Canoo has released the first photos of the transport vehicle it has developed for NASA.
In April, the electric vehicle startup won a contract to supply NASA with the Crew Transportation Vehicles that it requires for Project Artemis, a program that aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2025. Images shared to Instagram show the first few vehicles that Canoo has built for the space agency.
NASA requested an emissions-free vehicle for Project Artemis and notes that the vehicles need to carry four astronauts, three additional crew, and a driver. The vehicles also need space for five equipment bags, four cooling units, and a pad transfer bag.
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Canoo will supply NASA with tweaked versions of its forthcoming Lifestyle Vehicle. This is expected to be the company’s first production model and is being developed in both consumer and commercial-focused guises. Consumers should be able to take delivery before the end of the year or in early 2023. Canoo will then have to deliver all of the required NASA Crew Transportation Vehicles by June 2023.
While Canoo has secured an important contract with NASA, it is still facing a number of financial issues. In May, the company acknowledged in its earnings report that it was running low on funds, noting that it lost $125 million in the first three months of the year and had $104.9 million in cash or cash equivalents on hand as of March 31. Canoo even acknowledged “there is substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern.”
Canoo intends on selling the Lifestyle Vehicle in Base, Premium, Adventure, and Delivery guises with prices start at $34,750. The vehicle is equipped with an electric motor delivering a claimed 300 hp and 332 lb-ft (450 Nm) of torque.