Lordstown Motors has confirmed that it will start to build its fleet of Beta prototypes of the Endurance pickup next month. The automaker expects the first units to be ready in March.
According to the company, it has “initiated the metal stamping and welding for the first 57 Endurance Beta prototypes”. The initial Endurance Beta prototypes will be used for crash, engineering, validation, and possibly some customer testing. The company has promised the start of production come September.
In addition, Lordstown confirmed it will produce in-house packs using lithium-ion batteries supplied by LG Chem’s LG Energy Solution. The automaker didn’t disclose any details on what type of cells they would be: “Lordstown Motors recently signed a multi-year supplier agreement with LG Energy Solution, a global leader in battery cell technology, broadening Lordstown Motors high-quality, diverse battery cell supply chain that will power the Endurance for years to come.”
Furthermore, the company announced its intention to produce an all-electric van that will sit on the Endurance platform. Lordstown is expect to unveil this all-electric van in June 2021, and is aiming for production in the second half of 2022. Interestingly, the van is targeted for RV applications, rather than general commercial purpose: “The Lordstown Motors Electric Van is in development with plans to be unveiled in June and production starting in the second half of 2022. Based on the Endurance platform, the van will utilize hub motors to achieve all-wheel drive and low ground clearance, and have a class-leading range. An initial use case of the van will be as the world’s first production all-electric RV, produced in partnership with Camping World. The van will be priced competitively with comparable internal combustion-based vans.”