Electric vehicle startup Canoo, which is backed by Walmart, among other investors, has begun deliveries of its LDV 130 van. The first vans to go into commercial service are at Kingbee, a van rental provider. This begins Canoo’s planned “phased ramp-up approach” to build production upon growing deliveries in 2024.
Vehicles previously delivered were for testing purposes and included clients such as NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the State of Oklahoma. Those test vehicles were not commercial sales, however. This delivery to Kingbee marks the first commercial sales for the Canoo LDV 130, marking a milestone for the startup.
“We are proud that an increasing number of our vehicles are on the roads of America, and we are looking forward to our vehicles joining Kingbee and its impressive list of customers. Our vehicles are engineered for service workers, and optimized for safety, reliability, and comfort. This is what distinguishes our vehicles and provides a competitive edge for commercial fleet companies.” — Tony Aquila, Investor, Executive Chairman, and CEO of Canoo.
Kingbee has placed a binding order for 9,300 Canoo vans, with an option to increase that order to 18,600 under the same pricing structure. Kingbee will upfit and custom wrap the vans for commercial renters across the United States.
“We are excited for the opportunity to help fleets transition to electric vehicles. Fleets of all sizes use Kingbee as a flexible option for vehicle acquisition, and we’re honored to be among the first to add Canoo to our EV portfolio.” –Scott Haslam, CEO of Kingbee Vans.
Aaron is an automotive journalist living in Wyoming, USA. His background includes technology, mechanics, commercial vehicles, and new vehicle evaluations. Aaron is a member of several automotive media groups and writes for many well-known publications.