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Yesterday Arrival, the British electric vehicle startup, released new images of their forthcoming delivery van. It's got a couple of design elements that strike me as strange, see what jumps out at you:
Why do you reckon they went with the pocket behind the door on the left side...
but not the right side?
Perhaps the right side door is conventionally hinged? I assumed the groove behind the right side door was a track for it to slide rearwards on, but perhaps that's just a styling element.
Also, the strange way that the wheel well intersects with the door opening makes it look as if ingress/egress might be awkward:
Your thoughts?
I’m a lapsed industrial designer. I was born in NYC and figured I’d die there, but a few years ago I abandoned New York to live on a farm in the countryside with my wife. We have six dogs.
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What Do You Think of These Design Decisions on Arrival's Electric Delivery Van?
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.
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.
The driver-side (right hand side) door is conventionally hinged - you can see the hinges in the photos.
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.
a heck of a lot nicer than the new USPS van... what is the name of that thing? The De Joy?
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.