EV startup Lordstown Motors said on April 18 it resumed production and deliveries of its Endurance electric pickup truck this month after a pause in February to address quality issues.
Lordstown Motors made the announcement in passing in a press release about a new agreement with Amerit Fleet Solutions for service and maintenance for its fleet customers.
"Production and deliveries resumed in April 2023 after a pause earlier in the year to address supplier quality issues and are expected to continue at a very low pace."
The Lordstown Endurance began commercial production at the Foxconn EV Ohio assembly plant in Q3 2022, and sales followed in Q4 2022.
In late February 2023, the company said it had made only 31 Endurance vehicles for sale and recalled 19 vehicles from those delivered to customers and those being used internally.
The recall was caused by a high-voltage cable between the inverter and motor that "may experience a fault that causes a loss of drive power and the vehicle cannot be restarted once turned off."
Gallery: 2023 Lordstown Endurance
In mid-March 2023, Lordstown announced another recall for five of the 31 Endurance trucks produced. The second recall was caused by the electric parking brake which might fail because faulty thrust washers were fitted to the calipers.
After starting production in late September 2022, the company said it expected to deliver 50 trucks to customers in 2022, and 450 in the first half of 2023, subject to raising sufficient capital. In reality, Lordstown Motors managed to deliver only three Endurance electric trucks in 2022 and an additional three in early 2023.
In January 2023, the company forecast production would slow through the first quarter due to supply-chain constraints, especially related to the availability of hub motor components.
EV startups have been struggling with production challenges and diminishing cash balances as access to capital tightens amid rising US interest rates to curb inflation.
The Lordstown Endurance featurs four individual in-wheel hub motors that deliver a combined 550 horsepower and can propel the truck from zero to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds. The motors draw power from a 109-kilowatt-hour battery that can DC fast charge at up to 150 kilowatts. The electric pickup recently received an EPA range rating of 174 miles.
