You may have heard of Panoz, a Georgia, U.S.-based automaker that builds custom road cars and their racing counterparts like the AIV Roadster and Esperante. You might even know the Panoz name from Don Panoz, the founder of the American Le Mans Series. But, it’s likely you’ve never heard of Green4U, the new parent company of Panoz. Though it sounds like a smoothie option at the local mall or landscaping company, Green4U is focused on building electric vehicles for taxi fleets, municipalities, the military, and the general public. The company has barely made it off the ground, having been founded in September 2016, but has several vehicles in the works. Two of them are six-door SUVs with all-electric drivetrains.
What’s more, Green4U claims they’ll both have a 230-mile electric range.
The SUV seen here is the MTU-6. It’s a Land Rover Defender-esque SUV that rides on an aluminum chassis and is built in-house in Green4U’s Georgia facility. The other SUV is the Enova. It also rides on the same aluminum chassis, but its body is tailored more towards the limousine and taxi service rather than the rugged outdoorsman with lots of friends. Green4U hasn’t divulged many details about either of its SUVs beyond the claimed 230-mile range. But, by the look of things, we’d bet 4WD will be included in the mix.
Jack Perkowski, Green4U Technologies CEO and co-founder, said, “Our engineers designed a lightweight and strong aluminum chassis and are optimizing electric drivetrains and systems to deliver the range and performance that fleet operators need. “We’re focusing on fleet operators because they understand how EVs can greatly lower their operating costs. A company that has fleet vehicles traveling 50,000 miles a year can save thousands of dollars through lower fuel and maintenance costs.” Green4U says pricing and detailed specs will be released “in the near future” and the MTU-6 and Enova will be available to customers by the summer of 2018.
Continue reading for more information.
Green4U MTU-6
The MTU-6 is a beastly looking SUV whose only off-road drawback is its excessive length and subsequent shallow break-over angle. Otherwise, the MTU-6 has an aggressive front bumper with tow points, plenty of forward-facing lights, meaty tires, and a stout-looking rear end. Perhaps not by chance, the MTU-6 looks reminiscent of a Land Rover Defender, especially from the back side. There’s even a ladder to reach the roof basket for extra storage and a pintle hitch for towing trailers.
The MTU-6’s main feature is its six doors. This allows for easy access to the SUV’s three rows of seating. No one has to crawl over seats or fold into compromising positions to enter or exit. How dignified. Side steps constructed from diamond plate also help give a leg up into the high-riding rig.
Beyond the body, Green4U says the MTU-6 will ride on a custom-built aluminum chassis designed to keep weight down and strength up. There’s no word yet on the battery size, type, location, or even how many electric motors the MTU-6 has. The only hint Green4U has divulged is its targeted range of 230 miles on a single charge.
Green4U Enova
Unlike the MTU-6, the Enova is more focused for on-road applications. For that reason, the Enova would likely outsell the MTU-6 should Green4U actually enter production with the pair. After all, Green4U’s target audience is fleet and taxi companies, so the Enova would likely be a better fit.
The Enova is said to share the MTU-6’s aluminum chassis and electric drivetrain, so the 230-mile range will be the same. Likewise, the Enova has six doors for easy entry and exiting. Who knows? Perhaps this will become the hot new limousine alongside the stretched Cadillac Escalade. Then again, prestige does go a long way to making a limousine respectable. Flashy chrome and big wheels are noticeably absent from the pre-production Enova Green4U is showing off.
Regardless of their usefulness, the potential for mass production, or cost (which is still unknown), the electric SUV segment is certainly growing. Take the Bollinger B1, for example. It’s not a stretched limo, but it does have an all-electric powertrain with a 150- or 200-mile depending on the selected battery size. Its also got true off-road capability, a size that’s actually manageable in daily traffic, and will fit into a standard garage.
What do you think? Do you think Green4U is building the future of electric SUV limos, or will they fail in capturing the fleet, taxi, and limo market? Let us know in the comments below.
References
Land Rover Defender
Read our full review on the current Land Rover Defender.
Bollinger B1
Read our full review on the Bollinger B1.