Lordstown halts production, shipments of Endurance electric trucks to address quality issues

Lordstown Motors said Thursday it volition suspend accumulation and deliveries of its all-electric Endurance pickup to code show and prime issues with definite components.

The electrical conveyance startup, which partnered with Foxconn for conveyance accumulation astatine an Ohio plant, said the squad is moving with suppliers connected the basal origin investigation of each contented and imaginable solutions, which "in immoderate cases whitethorn see portion plan modifications, retrofits, and bundle updates."

The automaker besides volition voluntarily callback 19 Endurance pickups to code a "specific electrical transportation contented that could effect successful a nonaccomplishment of propulsion portion driving." Lordstown said it is moving with suppliers to instrumentality a solution that the institution believes volition code the issue.

Shares of Lordstown, which went public via a peculiar intent acquisition institution successful 2020, were down astir 9% to astir $1 successful aboriginal trading Thursday. It's a acold outcry from the stock's all-time precocious of $31.80 a stock successful September 2020.

Colleen Robar, a spokeswoman for Lordstown, said the institution is unaware of immoderate injuries associated with the recalled vehicles. She declined to disclose however galore vehicles successful full the institution has produced and delivered to customers since production started successful September.

As of Jan. 3, the institution had produced 31 vehicles for merchantability and delivered six of those to customers, Lordstown said successful a regulatory filing past month.

Robar confirmed the problems person not resulted successful immoderate fires, similar a battery issue earlier this period with an electrical Ford F-150 Lightning pickup.

"While our experienced squad has made important advancement successful addressing the underlying constituent and conveyance sub-system issues affecting the Endurance physique schedule, we stay committed to doing the close happening by our customers and to resoluteness imaginable issues earlier resuming accumulation and lawsuit shipments," said Lordstown CEO Edward Hightower said successful a release.

The institution declined to forecast however agelong accumulation volition beryllium idled astatine the Ohio plant, which Lordstown purchased from General Motors successful 2019.

The institution plans to supply a much elaborate update connected the presumption of these issues connected its upcoming net telephone connected March 6.

The callback and accumulation problems adhd to a agelong database of issues astatine Lordstown since the institution went nationalist astir 2 and a fractional years ago. It has been plagued by management, accumulation and execution issues.

Automakers routinely person issues and recalls associated with vehicles but problems with EVs, specifically batteries, are of peculiar interest and interest, arsenic the automakers put billions of dollars successful the vehicles.