Lordstown Motors, the electric pickup OEM that took over General Motors’ Lordstown, Ohio, plant, announced it has received a letter of intent for 1,000 Endurance vehicles from a Florida company called Innervations that provides fast DC and Level II EV chargers. Once delivered, the trucks will be brokered to commercial vehicle fleets.
The Endurance uses four in-wheel motors, the first commercial vehicle to do so. This innovation also reduces parts and improves control. Boasting “the fewest moving parts of any motor vehicle,” it will reduce maintenance and total cost of ownership, according to the website. The five-seat commercial light truck will also feature a 250-mile range, 600 peak HP and 7,500-lb. towing capacity.
The estimated price of $52,500 is just under the Ford F-150 Raptor’s $53,455 MSRP and one-third more than the Tesla Cybertruck’s cost (under $40,000).
The inaugural production run is still slated for this year, though the COVID-19 pandemic delayed manufacturing by a month, a Lordstown Motors representative said. Retooling the historic 6.2 million-square-foot assembly site will still take place this summer.
In the 1970s, the plant was an epicenter of union worker frustration, with reports of Chevrolet Vegas coming off the line with shattered windshields and sliced-up interiors. More recently, ahead of the Chevy Cruze production, former President Barack Obama visited to affirm the resurgence of the U.S. automotive industry. General Motors shuttered the plant, along with many others, to focus on vehicle electrification.
Obama’s successor, President Donald Trump, has also been very vocal about the complex in Ohio’s Mahoning Valley. He touted the potential handover from GM to Workhorse, an Indiana-based electric van maker. That fell through and Workhorse founder and CEO Steve Burns left his company to create Lordstown Motors, which purchased the plant in November 2019 for $20 million. GM loaned the company $40 million and retains the right until May 30 to buy it back. Options also exist where GM may lease some of the land and plant space.
Burns' $450 million in investment is needed to reach production goals.
The Endurance design uses licensed Workhorse intellectual property, which was acquired for $15.8 million, according to an SEC filing.
Along with the 1,000-unit agreement with Innervations, the new OEM has letters of intent with Clean Fuels Ohio for 500 trucks and First Energy for 250.
