By Phil Royle – March 11, 2021
In an unexpected move, Canoo – the subscription-slash-urban mobility EV company turned EV delivery van maker – has turned once more, this time heading for the wild outdoors. From what we can tell, Canoo designed its pickup truck not just for anyone, but for everyone, with abundant features and accessories to match. So is the Canoo pickup a home run or a curiosity thats best quality is its Mystery Machine-like looks? Let’s take a look...
The Canoo pickup builds upon its VW ID.Buzz-esque van design the company has been peddling for a few years. Built on a true skateboard EV platform, the battery cell structure for Canoo’s vehicles is completely flat, with suspension eschewing traditional struts in order to maximize usable space. To that end, Canoos are also designed to utilize brake-by-wire and steer-by-wire systems.
“We are so passionate about building vehicles that can change people’s lives,” explained Tony Aquila, Canoo’s Executive Chairman. “Our pickup truck is as strong as the toughest trucks out there and is designed to be exponentially more productive. This truck works for you. We made accessories for people who use trucks – on the job, weekends, adventures. You name it, we did it because it’s your platform and she’s bad to the bone.”
The Canoo pickup truck is a modular, versatile design, with a plethora of elements working together to create something that hopefully fits all needs. That said, there are pitfalls that come with such a design that the fledgling EV manufacturer – which, it should be noted, has no products for sale yet – will have to contend with.
For example, a walk-around presentation showcased a sliding side-mounted step that doubles as a storage compartment. The step is a fine concept, allowing for easy access to a roof rack or the contents of the expandable bed. However, fit, finish, and materials are key to avoiding a component like this from sticking should a 220-pound person reach into the bed to retrieve a 50-pound item. Stresses on a long step can be immense.
Also showcased was a foldout external shelf built into the fender of the truck’s bed. Images showed a variety of uses for the shelf, one of which involved a circular saw. During the walk around, though, the shelf didn’t appear to be structurally sound enough to stand up to the stress of much more than a wily clipboard and coffee cup. Perhaps construction equipment belongs on the tailgate.
Front storage appears to be plentiful, with the pickup’s nose opening to create yet another shelf, this one expanding horizontally for more usable workspace. We counted six 120V outlets and four USB plugs in the nose that would be ideal while, as Canoo called it, “front-gating.”
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A tiedown system integrated into the bed’s floor is a great basis for Canoo’s interlocking gate system that divides the bed into smaller sections for item transport. The problem lies with something like sawdust (say, from the aforementioned circular saw) falling through the cracks. It’s easy to imagine that the floor is removable for cleaning beneath, but that leads to another issue of floor structure stability should there be a need to transport bricks, rocks, or other heavy and unwieldy items. Canoo is, after all, claiming an 1,800 lb payload capacity.
Bed versatility doesn’t end there. At least four power outlets and USB ports reside in the truck’s well-sized bed. And as for size, the bed measures six feet in length with four feet between the exceptionally low-slung fender wells (Canoo states a width of 64 inches edge to edge, presumably at its widest point). Interestingly, a standard 4x8-foot sheet of plywood will fit in the bed with room to spare with the tailgate up when the hidden floor extension slides into place.
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The bed is also equipped for tie downs to hold items like motorcycles in place. Then again, the presentation sneakily indicated that many of the features shown would be add-ons, including the roof rack.
The interior of this pickup concept showed limited cabin seating, with the driver’s seat being located further back than what might be expected based on the truck’s bubbly profile. This, Canoo indicated, places the occupants in the safest location possible.
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Power and range specifications are somewhat limited at the moment, but Canoo is claiming up to 600 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque, 200-plus miles of range, and the choice of a single- or dual-motor setup.
Take a tape measure to this adventure box and you’ll find the Canoo’s 184-inch pickup truck body rides on a 112.2-inch wheelbase. The Canoo pickup is just about as tall as it is wide, measuring 76 inches in height and 78 inches in width. The bed depth comes in at 21 inches.
The Canoo’s dimensions don’t really compare to anything like a Ford F-150 or a Ranger, because it appears to be both smaller and bigger. What we do know is that with a driving position located significantly distant from the windshield, the Canoo pickup will drive unlike any other on the road.
We also anticipate the Canoo’s off-road chops to be largely limited. With Canoo’s skateboard design, we expect a pickup that’s more comfortable alongside the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo in the dirt rather than the Jeep 4xe.
Preorders begin in the second quarter of 2021 with deliveries planned for early 2023.
The price, meanwhile, is a bit of a mystery.
(Images courtesy Canoo)
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