Texas-based EV startup Canoo unveiled a new, more rugged version of its all-electric pickup dubbed the American Bulldog.
If you’ve been following the EV space, Canoo might have come onto your radar at least once. It’s been trying to bring an unconventional, boxy EV to market for about four years, starting with its so-called Lifestyle Vehicle, which is like a minivan, while an extended-cab pickup based on the same skateboard platform was supposed to follow.
However, to the best of my knowledge, none of these actually made it into production in the form they were originally unveiled in. Instead, Canoo entered the commercial market with a van version of its EV and has orders for over 19,000 units from Walmart, Zeeba, and Kingbee. It also delivered some vehicles to NASA, which were used to transport the astronauts, flight support crew, and some equipment to the launch pad of the Artemis lunar missions.
Moreover, it sent a rugged single-cab version of its pickup for testing to the U.S. Army last year, and it’s this vehicle that acts as a base for the newly-revealed American Bulldog.
With this being said, details are paper-thin on the new EV. We know it has four doors and a bed in the back, and that’s about it. The official press release is filled with statements like “this vehicle performs like a battleship,” “a powerhouse of engineering,” and “this vehicle is a masterclass in form and function.”
With this being said, the company stops short of offering concrete details and, maybe more importantly, bombastic estimates for delivery and starting prices. So, with all things considered, this is currently a concept car and a pretty cool one at that.
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The official name that appears on the startup’s website is Canoo LTV Quad-Cab, which presumably means it’s a Lightweight Tactical Vehicle, so – just like the single-cab variant from last year – it’s probably meant for the Army.
The single-cab LTV had an overall length of 184 inches and a width of 78 inches, but seeing how the double-cab American Bulldog has flared wheel arches, it might be a bit wider than its two-seater sibling. The single-cab LTV also had a maximum payload capacity of 1,800 pounds, 32-inch all-terrain tires, all-wheel drive, and up to 600 horsepower.
By contrast, the civilian version of the pickup has a targeted power output of over 500 hp and an estimated range of over 200 miles thanks to an 80-kilowatt-hour battery pack.
I reached out to Canoo asking for some hard numbers on the American Bulldog and I’ll update this article when I hear back from the company.
In the first half of the year, Canoo lost $161.6 million, according to its second-quarter financial report, and had cash and cash equivalents of $5 million. During Q2, the company generated its first revenue from vehicle deliveries and its contract with the government.