Canoo subscription EV.
From its beginning in 2017, Canoo knew it wanted to be an urban electric vehicle company. It also planned on doing things in its own way, from its all-new pod-shaped EV to its subscription-only model, which eschews sales or traditional leases in favor of a simple recurring payment that allows anyone to get into a Canoo (yes, the company and car have the same name) for as long or as short as they like.
Today, Canoo is announcing The First Wave, yet another way it plans on being different from the growing field of electric mobility companies. The waitlist is free and open to anyone and what sets it apart is that it includes a gamification angle that other start-ups – or even traditional automakers – have not tried. The closest comparison might be Tesla’s referral program, through which people can win new Tesla or simply get free Supercharging credits by getting other people to buy a Tesla.
Canoo EV
In any case, Canoo hasn’t yet revealed all of the details about The First Wave, but it did say that people who sign up will be given points for finishing various tasks, like completing surveys and making successful referrals. Canoo also says signing up takes just “a matter of seconds” does not force any obligations upon you, like actual signing up for a subscription to a Canoo. When Canoo actually launches its first subscription EVs – something that is currently scheduled for 2021 in Los Angeles, California, to be followed by other West Coast cities – whoever has the most points will get the first subscription. Even if you’re not first or moved up in the line at all, anyone who scored enough points to reach “certain referral milestone levels” (again, the details are left undisclosed for now) will be able to get branded gear, Canoo said.
Gaming your waitlist is a relatively new idea, but one that should get the company some attention. Canoo co-founder and CEO, Ulrich Kranz, told me recently that there are a number of ways the 300-employee company will define success.
“Success would be, first of all, that people like our approach and our subscription model,” he said. “What they already like is our car. We’ve had positive feedback about the design of the vehicle, that’s it’s actually big inside but small outside. The other thing that would define success is if people use our car for ride hailing. There’s a huge market for Uber and Lyft and Didi that do not have the perfect car today. I’m pretty sure they would love our car if they see it.”
