Van

This article is about the road vehicle. For other uses, seeVan (disambiguation).

Avanis a type of roadvehicleused for transporting goods or people. There is some variation in the scope of the word across the different English-speaking countries. The smallest vans,microvans,are used for transporting either goods or people in tiny quantities.Mini MPVs,compact MPVs,andMPVsare all small vans usually used for transporting people in small quantities. Larger vans with passenger seats are used for institutional purposes, such as transporting students. Larger vans with only front seats are often used for business purposes, to carry goods and equipment. Specially equipped vans are used by television stations as mobile studios. Postal services and courier companies use large step vans to deliver packages.

AFord Transit Customlow roof van

Word origin and usage

Roger Fenton's photographic van,Crimea,1855

Van meaning a type of vehicle arose as a contraction of the wordcaravan.The earliest records of a van as a vehicle in English are in the mid-19th century meaning a covered wagon for transporting goods; the earliest reported record of such was in 1829. The words caravan with the same meaning has been used since the 1670s. A caravan, meaning one wagon, had arisen as an extension, or corruption, of a caravan meaning a convoy of multiple wagons.

The wordvanhas slightly different, but overlapping, meanings indifferent forms of English.While the word now applies everywhere to boxy cargo vans, other applications are found to a greater or lesser extent in different English-speaking countries; some examples follow:

Australia

InAustralian English,the termvanis commonly used to describe aminivan,a passengerminibus,or an Australianpanel vanas manufactured by companies such asHoldenandFordat various times.

Afull-size vanused for commercial purposes is also known as a "van" in Australia; however, a passenger vehicle with more than seven or eight seats is more likely to be called a "minibus".

The termvancan also sometimes be used interchangeably with what Australians usually call a "caravan", which in the U.S. is referred to as a "travel trailer".

The British termpeople moveris also used in Australian English to describe a passenger van. The American usage of "van" which describes a cargo box trailer or semi-trailer is used rarely, if ever, in Australia.

India

In India, the van is one of the most common modes of transportation and is often used for taking children to and from schools, usually when parents, especially working parents, are too busy to pick their children up from school or when school buses are full and unable to accommodate other children. Vans are also used for commercial purposes and office cabs. Some of the popular vans include Maruti SuzukiOmniand theMaruti Suzuki Eeco.

Japan

Toyota HiAcecab overvan

Early Japanese vans include theKurogane Baby,Mazda Bongo,and theToyota LiteAce.The Japanese also produced many vans based on the American flat nose model, but also minivans which for the American market have generally evolved to the long-wheelbase front-wheel drive form. TheNissan PrairieandMitsubishi Chariotas well asmicrovansthat fulfillkei carregulations, are popular for small businesses. The term is also used to describe full-fledgedstation wagons(passenger car front sheet metal, flat-folding back seats, windows all around) and even hatchbacks with basic trim packages intended for commercial use. These are referred to as "light vans" (Japanese:ライトバン), with "light" referring to the glazing rather than the weight of the vehicle.

United Kingdom

InBritish English,the word van refers to vehicles that carry goods only, either on roads or on rails. What would be called a "minivan"in American English is called a" people-carrier "," MPV "or multi-purpose vehicle, and larger passenger vehicles are called"minibuses".TheTelegraphnewspaper introduced the idea of the "White Van Man",a typicalworking classman or small business owner who would have a whiteFord Transit,Mercedes-Benz Sprinter,or similar panel van. Today the phrase "man and van" refers to light removal firms normally operated by a sole business owner transporting anything from the contents of a whole house to just a few boxes. The word "van" also refers to railwaycovered goods wagons,called "boxcars" in the United States.

United States

Full-sizeDodge Ram vanin the United States

Toyota Siennaminivan in the United States

In the United States, avancan also refer to a box-shaped trailer orsemi-trailerused to carry goods. In this case, there is a differentiation between a "dry van", used to carry most goods, and arefrigeratedvan, or "reefer", used for cold goods. A railwaycarused to carry baggage is also called a "van".

A vehicle referred to in the US as a "full-size van"is usually a large, boxy vehicle that has a platform and powertrain similar to theirlight truckcounterparts. These vans may be sold with the space behind the front seats empty for transporting goods (cargo van), furnished for passenger use by either the manufacturer (wagon), or another company for more personal comforts (conversion van). Full-size vans often have short hoods, with the engine placed under the passenger cabin.

Acutaway van chassisis a variation of the full-size van that was developed for use bysecond stage manufacturers.Such a unit has a van front end and driver controls in a cab body that extends to a point behind the front seats, where the rest of the van body is cut off (leading to the terminology "cutaway" ). From that point aft, 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 asrecreational vehicles,smallschool buses,minibusses, type IIIambulances,and delivery trucks. A large proportion of cutaway van chassis are equipped with dual rear wheels. Second-stage manufacturers sometimes add third weight-bearing single wheel "tag axles" for their larger minibus models.

The termvanin the US may also refer to aminivan.Minivans are usually distinguished by their smaller size andfront wheel drivepowertrain, although some are equipped withfour-wheel drive.Minivans typically offer seven- or eight-passengerseating capacity,and better fuel economy than full-sized vans, at the expense of power, cargo space, and towing capacity. Minivans are often equipped with sliding doors.

History

PolishLublin IIIvan

The precursor to American vans would be thesedan deliveriesof the 1930s to late-1950s. The first generation of American vans were the 1960scompact vans,which were patterned in size after theVolkswagen Bus.TheCorvair-based entry even imitated the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine design. TheFord Falcon-basedfirst-generation Econolinehad a flat nose, with the engine mounted between and behind the front seats. TheDodge A100had a similar layout and could accommodate aV8 engine.Chevrolet also switched to this layout. The Ford, Dodge, and Corvair vans were also produced as pickup trucks.

Thestandardorfull sizevans appeared with Ford's innovation of moving the engine forward under a short hood and using pickup truck components. The engine cockpit housing is often called adog house.Over time, they evolved longer noses and sleeker shapes. TheDodge Sportsmanwas available with an extension to the rear of its long-wheelbase model to create a 15-passenger van. Vehicles have been sold as both cargo and passenger models, as well as incutaway van chassisversions forsecond stage manufacturersto make box vans, ambulances, campers, and other vehicles. Second-stage manufacturers also modify the original manufacturer's body to create custom vans.

Use

AChevroletvan equipped with professional carpet cleaning tools

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

Many mobile businesses use a van to carry almost their entire business to various places where they work. For example, those who come to homes or places of business to perform various services, installations, or repairs. Vans are also used to shuttle people and their luggage betweenhotelsandairports,to transportcommutersbetweenparkinglots and their places of work, and along established routes as minibusses. 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. Vans are also used by schools to drive sports teams tointramuralgames. Vans have been used by touring music groups to haul equipment and people to music venues around the country.

Full-size van

Full-size vanis amarketingterm used in North America for a van larger than a minivan, that is characterized by a large, boxy appearance, a short hood, and heavy cargo and passenger-hauling capability.

The first full-size van was the 1969Ford Econoline,which used components from theFord F-Seriespickups.General Motorsand theDodge Ram Vanfollowed with designs with the engines placed further forward, and succeeding generations of the Econoline introduced longer hoods.

Step van

Main article:Multi-stop truck

AFederal Expressstep van

Another type of van specific to North America is thestep van,named because of the design to facilitate users to step in and out of the vehicle. 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. Step vans have more boxy shapes, wider bodies, and higher rooftops than other vans, and are rarely employed for carrying passengers.

Minivan

Main article:Minivan

A 2011Honda Odysseyminivan. Compared to other vans, minivans are smaller and have a lower center of gravity.

The Minivan is a van which is smaller in size in length and height than a full-size van. Minivans are often used for personal use, as well as commercial passenger operations such astaxisand shuttles, and cargo operations like delivery of mail and packages. They offer more cargo space than traditionalsedansandSUVs.Their lower center of gravity is also useful in handling and rollover prevention.

Rollover safety

A van is taller than a typical passenger car, resulting in a highercenter of gravity.The suspension is also higher to accommodate the weight of 15 passengers, who can weigh over one ton alone. In the United States, it is common for only the front seat passengers to use theirsafety belts.The U.S.National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) has determined that belted passengers are about four times more likely to survive in rollover crashes.

Safety can be improved by understanding the unique characteristics of 12- and 15-passenger vans and by following guidelines developed for their drivers, according to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Safety equipment

Many commercial vans are fitted withcargo barriersbehind the front seats (or rear seats, if fitted) to prevent injuries caused by unsecured cargo in the event of sudden deceleration, collision, or a rollover. Cargo barriers in vans are sometimes fitted with doors permitting the driver to pass through to the cargo compartment of the vehicle.

See also

• Campervan
• Ice cream van
• Kebab van
• List of vans
• Public light bus
• Sedan delivery
• Box truck