LORDSTOWN, Ohio – As Lordstown Motors Corp. works toward an asset purchase agreement and a contract manufacturing deal with Foxconn, the electric-vehicle startup has hit the road to demonstrate the capabilities of its flagship vehicle – the Endurance pickup.
The all-electric Endurance has grabbed attention at several trade shows and expos over the last two months, most recently at the NTEA Work Truck Week, held March 9-11 in Indianapolis. In February, the company touted the Endurance during an Ohio Chamber of Commerce Clean Fuels Ohio event in Columbus.
“The Lordstown Endurance is a unique vehicle offering a superior combination of handling, traction control, torque and turning radius that we are confident will be appreciated by our fleet customers,” said Edward Hightower, president of Lordstown Motors. “With fewer moving parts than more conventional propulsion systems, we also believe the Endurance will have advantages in total cost of ownership.”
Lordstown Motors is in the pre-production phase of manufacturing the Endurance. The company expects to begin limited production by the third quarter of this year and produce 500 in 2022.
Lordstown Motors projects it will deliver 2,500 vehicles in 2023, initially to fleet customers.
Aside from showing off the Endurance at Work Truck Week, the company has put the full-size pickup to the test in frigid temperatures in Baudette, Minnesota.
“These tests are important because our vehicle has to perform for our customers that rely on it and depend on it for work,” Hightower said March 17 on a video posted on the company’s YouTube Channel.
The video shows the Endurance moving at a quick pace along an expanse of ice and snow, demonstrating the pickup’s handling and maneuvering ability in adverse climate conditions.
“One of the things that has surprised me as we’ve done this testing here in Baudette on these low-traction situations is how well the Endurance has performed,” Hightower said.
The Endurance’s in-wheel hub motor platform is unique among automakers, he noted. Instead of a single engine, the Endurance contains four separate electric motors fitted in each wheel hub.
“We want to ensure that the vehicles that we deliver to our customers will meet and exceed their expectations,” Hightower said.
Pictured: Edward Hightower greets a visitor to the Work Truck Week trade show.