electric van
that will be available exclusively through a subscription-only program where
customers will pay a monthly fee to drive the car and cover all costs such as
registration, insurance, charging and maintenance.
Its styling is the work of Richard Kim, the man who
led the design team for both the BMW i3 and the i8 and went on to play a key
role as chief designer at Faraday Future being leaving in 2017. Kim describes
the Canoo as a vehicle that “people would actually need” and, unlike so many
other vehicles from EV startups that are simply crossovers or sports cars, this
one is all about maximizing interior space.
Virtually the entire cabin is covered with glass and
the van’s front and rear fascias are almost identical to each other. We can’t
imagine it winning any beauty pageants, but it sure looks practical. Inside,
there is a curved bench seat that wraps around the rear to make for an
intriguing communal space, and at the front there are two more traditional
seats that can spin around to face rear passengers.
Canoo says the van will be built with all the
necessary hardware for fully autonomous driving, though the vehicle pictured
here does feature a steering wheel (albeit a square one) poking out of the dash
as well as brake and accelerator pedals.
Underpinning the vehicle is a modular platform that
will be used by at least two other models. The van features a single,
rear-mounted electric motor delivering 300 HP and an 80 kWh battery pack that’s
good for a range of 402 km.
