LORDSTOWN, Ohio — The Lordstown Motors Corp., an electric vehicle company that rose from the ashes of the shuttered General Motors plant last year, has announced that it has received a letter of intent from FirstEnergy to purchase 250 electric pickup trucks.
“Over the past couple of months, we have worked to better understand the needs of local residents and businesses,” said Steve Burns, Lordstown Motors Corp. CEO. “The ultimate goal is to continue to prioritize relationships, like the one we’ve developed with our partners at FirstEnergy, which drive innovative developments for this community.”
General Motors completed its sale of the Lordstown plant to the electric vehicle manufacturing in November. Prior to the sale, thousands of nearby residents lost their jobs when the plant cut its shifts.
RELATED: News 5’s complete coverage of the shutdown in Lordstown
The truck FirstEnergy plans to purchase is called the Endurance.
According to Lordstown Motors Corp.,
“The Endurance pickup truck is designed to be the first production vehicle that utilizes a 4-wheel-drive hub-motor system, a design that reduces the number of moving parts. With its hub motor design, Lordstown engineers have set out to re-invent the electric vehicle. Fleet managers benefit with less breakdowns, lower maintenance, and most importantly, less cost. The overall benefit is an attractive Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), which translates into a significantly lower lifetime operational cost compared to traditional pickup trucks.
The Endurance pickup truck is designed with features fleets want, like an onboard power export, allowing fleet workers to run power tools at the job site without the need for a portable generator or leaving the truck running. The truck is engineered to be lightweight, with all-wheel drive and a low center of gravity, while maintaining ground clearance. Lordstown Motors has set a goal to make the Endurance pickup truck the safest, most economical, and greenest electric pickup truck ever built.”
FirstEnergy said it services more than 6 million customers across the country and the truck purchases will better help serve its customers.
“We remain committed to embracing new ideas and opportunities that better serve our customers and contribute to a sustainable energy future,” said Dennis M. Chack, senior vice president of product development, sales and marketing at FirstEnergy. “We’re proud to partner with Lordstown Motors to enhance our operating fleet and support continued electric vehicle growth throughout our service area.”
The base price for the Endurance is $52,500, according to Lordstown Motors. It has a towing capacity of 7,500 pounds, 250+ mile EV range, 10-hour charge time, 600 peak horsepower, 80 mph top speed, and a 3-year bumper-to-bumper warranty, with an 8-year battery warranty.
