Among the many electric vehicle startups that haven't reached the start of production yet, Canoo is probably the most promising.
The company plans to start production of the Lifestyle Vehicle, which can be used both as a people-carrier or a delivery van. It is actually the electric delivery van variant that has saved Canoo from going under last year, when the company received several substantial orders for its Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle, or LDV.
Fleet customers like Kingbee, Zeeba, and Walmart ordered a total of almost 17,000 Canoo LDVs, with the option for an additional 16,200 units. Now all Canoo has to do is start producing these vans, and for that it has acquired a new vehicle manufacturing facility in Oklahoma City last year.
We're not sure if Canoo will be able to start production in the second half of this year as it estimated in November 2022, but we have to admit that its first product is very cleverly thought out and original, as the above video from TFLEV shows.
Even though we've seen Sandy Munro take a close look at the Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle last year, that was mostly static. This new video is arguably more entertaining because a large part of it is filmed from the front passenger seat while the vehicle is driven in Indianapolis city traffic, giving the viewer a taste of the driving experience.
Gallery: Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle Electric Minivan
About that, the man behind the wheel is Canoo's Global Vice President-Customer Journey, Gary Gumushian, while beside him is Andre Smirnov. One of the first things he asks Gary is whether the steer-by-wire system has been certified as road-legal, and the answer is "all done," which is big news.
The video also highlights the great visibility the driver has in the Lifestyle Vehicle, thanks in part to Canoo's signature lower windshield located underneath the main one. This is a great feature that eliminates many blind spots and increases driver comfort and confidence.
Of course, since there is no need for a traditional steering column, the entire dashboard of the LV is reduced to the minimum to the benefit of visibility and space for the driver and front passenger.
There are many cool things about the Canoo, and some of them are demonstrated in the video, such as the tight turning circle, various controls, the touchscreen placed to the left of the driver, and more.
The second part of the video showcases the delivery van variant upfitted for Schindler Elevator Corporation, which earlier this month announced the purchase of 50 Canoo LDVs. The upfitted van was on display at the Indianapolis Work Truck Week (March 7-10).
