Lordstown Motors begins taking deposits for Endurance electric pickup

Now that General Motors has loaned electric pickup truck maker Lordstown Motors $40 million to take control of GM’s former Lordstown Assembly Plant, the work of actually producing the electric pickup can begin. Lordstown Motors revealed a few more details on its battery-electric Endurance pickup, and opened up the pre-order process. The fledgling automaker will work on raising another $300 million, and CEO Steve Burns said he wants pre-production prototypes on the road by next April and 400 workers on assembly lines churning out product by next November. For now, a mere $100 deposit holds a place in line for the truck, aimed at fleets and private buyers. The 2021 Lordstown Endurance starts at $52,000 before incentives, and qualifies for the full $7,500 government tax credit.    

Last time we saw the Endurance in a drawing, moving to the next step in production brings us a more realistic rendering. Gone are the SEMA bulges and dramatic shading, in their place we see the kind of plain Jane beast of burden that won’t scare a fleet manager. The 20-inch wheels remain, the deep dish alloys on low profile rubber in the drawing swapped for flat, aerodynamic units and plenty of sidewall. The Endurance is what we would expect.   

If the company can stick to its timeline, the purchase price will not only get the first dedicated electric pickup on the market, it will get the first commercialized EV with in-hub motors. Instead of using motors on the axles, the Endurance gets four in-wheel motors putting out a combined 600 horsepower and an unknown amount of torque. Lordstown hasn’t disclosed full battery specs yet, saying only that charging on a Level 2 7-kW AC charger takes 10 hours to refill 90 percent of the battery. Level 3 DC charging can replenish the same amount in 30 to 90 minutes. Range is rated at 200 miles minimum, which doesn’t sound out of place for a battery in the range of 80 to 90 usable kWh.

Owners will get over-the-air updates and OTA fault monitoring. A supplementary power unit provides 3.6 kW at 120 volts, 30 amps, for tools and accessories. With seating for five, top speed is 80 miles per hour, the Endurance can tow 6,000 pounds, and the pickup can climb a 30% grade when loaded to GVWR. As for safety, Lordstown predicts five-star crash ratings for front and side impacts, four stars for the rollover test. Driver assistance features will include automatic emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert and lane departure warning.

Ultimately, Lordstown Motors wants to produce 500,000 vehicles a year in the northeast Ohio area it has dubbed “Voltage Valley.” Reports say GM could provide another $10 million in financing, the OEM looking likely to remain involved in the area by building a large battery factory in partnership with LG Chem, part of which might include taking up an option to lease space in the Lordstown Assembly Plant.

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