Workhorse, that is considered as one of the specialists in the commercial EV sector, is coming out with an electric range pickup van that they have christened as Workhorse W15. Perhaps, this is a temporary name and they may come out with a more appropriate name for this delivery van. According to the company, the pick-van will ideally cater to the light-duty needs of fleet users.
Workhorse W15 Pickup Concept – Design:
The design of the new Workhorse W15 is said to be an extension of what is known as the E-Gen technology that the Cincinnati-based company has been using on its medium-duty trucks.
One of the most interesting claims of the company is that their goal while designing and developing the W15 was to make the delivery van the safest among those available in the market. Automotive experts are waiting with bated breath to see if this claim has been translated into reality.
In general, electric vehicles have certain inherent peculiarities. The prominent among them is that their battery packs are floor-mounted. Due to this feature, the center of gravity of these vehicles is very low. Another peculiarity is the crumble zone in the space in which the engine might have been placed. Thanks to these peculiarities, automotive experts opine that it is possible to make W15 one of the safest delivery vans.
Based on the inputs they have received, these experts say that the van will have a futuristic design. They also expect that technologies of the highest quality may have been deployed in it. According to reports, the company has deployed Panasonic 18650 lithium ion batteries and a powertrain, the range extender of which is 650 cc and that is also used on BMW i3. This means the van will be good for ranges up to 80 miles or 130 kilometers which again means that it will certainly fulfill the daily needs of most of the fleet users.
Workhorse W15 Pickup Concept – Power Expectations:
The Workhorse W15 will have two electric motors for the two axles and hence. It will possess what is called the “all-wheel drive” capability. The powertrain is said to be the same as that in the Workhorse van which means its horsepower will be 268 that is equal to 200 kilowatts and its torque will be 1,620 pound-feet or 2,196 Newton meters.
To put it in a nutshell, it may not be an exaggeration if it is said that Workhorse W15 will be a van that can offer a clean, economical and powerful performance. The gasoline generator on the vehicle will spring to life if the battery on the vehicle gets depleted which means fleet drivers need not have any worries as to whether they may have to get stranded on their way. They can complete their tasks absolutely without any hassles.
Workhorse W15 Pickup Concept – Release Date:
It appears Workhorse is planning to unveil W15 at the ACT EXPO Conference. That is likely to be held during the first week of May 2017 in Long Beach, CA. According to Steve Burns, CEO of Workhorse. This is is the first hybrid and range-extended electric pickup truck that has been built from the scratch by an American OEM. He emphatically says that this is not at all a conversion vehicle.
Conclusion:
To summarize, it appears that Workhorse has succeeded in bringing out the most economical and the safest pickup van in the US. That the vehicle with the lowest emissions will help the company contribute to the concept of environmental protection will be another feather in the cap of Workhorse.