Lordstown Defies Doubts As First Endurance Electric Pickup Trucks Head To Buyers

In June of last year, EV manufacturer Lordstown Motors was on the verge of bankruptcy. As a result, the CEO and CFO resigned to minimize the damage. Three months prior, Hindenburg Research (the same company that exposed Nikola) published a damning report that alleged the EV automaker was misleading investors by exaggerating its pre-orders and production capacity. As expected, its shares plummeted after the published report, and the Justice Department opened an investigation.

However, Foxconn, the Taiwanese company that manufactures iPhones, came to the rescue and bought Lordstown's production facility in Ohio. As part of the deal, Foxconn would manufacture electric pickups on behalf of Lordstown Motors at the production facility. The joint venture known as MIH EV Design will also strategically sell electric vehicles beyond North America.

Now things seem to have turned around for Lordstown Motors, and it's in the process of fulfilling its first electric pickup deliveries to customers. 

In a press release, Lordstown Motors disclosed that its first electric pickup has been approved by California Air Resource Board (CARB) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Its electric pickup known as "Endurance" has also been given the green light by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) after passing a safety test. This means that the Endurance is now ready for the market.

The automaker says that it's delivering 500 Endurance electric pickups to customers, and it expects the production capacity to increase gradually after sorting out supply chain issues. According to Car and Driver, Lordstown Motors' electric pickup starting price is around $65,000 — this is more expensive than the 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning base model, but it's cheaper than a Rivian R1T. Besides that, since the Endurance is manufactured in Ohio, customers could qualify for the U.S. EV tax credit of up to $7,500.

As for the range, the Endurance comes with a 109-kWh battery that can travel up to 200 miles after a full charge. The all-wheel drive electric pickup is also fitted with four hub motors that can push it up to 440 hp, and tow up to 8,000 pounds. 

"It optimizes key attributes of traction and maneuverability — with our in-wheel hub motors, safety — with our five-star crash performance, and value in the segment," Edward Hightower, the CEO and President of Lordstown said in the press release.