A futuristic electric van that says goodbye to the dashboard and has a nose with unprecedented forward vision

When it comes to making innovative design proposals, electric cars are definitely the best platform to choose the starting point. And although at the end of the road we often arrive at quite similar projects, there is always room to invent something different. The Canoo Lifetyle EV Van is one of them.

From a conceptual point of view, one could say that the electric car allows make more efficient use of interior space like no other option, since it does not have an engine-transmission-steering group that must be connected in a block like cars with thermal engines.

In a so-called conventional vehicle, the engine, the exhaust system, the steering system, the gearbox, the transmission of propulsion to the wheels and the fuel tank occupy a volume which, even if we want to reduce it, does not can be deleted.

Motors can be made smaller and positioned transversely to take up less space, as is the trend for “reduction”; The layout of some parts may be changed, such as in the case of front-engined but rear-wheel-drive cars, or those in which the gearbox drive and steering are separate when the engine is located in the mid or rear position . job. . But inevitably, none of these parts can be omitted the design of a conventional car.

the electric carinstead it replaces the fuel tank which is usually under the rear seat and in its place place the battery that spans the entire length of the flooralso allowing that, since there is no tunnel for the exhaust pipe or the cardan shaft, the surface is completely smooth for the legs of the rear seat passengers.

The electric motor is becoming more and more compact, and as even smaller axial flux motors are developed, it will be possible to generalize something that is still only seen today in advanced cars, such as placing a motor on each wheel. In this way, the space occupied by even four thrusters will be minimal compared to the current internal combustion engine.

Finally, since there is no gearbox and thanks to the possibility of developing a steering system by wire, the space between the front seats and in front of the driver is also not occupied. This then allows them to disappear the big boards and the consoles cabins.

All of this put together, expressed in the freedoms from which a vehicle can be created, leads designers to converge in a very simple form like that of an MPV or a Vanwhere near optimal use of every available centimeter is achieved.

Without going very far volkswagen relaunched the classic Kombi with electricity, launching for sale last year the ID.Buzzwhere these spaces are used for both passenger comfort and freight, and the success it is having in sales, show that this is the right direction.

The American company Canoowhich is based in California, has also gone down this route, and although it showed off its Van concept, called Lifestyle two years ago, it had a production start date of this year 2023. It still happens that between the first appearance Release of a concept vehicle and the start of manufacturing, there is a “shadow period” during which funding is sought while prototypes are developed and the validation process with physical testing begin.

This is how these two years have passed, until recently it was possible to start testing the vehicle in the United States, which made it possible to verify well beyond the makes computer, what are its main characteristics.

The most striking thing is the shape, not only because it is a van, but because it is reminiscent of the old RV Silver Streamlinelike the one the actor auctioned off for charity tom hank in July 2021, which have gone down in history for their particular rounded profile.

But the Canoo Lifestyle EV Van It has something even more striking, and that is that in the center of its front, where in any car you could see a grille with the brand’s emblem and its matching bumper, here what you see are the driver’s feet, no less.

The designers found that with cable steering, no steering columnthen the best way to use that free space in front of your feet is with a lower windshieldthat complements the natural forward view of any car.

It is not completely open, because in this area there is also the electric motor compartment which occupies part of the space, but the solution is still ingenious, and provides additional safety, since the surface on which the wheels will tread is perfectly visible.

Since there is no table, there is only a crossbar which has a few infotainment controls and nothing else. The classic screen of all cars is placed on the left side of the driver, and the air vents of the air conditioning is on the roofright in front of the occupants’ heads, as is the case in airplanes or long-haul buses.

In the rear seats, the layout is also flexible with seats around the perimeter except on the sides, but on the two side doors there are also other seats which can be oriented in the direction of the movement of the vehicle, allowing up to nine passengers In addition to the two front.

The company didn’t find it easy to get through the development period, and after a few considerable losses in the first half of 2022who wondered if the project could be completed on time, a series of contracts with service companies, the The US military and NASA itselfThey seem to have balanced the accounts. The initially published price started at $37,000 and reached up to $48,000 in the most equipped versions of your multi-purpose vehicle.

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