Canoo Crafts Special 600 HP Tactical Vehicle For The U.S. Army

The EV van gets some tactical military upgrades.

EV startup Canoo, crafted a new model and sent it off to the military for use and testing. Called “LTV”, which stands for “light tactical vehicle,” the EV van-turned-trucklet started life as the LDV van. The standard LDV van is meant to be a super modular, EV in both passenger and cargo configurations. Recently, Wal-Mart put in an order for 4,500 of the cargo versions to serve as last-mile delivery vans.

The LDV has had the back cut off, replaced with a truck bed, suitable for hauling sheets of plywood, construction materials, or other tactical gear necessary for millitary use. The vehicle is modular, allowing the rear to be a pickup, or flatbed, or fit any number of attachments that could be used by the military. Canoo says the LTV is engineered for “extreme environments” including “stealth configurations.” The LTV’s got some upgrades too, like a Kevlar reinforcing that adds safety, without adding weight.

Underneath, the LTV uses a 600 horsepower dual motor AWD setup. The vehicle features 32-inch tires, and a raised air suspension to cope with rough roads.

Right now, the Canoo LTV is merely in evaluation mode for the U.S. Millitary. If the LTV makes the cut, then possibly the government may end up placing orders en masse for the EV pickup.

Considering Canoo has had cashflow issues and trouble getting production started, a potential millitary contract could be just the boost the brand needs to finally get its EV vans on the road.

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