NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (KNWA/KFTA) — An electric vehicle startup relocating its headquarters to Northwest Arkansas has received another substantial order.

Canoo, a leading high-tech advanced mobility company, announced a binding order for 9,300 American-made vehicles from Kingbee, a rental van provider. According to a press release, the deal includes an option to double the order to 18,600 vehicles.

Kingbee will “upfit, wrap and deliver Canoo vehicles as work-ready fleets solutions for enterprise and small and medium-sized business customers across the US.” Kingbee provides vehicles with optional signage to customers in 27 states.

We are excited to partner with Canoo to provide sustainable work vehicle rentals to our customers. Canoo vehicles are designed specifically for fleets to be upfit and last multiple users. This is exactly what we need. Our assets are our business and we need products that provide the best driver experience with durability. We’ve seen that small and medium businesses are looking for sustainable, affordable and flexible solutions that don’t tie up all of their cash so this is a win-win for Kingbee.

Scott Haslam, CEO, Kingbee Rentals

Canoo selected Northwest Arkansas as its headquarters in November 2021 and announced its intention to establish an industrialization facility in Bentonville, pledging to bring over 500 jobs to the area. In April, Canoo reached an agreement to provide customized vehicles to NASA for future Artemis moon missions, and in July Walmart announced a plan to purchase 4,500 Canoo vehicles for use in deliveries.