[chaturgaurav]

Came across an interesting article on fastcompany.com

https://www.fastcompany.com/90453226...ditch-your-suv

The vehicle design for sure looks polarizing and revolutionary.

A new electric vehicle called the Canoo, which will launch next year and opened a waitlist for customers on January 21, looks very little like a traditional car. That’s because it doesn’t have to, says Ulrich Kranz, a former BMW engineer who heads the L.A.-based startup. “With electric power trains, there’s actually no need that a car looks like a traditional combustion engine car,” he says.

The Canoo seats seven, looks like a jelly bean, and shows how electric cars can ditch the old design conventions of the internal combustion engine automobile.

Photo credits: Canoo

So, could this very odd-looking electric car convince you to ditch your SUV?

[iamahunter]

Well, I am not sure if this design is revolutionary.
It looks more like a modern approach to a old and traditional designs.


Old Matador


Homegrown Omni

[GTO]

Cute looking for sure, but let's wait until (if & when) it actually enters production. There are way too many EV startups today, 90% of which eventually sink without a trace.

Nice design - it's important to stand out. But if this were all about utility, they should have kept the last pillar upright. The curvature will kill the headroom for rear passengers.

[Axe77]

Its nice as an interesting showpiece but not sure how ergonomic, safe or practical it is in exactly this form.

I think its deliberately tried to make a statement. A production version (if it ever gets there) will have to factor aspects such as pedestrian safety norms in front design, safety in each seating position, ability to load luggage and carry people in varying configurations etc.

But that aside, agree with the main takeaway - people can completely re-imagine car designs when they migrate from ICE to EV.

[alpha1]

What SUV? Where is the ground clearance and wheel articulation?
This looks like an evolution of the van, as posted by others in the thread.

[ds.raikkonen]

I would prefer the ID Buzz

[clevermax]

You know this is not going to happen when you notice that they have put a rectangular steering wheel to it

However, I am hoping that more EVs get designed and produced - may be the innovation (in aesthetics, shape and all that) need to take a step back and they should let designer's creativity flow in the direction of easy & practical designs and how quick they can produce and market EVs that make immediate sense to the buyer.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by GTO

Nice design - it's important to stand out. But if this were all about utility, they should have kept the last pillar upright. The curvature will kill the headroom for rear passengers.

After looking at the first picture, I thought this is a revolutionary design and it can travel either ways (back or forth) without having to take a turn

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by chaturgaurav

So, could this very odd-looking electric car convince you to ditch your SUV?

With that ground clearance? No.

Looks different. Even slightly cute. Can be an acquired taste. Heck I like it a little bit already.
Know who will like it even more? Our transport guys who currently use scorpios and Sumos. Seats seven? Bet you can cram 15 in that thing.

[chaturgaurav]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

With that ground clearance? No.

Looks different. Even slightly cute. Can be an acquired taste. Heck I like it a little bit already.

Ha Ha, it definitely cannot match the Ground Clearance or the classy looks of the Vehicle you have built (Great DIY btw - heartfelt ).
Having said that, to replace with an SUV is anyways too much to ask for. But the vehicle is, cute.

Know who will like it even more? Our transport guys who currently use scorpios and Sumos. Seats seven? Bet you can cram 15 in that thing.

and also the Maruti Omni drivers (I will have to agree with @iamahunter here on the similar looks) who cram poor schoolkids and zoom around in heavy traffic.

[carthick1000]

Canoo has some interesting new developments which they have shared over the past few months as a set of nice ~1min videos. Nice job, with their chassis-drivetrain engineering and packaging of the skateboard looks promising. Esp. the platform can be adapted to various body shapes. I am quite interested to learn in the coming months to see how the driving dynamics is going to be, given the boxy shape. Traverse composite leaf springs (per axle) with double wishbone suspension all around is quite unique for Electric vehicle platforms.

PS: The video / creative team behind these 1 minute videos are a class apart.

Watch:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ucsFNUTqtM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m3fRujSlW0

Engineering & Architecture (source)

[V.Narayan]

The first cars 1890s and 1900 -1905 were design derivatives of horse drawn carriages. From horse drawn to horseless - the passengers sat high, open air carriages, one driver alone in front etc. It is the law of natural evolution. Similarly the EVs today are in terms of design and layout variations of our ICE cars - bonnet in front, cabin in centre, dicky behind. With time creative and bright designers will use the freedom EV technology provides to change layouts, make the same vehicle multi-configurable maybe, change looks. After all our cell phones do not look like the old ITI dial phones! This Canno design is a peep at things to come. That is why I am going to wait out at least 3 to 4 years more before buying my first EV even though I am a big voter for EVs. There is a lot of rapid evolution that lies ahead in the immediate future.

This happens in all industries - see the design differences and looks between a diesel locomotive and an electric multi-unit one.

In my own industry the advent of the jet engine suddenly completely changed the shape of aircraft by offering different alternatives of where the powerplant could now be placed.

I say this repeatedly. We are at the cusp of a revolution in the auto industry. Only rarely {maybe once in a life time} does a person get a ringside view of such teutonic changes in a form of transport. Buy a seat and enjoy the ride guys.

[carthick1000]

Here again Canoo comes up with a brilliant use of space and a non-traditional design for a pickup truck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbBXMzaXDVM

The best selling truck in history Ford F150 and the most polarizing Tesla cybertruck will have a run for their money, if this Canoo makes it to production at a competitive price point. Very interesting to see the utilitartian EVs. Alongside Rivian, Canoo has one of the most interesting designs for a pickup truck.

[Venkatesh]

Canoo Electric Lifestyle Van has officially opened the orders with $100 deposit. It starts at $34,750, and ranges upto $49,950 for the top of the range model. Deliveries should start in 2022 or 2023.

https://youtu.be/BqCaDBv4K-g

Source

[vrprabhu]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

... After all our cell phones do not look like the old ITI dial phones!

This Canno design is a peep at things to come.

There is a lot of rapid evolution that lies ahead in the immediate future.

- see the design differences and looks between a diesel locomotive and an electric multi-unit one.

.. the advent of the jet engine suddenly completely changed the shape of aircraft by offering different alternatives of where the powerplant could now be placed.

We are at the cusp of a revolution in the auto industry....

Well said

Reading your post, as I look at my PC - which is nothing but a flat screen display and other components (CPU, USB etc housed inside a small back mounted case behind the screen) vis-a-vis the 'tower' cabinets of yore, there is definitely room for innovation.

For a starter, why not have this concept built in such a way that it can be driven from either side a la electric multi-unit trains? They can do away with the reverse gear and allow those seated at the back to have a nice rear-view