After months of making noise about the progress of its electric pickup truck, Lordstown Motors rolled out the Endurance and instantly put a charge into the growing segment, claiming it will be first to market.
“People are starting to believe in electric,” Lordstown CEO Steve Burns said at the event. “We’re going to beat everyone to market.”
The event, held at the plant the company purchased from General Motors and featured an appearance by Vice President Mike Pence, was a red, white and blue affair with the truck rolling onto the stage in front of a large American flag.
(Trump’s new budge cuts loan program for Lordstown EV truck maker.)
Burns will be in a fight with Tesla, which is accelerating the production timeframe for its uniquely styled Cybertruck – which also has at least 250,000 reservations in hand, and others like Rivian and Nikola on the “underdog” front as well as the aforementioned GM, which plans to have its GMC Hummer and its eye-popping performance stats, and Ford’s electric F-Series all out in the market in the next 18 to 24 months.
Unlike its competition, Lordstown aims to sell the Endurance to fleets and the commercial market. It comes in at $52,500, before government tax credits. It also uses four electric motors mounted on the hub of each wheel.
The new model will travel about 250 miles on a full charge, which averages out to about 75 mph, according to the company. Total power output is planned at 600 horsepower with a peak torque output of 4,400 pound-feet. It’s expected to tow 7,500 pounds.
(GM sells Lordstown plant to Workhorse.)
The exterior of the new truck is clearly different from other gas-powered full-size pickups on the road, but it’s not as unusual as the previously mentioned Cybertruck. With the goal to sell them to the commercial market, the styling is best kept clean and simple.
The company plans to have it ready for the first quarter of next year — and Burns has high hopes.
He said the company can build 600,000 trucks a year, although production levels will be much lower to start. That said, Burns said the company has booked enough advanced sales for take up the first year of production. SERVPRO, a fire and water restoration company, plans to buy 1,200 trucks, and FirstEnergy, an electric utility company, plans to buy 250.
(VP Pence Touts GM Deal for Lordstown plant; UAW says not so fast.)
“We are very excited,” Burns said. “This is probably the biggest moment for a car company. It looks like a pickup truck on the outside, but underneath it’s like nothing else.”
