Sandy Munro of Munro & Associates recently got the chance to try out the new Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle (CLV) and he also spoke to the CEO of Canoo, Tony Aquila. And if you remember that video of the Canoo vehicle being driven around in a circle with smoke billowing from one of its tires, well, Sandy was at the wheel at the time trying to get the vehicle to do a donut...
We’ve seen Sandy’s flamboyant driving in other videos, though, and in this particular instance his chat with Tony Aquila was probably the highlight given that the Canoo exec was able to explain a lot about how the CLV works, some of its unique design features and technical solutions.
The very first thing that impresses Sandy is that the CLV was designed to facilitate entry and exit (ingress and egress, as they are known in the industry). You can, for instance, fit a person in a wheelchair through its rear door, even though it’s not actually a sliding door like most van-like vehicles tend to have.
Apparently this was part of the concept of the vehicle, according to the Canoo CEO – they wanted people to appreciate how easy it is to climb aboard the vehicle, then exit the vehicle, look at it and appreciate it. Sandy calls it “the ideal taxi cab.”
When he took the vehicle for a drive, Sandy was impressed by its smooth acceleration and quiet operation, as well as its comfortable and downright cavernous interior that also gives you a great view out. He also praised the vehicle's modular design, which is made possible thanks to the skateboard EV platform that it’s built upon.
Based on what he says in the (lengthy over 40-minute-long) video, Sandy found the CLV to be much better than he anticipated. Towards the end of the video he even says that it has everything he is looking for. He believes that it will be a successful vehicle and he seems to have developed an emotional connection with the vehicle he drove – he calls it “the muscle van.”
