Lordstown Motors Resumes Production, Signs Service Deal
LORDSTOWN, Ohio – After a pause of more than two months, Lordstown Motors Corp. has resumed production of its all-electric Endurance pickup, the company announced Tuesday.
Production will resume at a “very low pace,” the company said in a news release this morning.
In February, Lordstown Motors issued a voluntary recall of the Endurance to address issues related to its propulsion system. According to filings with the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, the company had already halted production of the Endurance before the first defects were reported in January. The recall affected 19 vehicles.
A second recall was announced March 6 to address a braking system component in seven vehicles, according to the NHTSA.
The company launched production of the Endurance during the third quarter of 2022 and began commercial deliveries in November. Lordstown Motors produces the Endurance at Foxconn’s plant in Lordstown.
The electric-vehicle manufacturer also announced it has entered into an agreement with Amerit to provide maintenance and service to Lordstown’s fleet customers.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will jointly provide EV service and warranty for the Lordstown Endurance in key states allowed by law, as well as future vehicles developed by Lordstown in collaboration with Foxconn.
Last year, Foxconn purchased Lordstown Motors’ plant for $230 million and signed a contract manufacturing agreement to build the Endurance. Foxconn has since pledged to invest another $100 million in Lordstown Motors toward joint development of new EVs at the plant.
Amerit is executing plans for the strategic rollout of service locations aligned with Lordstown’s launch plan for initial fleet customers. Prior to the launch of services, Amerit service technicians will complete an extensive safety-training program as well as Lordstown’s training curriculum for the Endurance and other future vehicles.
“Amerit is a perfect fit with Lordstown because it is a well-established service provider to the fleet and commercial industry with experience in the service and maintenance of EVs,” said Edward Hightower, CEO and president of Lordstown Motors Corp. “Our vehicles and connectivity features, combined with Amerit’s mobile service network and innovative maintenance solutions, provide Lordstown with the ability to offer a comprehensive and customized EV experience for our fleet customers.”
Amerit CEO Dan Williams said the company is positioned well to provide service for the Endurance and other future Lordstown Motors vehicles.
“Lordstown is an innovative EV company serving the commercial fleet market, and we look forward to supporting their customers by offering service programs across the U.S.,” Williams said. “With over 1,800 trained and certified technicians across the country, our customized approach to service programs, and our expertise in providing EV maintenance solutions, we believe that Amerit is ideally suited to rapidly scale services to Lordstown’s Endurance customers and vehicle programs in the future.”
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
