Lordstown Motors Works to Maintain Schedule, Releases Video

LORDSTOWN, Ohio – It is too early to determine what impact, if any, the extension of Ohio’s stay-at-home order to May 1 will have on Lordstown Motors Corp.’s timeline, a company spokesman said. 

The order, part of Ohio’s effort to limit the spread of COVID-1, requires all Ohioans to stay at home unless engaged in essential work or activities, closes nonessential businesses and bans public and private gatherings of 10 or more people.

“It’s too early to determine the impact that this extension will have, if any,” spokesman Ryan Hallett said in an email. “The schedule at this point had always been engineering-focused, and that work continues as planned.”

Lordstown Motors, which is preparing to begin production of its Endurance electric pickup truck later this year, offered assurances that the company is doing all it can to keep to its schedule, which it acknowledged depends on “the performance of our partners and suppliers” during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Lordstown Motors provided the update on its operations in a Thursday email that also featured a link to a short video clip showcasing the performance of its Endurance electric pickup truck in mud.

“We are working to maintain our schedule, which is dependent upon the performance of our partners and suppliers, who we are working with each day to stay on course and limit the impact of COVID-19,” the company said in the release. “We are continuing to monitor the situation and prioritizing the health and safety of our workers and community as we do.”

During the outbreak, the company’s “primary focus,” like the rest of the world, is on slowing and preventing the spread of the coronavirus, the company said, reiterating its statement from last week.  

“Major retooling has not started at the plant, and is not scheduled to get under way until closer to summer, so that schedule is not impacted at this time,” Hallett said.

“Test Track Video 1: The Elements” is the first in a series of video clips that will be released every Tuesday and Thursday through April 23. The clips for the series are taken from video of Lordstown Motors Corp. President and CEO Steve Burns, who put the Endurance’s Alpha chassis – which uses the company’s electric-motor technology with a modified donor body – through a series of maneuvers on a test track.

Future videos will be added to a YouTube playlist. 

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.