EV startup Canoo seemed to have fallen off the media radar, until a recent volume order for its electric vans brought it back to the headlines. Now the company has announced another high-profile deal, this time with the United States Postal Service (USPS), which, after a decade or two of deliberation, finally appears to be moving forward with electrification.
The USPS deal is a small but symbolic one: the agency will acquire six right-hand-drive versions of the Canoo LDV 190 delivery van.
“The multi-purpose (LDV 190) platform with steer-by-wire technology and a unique low-profile suspension system allows for a readily configurable right-hand-drive system while maintaining desired roll and ride stability,” said Canoo CEO Tony Aquila.
Canoo describes itself as “one of the potential suppliers” of EVs to USPS, indicating that the Service plans to pilot e-vans from several suppliers before committing to larger orders.
The one automaker that we know has won a volume order is Ford—USPS recently announced plans to buy 9,250 E-Transit electric vans. The agency’s strategy calls for procuring a total of 21,000 “commercial off-the-shelf” EVs over the next few years. The Canoo deal is obviously good news for the EV startup, but it also signals opportunity for other commercial EV makers—as Electrek’s Jo Borrás put it, “there may be some really big USPS orders still up for grabs.”
