Lordstown Motors said it will build the Endurance electric pickup using components licensed from Workhorse. The Endurance is designed for fleet sales, the company said, and is a lightweight, all-wheel drive vehicle with a low center of gravity.
Lordstown Motors, is backed by electric truck maker Workhorse Group.
Workhorse, based in Cincinnati, is one of five finalists to win a lucrative U.S. Postal Service contract worth $6.3 billion to build 180,000 next-generation mail delivery trucks. Mahindra Automotive North America Inc., an India-based automaker, is also a finalist. A decision is expected by the end of the year. Cincinnati.com
While production will be limited in the beginning, the plan is to create a hub for electric vehicle manufacturing. “We didn’t buy this plant to not fill it up and get to full production,” Lordstown Motors CEO Steve Burns said.
The trucks, Burns said, will use hub motors in each wheel, eliminating the need for drive shafts and other parts. “We’re essentially reinventing electric vehicles,” Burns said. “The wheel is the motor. The only moving parts on this truck are the wheels. It’s a super, simple vehicle.” times union
The Lordstown plant facility is a 900+ acre, 6.2 million-square-foot facility. In it’s heyday the plant employed somewhere between 12,000 to 15,000 auto workers depending on the source you use. In 2014 the plant manufactured 290,000 autos, the most in it’s 52 year history.
The Youngstown Vindicator has a informative piece on this as well. Lordstown is about 15 miles NW of Youngstown.
