Fresh off a beating from short-seller Hindenburg Research, Lordstown Motors has unveiled two beta versions of their Endurance pickup. The company didn’t say much about them, but noted their creation marks a “significant milestone” on the path to production.
A total of 57 beta trucks will be built
and Lordstown has previously said some of them will be used for “crash,
engineering and validation testing.” Others are expected to be sent to
potential customers, in order to get their feedback.
Lordstown went on to say they are
dedicating their efforts to begin mass production in September. It remains
unclear if the company will be able to achieve this goal, but the trucks look
similar to the concept that was unveiled last summer. This is notable as
Hindenburg Research cited a former employee who claimed the company was making
“drastic” design modifications, which would put the Endurance 3-4 years away
from production.
Only time will tell what happens, but the
Endurance is slated to cost US$ 52,500 – before incentives – and feature four
in-wheel hub motors that produce a combined output of 600 hp.
They’re set to be powered by a 109 kWh battery pack, which will enable the
truck to accelerate from 0-96 km/h in 5.5 seconds and travel more
than 402 km on a single charge.
