Canoo Inc. plans to launch a pickup in capsule form in 2023
On Wednesday, electric vehicle startup Canoo Inc. said that it would unveil a US-made electric pickup truck in 2023, following several competitors that will also enter the most popular segment of the U.S. auto market.
Canoo Vehicle executive chairman Tony Aquila has announced the debut date ahead of Thursday’s Los Angeles auto event. He said the company would begin accepting pre-orders in the second quarter of 2021. Aquila said it intends to release the rounded pickup in the first quarter of 2023, and Canoo will build the car at the U.S. micro-factory it plans to open.
“You’ve never seen a pickup like this,” he said in an interview. “It’s the size of a Ford Ranger; it can handle the payload of a full-size pickup and (has) a turning radius like the Prius.”
In December, Aquila revealed that Canoo, which subsequently went public through a merger with a specialist company, intended to introduce a pickup truck. Canoo pickup trucks are the best-selling vehicles in the United States, with Ford Motor Co., General Motors, and Stellantis’ Ram brands dominating the segment.
While G.M. and Ford plan to introduce electric pickups with the intent to maintain their lead, Canoo, Tesla with their Cybertruck, and others believe they can take back some of the markets as E.V. sales grow. Tesla and startups Lordstown Motors Corp. plan to introduce electric pickups later this year, with Ford in mid-2022.
Electric pickup trucks will account for just over 1 percent of pickup truck production in North America in 2022, and the figure will grow to 5.7 percent in 2028, according to AutoForecast Solutions.
The pickup will target both consumers and commercial customers and could become a high-volume vehicle, creating the need for a small, highly automated microfabrication, Akila said. Canon said its pickup would have up to 600bhp. And an electric power reserve of more than 322 km. Aquila expects the truck to have a range of 483 km or more by the time of the car.
Recall that Canoo has developed a “skateboard” – a common platform in which batteries and electric motors with chassis components such as steering, brakes, and wheels can assemble various vehicle bodies.
