Comments

• 

  Dee An

  a year ago

  Z

  1Z

  Reply

  Why the asymmetric doors? Well, study the van for other asymmetries: 1, steering wheel is on right, no front passenger seat on left, internal access on left between cab and cargo section. 

   Use case? Driver arrives at destination, gets up from seat and fetches parcel from rear of van, driver leaves vehicle on the nearside of the vehicle with parcel. 

   Advantages: driver doesn't have to exit vehicle on right and step into motor traffic. The left hand door slides open, causing minimal hazard to pedestrians and cyclists. The left-hand door can remain open when the van is parked without blocking the pavement ('sidewalk'). 

  !Report as spam
• 

  Anders Hansen

  a year ago

  Z

  Z

  Reply

  What confuses me most is the bumpers at the front and the back. Having worked as a delivery driver for a bit as I went to design school, I have to say bumpers that actually protect the rest of the car and are sacrificial compared to the metal bodywork important (or maybe I was just a bad driver?!) The painted front side body panels, where there appears to be parking sensors, will take quite some beating, while the black front (I'm guessing unpainted plastic) will only protect in some situations. A feeling  of that style trumped function that also can be seen at the rear where the bumper (plastic?) appears to be painted, which is a really bad idea for such a workhorse of a vehicle. Other than that, I really like the concept and the design.

  !Report as spam
  • 

    Dee An

    Anders Hansen

    a year ago

    Z

    Z

    Reply
    The body panels on this van are made of a polymer or composite material, not metal. Genuine question: are composite panels necessarily much more expensive to make (or replace, or repair) than a traditional black plastic bumper (at this size of production run)?

    !Report as spam
    • 

      Anders Hansen

      Dee An

      a year ago

      Z

      1Z
      Ah, that makes a difference, but I'm guessing they're still painted, so they will scratch easily? Maybe they should have looked at unpainted body panels in PP as on the new Gogoro Viva scooters?

      !Report as spam
• 

  Dee An

  a year ago

  Z

  Z

  Reply

  The driver-side (right hand side) door is conventionally hinged - you can see the hinges in the photos. 

   The groove behind the driver-side door is so that parts (such as the roof and side panels) can be reused in a Left-hand drive version of the van. 

  !Report as spam
• 

  Dee An

  a year ago

  Z

  Z

  Reply

  I've been delivering to people's homes recently in an older VW van - steering wheel on right, rear sliding door on left of van. This means every* delivery results in me walking half way around the van. 

   Of course I appreciate that having the rear sliding door on the pavement (sidewalk) side of the van makes tasks safer in many situations. 

   *Actually, the van has half height bulkhead, so sometimes I can remove the delivery item from the rear of the van from the cab. But this requires twisting in my seat whilst lifting a heavy item - not recommended. 

  !Report as spam
• 

  Michael DiTullo

  a year ago

  Z

  Z

  Reply

  a heck of a lot nicer than the new USPS van... what is the name of that thing? The De Joy? 

  !Report as spam
• 

  Peter Elliot

  a year ago

  Z

  Z

  Reply

  The pocket on the left and not right is due to the UK right hand drive. It allows it to operate with the passenger door open all the time for easier driver exiting for deliveries, but maintains the safety on the driver side.

  !Report as spam