A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one location to another. Transport is performed by various modes, such as air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations goods or groups of people. It is usually a box-shaped vehicle on four wheels, about the same width and length as a large automobile An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport, but taller and usually higher off the ground, also referred to as a light commercial vehicle Light commercial vehicles or category N1 is the formal term in the European Union for goods vehicles with a Gross vehicle mass (GVM) of up to 3.5 tonnes or LCV. However, in North America, the term may be used to refer to any truck A truck or lorry (British English) is a motor vehicle commonly used for carrying goods and materials. Some light trucks/lorries are similar in size to a passenger automobile. Commercial transportation trucks/lorries or fire trucks can be large and can also serve as a platform for specialized equipment with a rigid cargo body fixed to the cab, even up to large sizes.

In the UK usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon/sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs (such as pick-up trucks A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area which is almost always separated from the cab to allow for chassis flex when carrying or pulling heavy loads). There are vans in all shapes and sizes, ranging from the classic van version of the tiny Mini The Mini is a small car that was produced by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered an icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers. The to the five metre long (LWB) variants of the Mercedes Sprinter van. Vehicles larger than this are classified as lorries (trucks).

Word usage and etymology

The word van is a shortened version of the word caravan, which originally meant a covered vehicle.

The word van has slightly different, but overlapping, meanings in different forms of English. While the word always applies to boxy cargo vans, the most major differences in usage are found between the different English-speaking countries.

United Kingdom

British English speakers will generally refer to a passenger minivan A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle , people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle (shortened MUV) is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use. Minivans are taller than a sedan, hatchback or a station wagon, and are designed for maximum interior room as a people-carrier or MPV, or multi-purpose vehicle, and a larger passenger van as a minibus A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. Minibuses have a seating capacity of between 8 and 30 seats. Larger minibuses may be called midibuses or light buses. Minibuses are typically front-engined step entrance vehicles, although low. Ford makes a distinct line of vans with short bonnets (hoods) and varying body sizes. Minivans are the same Vans but smaller. The driver's mate of a delivery van was sometimes referred to as a "vanguard."

Surveys showed that, contrary to popular myths, van drivers in UK tend to be safer on the road and they are often more skilled as well. Only 17% of van drivers made claims on their insurance Insurance, in law and economics, is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for a premium, and can be thought of as a guaranteed small loss to prevent a large, possibly devastating loss. An policies, compared to 25% of car drivers (this being reflected in lower insurance rates).^[1] However, this may be due to a lower likelihood of reporting a claim, rather than a lower likelihood of accidents.

United States

In the United States, a van can also refer to a box-shaped trailer or semi-trailer In American English a semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. A large proportion of its weight is supported either by a road tractor or by a detachable front axle assembly known as a dolly or by the tail of another trailer. A semi-trailer is normally equipped with legs which can be lowered to support it when it is uncoupled used to carry goods. In this case there is a differentiation between a "dry van", used to carry most goods, and a refrigerated Refrigeration is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space, or from a substance, and moving it to a place where it is unobjectionable. The primary purpose of refrigeration is lowering the temperature of the enclosed space or substance and then maintaining that lower temperature. The term cooling refers generally to any natural or van, or reefer, used for cold goods. A railway car An automobile or motor car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the transport used to carry baggage is also called a van.

A vehicle referred to as a full size van A full size van is a truck characterized by a very short hood, tall body, heavy payload capacity or passenger capacity from 7 to 15 passengers. They largely replaced the compact vans which were introduced in the early 1960s to compete with the Volkswagen bus, based on compact car components is usually a large, boxy vehicle that has a platform and powertrain similar to their light truck Light truck or light duty truck is a classification for trucks or truck-based vehicles with a payload capacity of less than 4,000 pounds counterparts. These vans may be sold with the space behind the front seats empty for transporting of goods (cargo van), or furnished for passenger use by either the manufacturer (Wagon) or another company for more personal comforts, such as entertainment systems (Conversion van). Full size vans often have a very short hood, with the engine block moved to within the passenger cabin.

A cutaway van chassis Cutaway van chassis are used by second stage manufacturers for a wide range of completed motor vehicles. Especially popular in the United States, they are usually based upon incomplete vans made by manufacturers such as Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors which are generally equipped with heavier components than most of is a variation of the full size van which was developed for use by many second stage manufacturers A second stage manufacturer, known in the industry as "bodybuilder," builds such products as bus and truck bodies, ambulances, motor homes, and other specialized vehicles. Such a unit generally has a van front end, and driver controls in a cab body which extends only to a point aft of the driver and passenger seats, where the rest of the van body is cutoff (leading to the terminology "cutaway"). From that point aft, usually only the chassis frame rails and running gear extend to the rear when the unit is shipped as an "incomplete vehicle". A second stage manufacturer, commonly known as a bodybuilder, will complete the vehicle for uses such as recreational vehicles In North America the term recreational vehicle, and its acronym RV, are generally used to refer to a vehicle equiped with living space and ammenities found in a home. A Recreational Vehicle normally includes a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and a living room, small school buses A school bus is a bus used to transport children and teenagers to and from school and school events. The first school bus was horse-drawn, introduced in 1827 by George Shillibeer for a Quaker school at Abney Park in Stoke Newington, London, United Kingdom and was designed to carry 25 children, minibuses, type III ambulances An ambulance is a vehicle for transporting sick or injured people, to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury. The term ambulance is used to describe a vehicle used to bring medical care to patients outside of the hospital or to transport the patient to hospital for follow-up care and further testing. The word is most, and delivery trucks. A large portion of cutaway van chassis are equipped with dual rear wheels. Some second stage manufacturers also add a third weight-bearing single wheel "tag axle" for larger minibus models.

The term van may also refer to a Minivan A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle , people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle (shortened MUV) is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use. Minivans are taller than a sedan, hatchback or a station wagon, and are designed for maximum interior room. However, minivans are usually distinguished by their smaller size and traditionally front wheel drive Front-wheel drive is a form of engine/transmission layout used in motor vehicles, where the engine drives the front wheels only. Most modern front-wheel drive vehicles feature a transverse engine, rather than the conventional longitudinal engine arrangement generally found in rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive vehicles powertrain, although many now are being equipped with four wheel drive Four-wheel drive, 4WD, 4x4 , or AWD ("all wheel drive") is a four-wheeled vehicle with a drivetrain that allows all four wheels to receive torque from the engine simultaneously. While many people associate the term with off-road vehicles, powering all four wheels provides better control in normal road cars on many surfaces, and is an. Minivans offer similar seating capacity (traditionally seven to eight passengers), and better fuel economy than full-size vans, at the expense of power, cargo space, and towing capacity. In addition, many new minivans have dual side sliding doors.

Japan

Early Japanese vans include the Mazda Bongo Mazda introduced its small van, the Bongo, in 1966. It featured a 782cc water-cooled 4-stroke engine driving the rear wheels. The rear engined Bongo was produced in two versions, the F800 and the F1000 between 1968 - 1978. This model retained the same body shape for its 10 year production life, the later models fitted with inertia-reel seat belts, and the Subaru 360 The Subaru 360 was the first automobile mass produced by Fuji Heavy Industries' Subaru division. Rather than a scaled-down conventional auto, it used a number of innovative features to produce a car to address government plans to produce a small "people's car" with an engine no larger than 360cc when most in Japan could not afford a car van. The Japanese also produced many vans based on the American flat nose model, but also mini-vans which for the American market have generally evolved to the long-wheelbase front wheel drive form factor first pioneered by the Nissan Prairie The Nissan Prairie, introduced in Japan in 1981 and Europe in 1982, was a car from Japanese manufacturer Nissan. It was also known as the Multi in Canada and the Stanza Wagon in the United States. The second generation was renamed the Nissan Axxess in North America , but due to disappointing sales, was no longer offered and replaced by the larger and Mitsubishi Chariot. Microvans A microvan is a van that fits into Japanese kei car classification or similar. In certain regions, these models are inexpensive and widely used for small business because of tax and insurance benefits; for example, in Japan they are exempted from a certification that there is adequate parking available for the vehicle, vans that fulfill kei car Kei car, K-car, or keijidōsha (pronounced /keːdʑidoːɕa/), is a Japanese category of small automobiles, including passenger cars, vans, and pickup trucks. They are designed to exploit local tax and insurance relaxations, and in more rural areas are exempted from the requirement to certify that adequate parking is available for the vehicle regulations, are very popular for small business.

Australia

In Australian English Australian English is the form of the English language spoken in Australia, the term van is commonly used to describe a minivan A minivan, multi-purpose vehicle , people-carrier, people-mover or multi-utility vehicle (shortened MUV) is a type of automobile similar in shape to a van that is designed for personal use. Minivans are taller than a sedan, hatchback or a station wagon, and are designed for maximum interior room, a passenger minibus A minibus or minicoach is a passenger carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. Minibuses have a seating capacity of between 8 and 30 seats. Larger minibuses may be called midibuses or light buses. Minibuses are typically front-engined step entrance vehicles, although low, or an Australian panel van A panel van is a form of van; in some national usages it is distinct from a purpose-designed van in that it is based on a family car chassis; elsewhere in the world it applies to any solid (rigid-bodied, non-articulated) van, smaller than a lorry or truck (although the latter is also a vague definition), without rear side windows — in this usage, manufactured by both Holden GM Holden Ltd is an Australian automaker based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was originally independent, but since 1931 has been a subsidiary of General Motors . Holden has taken charge of vehicle operations for GM in Australasia and, on behalf of GM, holds partial ownership of GM Daewoo in South Korea. Over the years, Holden has and Ford Ford Australia is the Australian subsidiary of Ford Motor Company and was founded in Geelong, Victoria in 1925 as an outpost of Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited. At that time, Ford Canada was a separate company from Ford USA. Henry Ford had granted the manufacturing rights to Ford in British Empire countries (excepting the UK) to Canadian at various times.

A full size van A full size van is a truck characterized by a very short hood, tall body, heavy payload capacity or passenger capacity from 7 to 15 passengers. They largely replaced the compact vans which were introduced in the early 1960s to compete with the Volkswagen bus, based on compact car components used for commercial purposes is also known as a van; however, a passenger vehicle with more than 7 or 8 seats is more likely to be called a minibus.

Finally, the term van can sometimes be used interchangeably with caravan, which in the U.S. is referred to as a travel trailer A travel trailer or caravan is a trailer towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation (holiday), without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places where none is available.

The British term people mover is also used in Australian English to describe a passenger van. The American usage of van to mean a cargo box trailer or semi-trailer is used rarely, if ever, in Australia.

Examples

The first generation of American vans were the 1960s compact vans A compact van is a type of van characterized by a flat front design, mechanicals based on a compact car, an engine placed either at the rear or between and behind the front seats and were roughly the same size as the VW Bus. Popular in the United States during the early 1960s these models were replaced by fullsize vans, at the end of the 1960s in, which were patterned in size after the Volkswagen Bus The Volkswagen Type 2 was the second automotive line introduced by German automaker Volkswagen. It was a van introduced in 1950, initially based on Volkswagen's first model, the Type 1, also known as the "Beetle". The Type 2 is the forerunner of modern cargo and passenger vans. The Type 2 spawned a number of imitators both in the United. The Corvair-based entry even aped the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine design. The Ford Falcon had a flat nose, with the engine mounted between and behind the front seats. The Dodge A100 The A100 line was a family of compact vans and trucks produced by Chrysler and sold under the Dodge and Fargo brands from 1964 through 1970, competing with the Ford Econoline and Chevy Van, all inspired by the Volkswagen Type 2. It included a pickup truck and van, both with a "cab forward" design unusual in passenger vehicles. The nose had a similar layout and could accommodate a V-8. Chevrolet also switched to this layout. The Ford, Dodge and Corvair vans were also produced as pickup trucks.

The standard or full size vans appeared with Ford's innovation of moving the engine forward under a short hood and using pickup truck components and taillights. The engine cockpit housing is often called a dog house. Over time, they evolved longer noses and sleeker shapes. The Dodge Sportsman The Dodge B-series, also known as the Dodge More-Than-That, was a full-sized passenger and utility van built by Chrysler Corporation, which replaced the previous smaller A-series compact vans. Dodge followed the lead of the Ford Econoline by moving the engine ahead of the front seats under a short hood, and using truck components. The compact vans added a plug to the rear of a long wheelbase to create the 15 passenger van. They have been sold as both cargo and passenger models to the general public and as cutaway van chassis Cutaway van chassis are used by second stage manufacturers for a wide range of completed motor vehicles. Especially popular in the United States, they are usually based upon incomplete vans made by manufacturers such as Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors which are generally equipped with heavier components than most of versions for second stage manufacturers A second stage manufacturer, known in the industry as "bodybuilder," builds such products as bus and truck bodies, ambulances, motor homes, and other specialized vehicles to make box vans, ambulances, campers and other vehicles. Second stage manufacturers also modify the original manufacturer's body to create custom vans for the general public.

In the 1970s, songs like "Chevy Van "Chevy Van" is a 1973 song written and sung by Sammy Johns. The song was a big hit in 1974, and by 1975 was #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was a million seller", written and performed by Sammy Johns When he was nine years old, Johns' father presented him with a guitar, and by the time he was a teenager he had established his own band, the Devilles. The group performed in local clubs and recorded a few records on the Dixie record label. After a move to Atlanta, Georgia, he was given a recording contract in 1973. General Recording Corporation, and nicknames like "sin bin" or "screw canoe" became part of the culture as owners transformed them into rolling bedrooms and lounges. Conversion vans became a large market with plusher accommodations than factory seats.

Dodge ended production of their full-size vans in June 2002 (as 2003 models), and replaced it with the German originated Dodge Sprinter, which is based on a narrower, more fuel-efficient European design pattern with a 150 hp (110 kW) diesel turbo I5. Typical versions of the Sprinter are taller than other unmodified vans (tall enough to stand in), with a more slanted (aerodynamic) profile in front. They have been adopted primarily for delivery and lightweight Class-C van cab motor home applications.

Usage

In urban areas of the United States full-size vans have been used as commuter vans since 1971, when Dodge introduced a van that could transport up to 15 passengers. Commuter vans are used as an alternative to carpooling and other ride sharing arrangements.

Many mobile businesses use a van to carry almost their entire business to various places where they work. For instance, there are those who come to homes or places of business to perform services or to install or repair appliances.

Vans are also used to shuttle people and their luggage between hotels and airports, to transport commuters between parking lots and their places of work, and along established routes as minibuses.

Vans are also used to transport elderly and mobility-impaired worshipers to and from church services or to transport youth groups for outings to amusement parks, picnics, and visiting other churches.

Step Van

Another type of van, peculiar to North America, is the step van, so called because of the ease with which one can step in and out of it. Widely used by delivery services, courier companies and the parcel division of the US Postal Service and Canada Post, they are often seen driven with the door open, especially in big cities. Step vans have more obviously boxy shapes and higher rooftops than other vans, and they are rarely employed for carrying passengers.

Rollover safety

Recently, the larger passenger versions have appeared in news stories for having a tendency to roll over, particularly in the case of inexperienced operators. The van body is taller than the cab and bed of the pickup that uses the same style frame and powertrain resulting in the basic van having a higher center of gravity than a similarly loaded pickup from which it is derived. The suspension is also higher because of the extreme weight capacity of 15 passengers of between 150 lb (68 kg) and 200 lb (91 kg) each which may be over one ton of passengers alone. The seats in the passenger version raise the load, passengers, above the floor, further raising the center of gravity (and often shifting it rearward). The bench seats allow passengers to slide if safety belts are not used. In the United States it is common for only the front seat passengers to use their safety belts, perhaps because belted passengers feel they can still lean and shift a large amount. However, the NHTSA, cited below, has determined that belted passengers are about four times more likely to survive in rollover crashes.

Safety can be greatly improved by understanding the unique characteristics of 12- & 15-passenger vans and by following a special set of guidelines developed for drivers, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). A summary of this information is available at Reducing The Risk of Rollover Crashes in 15-Passenger Vans.Among other things, this document advises that carrying 10 or fewer passengers (preferably towards the front of the van) greatly reduces the risk of rollover crashes, and it suggests that repeated operation by the same drivers tends to increase their ability to handle these vehicles more safely over time. Car rental companies have also started adding stickers to warn renters about the difference in handling while compared to standard cars. Items should not be added to a roof rack of an already top-heavy vehicle.

Models of vans by manufacturer

Categories: Car body styles | Car classifications | Vans

See Also:

• Van
• Caravan
• Campervan
• Caravan Parks
• Sullivan City, Texas

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