Automotive Startup Canoo Debuts a Snub-Nosed Electric Pickup

Canoo, an electric automotive startup based in California, has expanded its lineup of forthcoming electric vehicles by revealing this snub-nosed pickup. The pickup, which sports a design similar to Canoo’s passenger van, will offer more than 200 miles of range and as much as 600 horsepower and 550 pound-feet of torque with the dual-motor configuration; a rear motor configuration will also be offered. That power and range, and a full six-to-eight-foot pickup bed, all have to fit into a vehicle with a 112.2-inch wheelbase—an inch shorter than the Tesla Model 3—and an overall length, at 184 inches, that makes it more than two feet shorter than the Ford Ranger pickup.

The pickup rides on Canoo’s multi-purpose platform architecture and will be the third Canoo vehicle to do so. This has become a common approach for makers of electric vehicles—using one platform for many vehicles—with the likes of General Motors and Volkswagen doing the same. In addition to Canoo’s passenger van, the startup has also revealed various multi-purpose delivery vehicles.

The new pickup emphasizes modularity and looks to maximize its utility. It has tables folding down around the vehicle, various hidden storage areas, and numerous charging points on the exterior of the truck. In a video exploring the ins and outs, Tony Aquila, executive chairman of Canoo, said that the goal was to make something that was very functional and could also be personalized.

On either side of the six-foot bed, tables fold down to function as a workspace, and there is also a table that folds down from the front of the truck. That table exposes a small storage area as well as various points to charge or power electronics. The pickup bed can also be extended, as well as enclosed, to eight feet long to fit bigger items. Steps with storage within them can be pulled out of the sides of the truck to make it easier to access anything on the roof rack. And to answer the question any truck owner would ask, yes, there’s a taillamp setup in the bed extension, so it’s okay to drive the truck with the bed extended to fit longer cargo.

The battery pack in the pickup is designed to be repaired, replaced, and upgraded when need be, so the batteries powering the truck don’t become outdated. Canoo also designed the pickup to have steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems controlling the vehicle to eliminate the need for a steering column and other hardware.

The interior of the pickup, shown in the video, shows it fits two people, but Aquila said it could be adapted for a three-person setup. Information such as speed and battery levels appear to be on a broad screen just below the windshield.

Canoo’s pickup will be available for pre-order beginning in the second quarter of this year, but production isn’t slated to begin until 2023. By that time, the pickup will have considerable competition across the industry; this year alone will see the Rivian R1T and the GMC Hummer EV SUT reach driveways, and the next coming years have even more electric pickups on the way.

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