Cute ute? Dinky new electric pick-up revealed

It feels like we’ve been talking about the fabled fully electric ute for years and years now, but finally it looks like light is appearing at the end of the tunnel. What with Rivian doing its thing, Tesla reportedly revealing a production-ready version of the Cybertruck next month, Great Wall has a concept out there.

Give it a year and we’ll probably be drowning in electrified ute announcements. But, that doesn’t mean that the occasional unheard of start-up brand can’t steal the spotlight every now and then.

Overnight start-up brand Canoo unveiled an electric ute looking like a cross between a bike from Tron and a Volkswagen Type 2. The Canoo Electric Truck (that’s its name) is a follow-up to the brand’s previous vehicular release; a van. This time though it’s much more focused on private owners, rather than ride-share technology.

While it may look like a stereotypical concept vehicle, the Canoo is actually slated for production. Pre-orders are said to be accepted in the second half of 2021, with deliveries expected to kick off in 2023.

Under the skin it’s set to be offered either as a single motor or dual motor vehicle. There isn’t much detail beyond this point, but Canoo says that the latter version will produce up to 447kW of power and 746Nm of torque. Range is rated at over 322km, and payload is rated at 816kg. Towing capacities weren’t discussed in the reveal, although this is no surprise given that the industry is still working on tow ratings in electric cars.

On top of its unique cab-forward design, the Canoo is also designed to be stupendously practical. The bed has a pull-out extension that increases its length by 609mm. The ‘frunk’ between the headlights looks nice and commodious. Front and rear both come with power outlets. And the third rear brake light doubles as an overhead light for those looking for stuff in the bed.

It doesn’t end there, either. The wellsides of the bed fold down flat to make lifting items out easier (or to act as a table). Grid patterns in the bed liner can be used to slot in partitions. And there’s hidden side-steps available to make climbing in a breeze.

Canoo will sell its ute with a bunch of optional accessories, too. Customers can order a full ‘camper shell’ for the model, complete with pop-up tent — turning it into a neat adventure utility.

On top of the limited mechanical detail, another Canoo caveat is the interior, which wasn’t included in the firm’s dump of press images. Canoo does mention it, though, saying that the “customizable rear compartment that can accommodate two additional seats or support additional purpose-built use-case configurability.”

Between this, the Rivian, the Cybertruck, and the Hummer, the electric ute space is looking pretty interesting.