Canoo unveils electric delivery vehicle

Multiple use cases

Based in Los Angeles, Canoo is one of a handful of companies working on electric cargo vehicles, designed for the smaller packages and more frequent delivery routes that have come to define the e-commerce era.

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) showed off its new model, custom built by Rivian, in October. In partnership with UPS (NYSE: UPS), UK startup Arrival also is developing an electrified last-mile delivery van.

Casting a wide net, Canoo targets not only last-mile delivery companies, but other businesses, independent contractors, utilities and service technicians. 

With its “multipurpose” offering, it plans to provide customers “best-in-class total cost of ownership, class-leading cargo volume, and functionally-designed features,” the release said.

Canoo’s electric vehicle platform allows for increased cargo volume on a small vehicle footprint. Specific features include high roof height, storage lockers, a roll-up style door and ramp slide outs.

Its roominess enables various workstations, with space for laptops or other devices to the left of the driver’s seat. A bidirectional onboard charger will transform the vehicle into a power source, to be used, potentially, for equipment and tools.

Looking beyond the initial vehicle, large customers, such as last-mile and package delivery fleets, retailers, major corporations and logistics companies, have the option to co-develop a custom vehicle with Canoo, the company said.

In good SPAC company

Canoo is the latest in a string of electric vehicle makers that have taken a SPAC route to public ownership. 

It follows battery-electric and fuel cell startup Nikola Corp. (NASDAQ: NKLA) and hybrid electric driveline producer Hyliion Holdings (NYSE: HYLN) among others.

Shareholders will vote on the merger Monday. The company will trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol GOEV.