American EV maker Lordstown Motors announced this week it has begun shipping the first 500 batch of its Endurance electric pickup/ute to customers after obtaining its final approvals from regulators.
Boasting four in-wheel hub motors, the 550hp max power Endurance offers a top speed of 190km/h and acceleration from 0-100km/h in 6.3 seconds. It has a 109kWh battery with range around the 320-kilometre mark.
The release of the Endurance adds to a growing fleet of electric ute options in the US, including the Rivian, the Ford F-150 Lightning, the GM Hummer and – soon – the Tesla Cybertruck.
Lordstown was established just a few years ago, with a brief to focus on EVs in the light commercial sector, but recently struggled with finances before landing a funding deal with the Taiwan-based technology giant Foxconn.
“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 Edward Hightower, Lordstown CEO and president.
“We are very excited to start delivering vehicles to our commercial fleet customers. The Endurance will provide benefits to customers that use their vehicles for work. It optimizes key attributes of traction and manoeuvrability – with our in-wheel hub motors, safety – with our five-star crash performance, and value in the segment.”
Lordstown also revealed this week that it has advanced as a finalist in the North American Truck of the Year competition, with the winner set to be announced in January.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.