Canoo supplies electric trucks for US Army evaluation

Canoo was selected by the US Army in July to supply an electric vehicle for evaluation purposes as part of the Army’s goal to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels.

The EV startup announced Thursday that it had delivered the vehicle, a specially prepared version of its Canoo pickup truck first shown in 2021. The Army also adopted a GMC Hummer EV as part of their evaluation process.

Canoo’s EV for the army is known as Canoo Light Tactical Vehicle (LTV). It uses Canoo’s modular platform but has upgrades designed for added durability and safety. Upgrades include the use of carbon-kevlar for added strength without added weight, as well as increased suspension with air springs and 32-inch all-terrain tires.

The LTV also features the most powerful powertrain setup Canoo plans to offer for its pickup truck. The setup consists of a dual-engine, four-wheel-drive configuration rated for a maximum of 600 hp and 550 lb-ft of torque.

Canoo pickup truck

Canoo pickup truck

Canoo pickup truck

Canoo pickup truck

Canoo pickup truck

Canoo pickup truck

One of the criteria for the army is a vehicle that offers scalable and adaptable capabilities, and Canoo’s pickup truck fits that as it can be converted from a pickup to a flatbed, cargo vehicle and other vehicle types, Canoo said. There are also options for easily attaching mounting racks, ramps and special military systems, made possible by Canoo’s proprietary modular attachment system.

The Army isn’t the only government agency interested in Canoo’s technology. NASA also plans to explore the use of Canoo’s platform for crew transport vehicles to transport astronauts for future missions related to the Artemis program.

Canoo still hasn’t gotten around to making electric vehicles on a large scale. However, the company reached an agreement in November to acquire an existing plant in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The company is preparing the plant for the production of electric vehicles, with the first customer examples expected to roll off the assembly line in the second half of 2023. The company is also building a plant in Pryor, Oklahoma.

In addition to the pickup, Canoo is planning the minivan lifestyle vehicle and the truck multi-purpose delivery vehicle (MPDV). Canoo said full specifications for its vehicles will be announced closer to the start of production.

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