The Workhorse N-Gen sounds at first description like a Hollywood spy-movie cliché: a near silent electric powertrain within a white van with a rather frumpy, nondescript exterior?and a little drone aircraft deployed from the roof to make the final move to the target.
Its reason for being is much more pragmatic, however; it?s the latest in a growing line of delivery vehicles from Workhorse of Ohio, positioned for the greening of corporate fleets while keeping ownership costs extremely low. The N-Gen is designed to replace a generation of small delivery vans powered by gasoline and diesel engines. Although final specs aren?t out yet, it?s expected to weigh hundreds of pounds less than those older vans, thanks to a lightweight composite body. Electric motors will provide about 100 miles of plug-in power, while a small onboard gasoline-fired range-extending engine will add another 75 miles of range. Workhorse claims up to 65 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) for the N-Gen. Although Workhorse has been teasing its W-15 range-extended electric pickup (pictured below), which we briefly drove earlier this year, for much longer, it?s the N-Gen that will reach the market first; production will start in the first quarter of next year. ?It?s coming out first because regulatory-wise it?s just easier,? explained CEO Stephen Burns, explaining that it?s closely related to the vehicle that?s a finalist in the United States Postal Service Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDV) vetti...