Precisely one year ago, California startup canoo announced the canoo “loft of wheels,” a new EV to the market that would be available only on a subscription basis. The world was not exactly sold on the idea.
Not even a later appearance on the Jay Leno Garage helped matters: despite the fact that canoo proposed an ownership-free – and admittedly stress-free – solution to switching to an electric vehicle, you know the room is tough when you can’t even convince the host, aka Leno. The boxy, half-cute-half-weird appearance of the EV didn’t do much in terms of convincing potential subscribers to give it a go.
Boxiness and all reservations about paying for a car that you won’t even end up owning aside, canoo would like you to focus on something else for a second: the skateboard chassis, which they call the SkateKart. canoo vehicles will be modular, based on this skateboard chassis that the company claims to be the world’s flattest and most unique.
Bold claims from a newcomer, but they have racing driver Sara Price to back them up.
Price took the canoo SkateKart out in the desert and tried it out. The proprietary Steer-by-Wire system allowed to add a wheel and some controls and the chassis was good to go, in whichever seating position Price was most comfortable with. She swears that, despite the cute appearance of the first canoo vehicle, this skateboard is made for racing.
“I was blown away by how fun it was to drive,” Price explains. “The overall performance was impressive. The skateboard felt powerful, with smooth and dynamic handling, especially during high speed cornering. The drive-by-wire steering was something new for me and it felt like it was built for the track.”
canoo will be offering several motor configurations (dual, front or rear) for a maximum of 500 hp and over 300 miles (483 km) of range, and 97% peak efficiency rating. As for the claim that this is the flattest skateboard chassis in the world, canoo says that it’s possible due to proprietary suspension that is entirely incorporated within the skateboard. This way, canoo is able to offer SUV-like space in the footprint of a compact car.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News