Nexen secures OE fitment with electric vehicle startup Canoo

RICHFIELD, Ohio—Nexen Tire Corp. has secured an OE supply position with Canoo Inc., the Los Angeles-based company that's developing an innovative electric vehicle platform designed for the emerging shared/autonomous transportation sector.

Founded in December 2017 by a group of experienced automotive executives and engineers, Canoo sees vehicle development moving away from the traditional three box car design—separate compartments for the engine, passengers and luggage—and instead is embracing a "minimalist" skateboard-type design that maximizes interior space.

Canoo said its first vehicle—due on the market in 2021—will have the exterior footprint of a compact car, with the interior space of a large SUV.

Canoo's "skateboard" architecture will house a battery and electric drivetrain that it claims will be able to achieve a range of up to 300 miles. All of Canoo's vehicles will share the same underpinning with different cabin designs—or "top hats"—mounted on top to create the four unique vehicles.

Leveraging the same fixed and flat skateboard allows for reduced research and development costs, efficient production and a better use of interior space, Canoo said. The skateboard houses the most expensive components of the vehicle and is designed in a way that eliminates most repeated crash testing per vehicle, reducing the vehicle's development cycle timeline and costs.

Nexen has developed a EV-optimized version of its Roadian GTX grand touring tire for the Canoo project, that incorporates Canoo's requirements for puncture resistance, rolling resistance, handling, weather and safety, the company said in a recent Twitter post.

At the Consumer Electronics Show 2020 in Las Vegas, a Canoo chassis was on display with the tires fitted, in size 195/55R20. The EV version of the GTX was designed in part at Nexen's U.S. tech center in Richfield, which opened in late 2019.