More good news has just arrived for Lordstown, which has just received full homologation certification for its Endurance electric pickup to be sold in the US. This follows the announcement last month that the automaker had finally begun production of the Endurance EV, which at one point appeared to be in doubt, and the pickup's nomination as a finalist in the 2023 North American Car & Truck of the Year awards.
"I am very proud of the Lordstown Motors and Foxconn EV Ohio team for their hard work, grit, and tenacity in achieving this milestone," said company CEO Edward Hightower. "We are very excited to start delivering vehicles to our commercial fleet customers."
In order to achieve full certification for customer sales in the US, the Lordstown Endurance had to achieve certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). It has also passed Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) crash and non-crash testing successfully, and now the first customer vehicles can leave the Foxconn Ohio EV plant for delivery to their eager owners.
Foxconn has been key to Lordstown's survival, investing in the startup and broadening its partnership with the company over the course of the past year. Without Foxconn's support, Lordstown may not have been able to stay afloat, let alone produce the Endurance.
As a reminder, the Endurance is aimed at the commercial fleet sector and is not meant for the open market at this time, although retail sales may return to the business model someday.
The pickup features four in-wheel electric hub motors that produce a combined 600 horsepower, allowing for a 0-60 mph sprint of 5.5 seconds, a top speed of 80 mph, and a claimed towing capacity of up to 7,500 pounds. It's not an electric truck that is trying to be a hypercar, it's just a utilitarian workhorse that is built to take punishment in the work environment at an affordable price. Originally intended to start at $52,500, delays have pushed that up to an estimated $65,000.
The first units of the Endurance pickup are now heading out for delivery, and production is expected to ramp up in the coming year as Lordstown works to resolve supply chain constraints.
