R1T Truck

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Rivian
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Sports Car

Lordstown Motors Corp. - one of the numerous startups tossing its hat in the electric truck ring - has had to revise its production plans in the throes of the global Covid-19 pandemic. In an open letter, CEO Steve Burns announced that the company has been forced to push back its target date for the start of LMC Endurance customer deliveries, from December 2020 to January 2021.

That may not seem like a big deal, but the company is in a bit of a race with fellow EV startup Rivian, which plans to begin churning out examples of its new R1T pickup truck around the same time. That month-long delay could end up being consequential.

LMC hasn't been sitting still during the coronavirus shutdown, continuing essential maintenance and putting many employees to work from home so that development can continue. The final production version of the truck had been slated for a summer debut at Detroit's North American International Auto Show, but with that show's cancellation, the Endurance will most likely be shown "via a virtual reveal from our headquarters in Lordstown," Burns says.

In his letter, Burns also took the time to drive home what the global pandemic has taught us about transportation, saying that satellite images showing the difference in air quality between now and before the outbreak highlight the need to eliminate tailpipe emissions. "Anyone that ever doubted that our air quality could be cleaned up dramatically by eliminating tailpipe emissions should now be cheering for the advent of vehicle electrification," he wrote.

The LMC Endurance is expected to pack around 600 pure-electric horsepower courtesy of four individual electric motors - one per wheel - and 200 miles of range. Pricing is expected to start at a not-unreasonable $52,500.

But unfortunately, for at least a while after it goes on sale, the Endurance will be aimed at fleet and enterprise customers - not individuals.