With NASA's Artemis mission to the moon about to take off in 2025 - it has handed the reigns of the transport vehicle to much-lauded EV startup Canoo, which was even courted by Apple and has helped Hyundai develop its EGMP platform. NASA needed a street-legal vehicle that could carry 4 fully equipped astronauts as well as three more people and a driver. The vehicle also needs to have room for cargo, two cubic feet per person, and two large doors for easy entry and exit of fully suited astronauts. It needs to also take four equipment bags, one for each astronaut, four ice-based cooling units, an additional equipment bag, and one pad transfer bag.
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The range is not the biggest issue with this vehicle as it just needs to do 80.5 km but it has to be emissions-free which is where Canoo comes in. The contract though says that both electric and hybrid vehicles are eligible for the role, though likely Canoo with its expertise will go an EV-only route.
NASA is also open to not only a ground-up vehicle designed for the task but also something that has been adapted for the same purpose. NASA mentioned that it was repairing and using the government-owned Airstream transport vehicle.
Canon will likely adopt its minivan. The Canoo lifestyle vehicle has a range of 400 km with an 80 kWh battery pack and deploys 250 kW of power converting to around 330 bhp from the rear electric motor pushing 0-60 in just 6.3 seconds. Canoo will have to deliver the vehicle to NASA by the June of 2023 so that's just about a year away.
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Even GM is involved with the NASA Artemis project as it is making the rover that will be used on the moon.
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