Of the 350 purpose-built vehicles that compete in the San Felipe 250 in Baja California, less than half cross the finish line. Lordstown will use the grueling event to showcase its technology. Not only is Lordstown aiming to make its Endurance pickup truck the first electric vehicle to ever finish the race, it wants to use the race to prove the superiority of its in-hub motor technology. The tech puts motors in each of the wheels for all-wheel-drive performance in the most literal sense possible.
That does mean, though, that the motors
will be taking the brunt of impacts, with little more than the rubber tires and
the wheels to protect them. If they can stand the impacts of high-speed desert
racing, though, Lordstown Motors hopes that you will be convinced the Endurance
is more than capable to tackle everything the customers can throw at it. In
fact, the company is convinced that the design will prove to be an advantage.
As we’ve seen before (though never in this
livery), the Endurance has been lifted for the event so that it will be more
capable of dealing with the harsh, Baja California landscape. The race is set
to take place on April 17 and will see entrants race a 290-mile desert loop
that starts in San Felipe. Along with making sure that the truck can stand up
to the punishment of the race, Lordstown will have to find a way to charge it,
since its range is limited to 250 miles.