Walmart has signed up to buy 4,500 electric trucks from EV startup Canoo, with the option to buy a total of 10,000 vehicles, the companies confirmed Tuesday.
With production scheduled to begin in 2023, the trucks will be included in Walmart’s last-mile delivery fleet, with the potential to be used in retailer GoLocal’s home delivery fleet.
Walmart will introduce its first Lifestyle van (LDV) built on a design that leverages wire-driven technology, allowing for a more spacious cabin with panoramic windows in the front for side views. larger outside. The modular skateboard platform helps accommodate 120 cubic feet of cargo, with a custom interior that Canoo says is designed to transport small packages.
The companies say they will finalize vehicle configurations for trucks in the Dallas-Fort Worth area “in the coming weeks.” Canoo presented several different delivery van designs.
Canoo delivery van
Electrifying last-mile fleets is a priority for home delivery companies, as these vehicles often don’t need to cover long daily driving distances and they are where companies communicate directly. with customers. With no exhaust from the exhaust, an EV makes a stronger first impression.
The last-mile business is also increasingly seen as a launch pad for electric vehicle startups. GM basically built BrightDrop . Electric Commercial Truck business around that starting point. Amazon also plans to buy 100,000 Rivian electric trucks over a multi-year period and Rivian started delivering those trucks in early 2021, as it is preparing to launch R1T . electric pickup and R1S electric SUV.
Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle
The Canoo van has had a strange journey towards manufacturing. The original Canoo emerged from stealth mode in 2019 with some special electric vehicle designs, as part of the a plan that offers EVs just by signing up—And initially only in California. It then switched to a sales strategy and focused more on an active lifestyle, with prices starting at $34,750 for its Lifestyle Vehicle. First comers cooperation with Hyundai dissolved, and production plan with the Dutch VDL Nedcar revealed and subsequently cancelled, with a company moving to Arkansas and plans for a factory “Mega Micro” in Before, Oklahoma, in 2023.
In the midst of all this, many waves of big names in the electric vehicle world have come to the startup and then left, such as Ulrich Kranz, who led the development of the BMW i3, and the former GM EV1 Chief Engineer, Peter Savagian. The startup’s vehicles will use Panasonic’s cylindrical cells, with a unique structural approach that attaches the battery modules directly to the platform and leverages the 2170 cell format used in a single cell. range of vehicles.
Canoe system – Investor presentation in June 2021
Canoo pin – Investor presentation June 2021
Canoo’s powertrain – Investor presentation June 2021
The Walmart deal could prove Canoo’s survival — aka resuscitation — as the company reported in its Q1 results that it had “substantial doubts about the Company’s ability to continue operating.” as a constant concern”. With a bright spot from this vote of confidence, does it bring back those quirky designs?
