Mahoning Valley EV maker gets support for hub motor and battery line
By Terry Troy
The good news out of the Lordstown Motors in the Mahoning Valley continues to grow. The company took a giant leap forward with its plans to produce the world’s first, full-size, all electric pickup truck, receiving support for the company’s hub motor and battery line from the Ohio Tax Credit Authority. The approval will accelerate the project’s timeline, keeping the company on pace to begin production of its all-electric Endurance in September of 2021.
“From day one, Lordstown Motors was designed to represent the tough, gritty, hardworking people that have maintained this community for more than 50 years,” said Steve Burns, CEO of the company. “We are not just here to build electric vehicles, we are here to impact this region, by providing innovative and sustainable technology and resources.”
“Electric vehicles are part of the automotive industry’s future, and Lordstown Motors’ Endurance will be one of the first of its kind, built by talented workers in the Mahoning Valley,” said Ohio Governor Mike DeWine. “We share Lordstown Motors’ long-term vision of a ‘Voltage Valley’ that will make Ohio a leader in advancing automotive technology.”
Construction has already begun on the 700,000 square-foot battery pack and hub motor production facility at the company’s Ohio headquarters. Completion of the first stage of this facility will be complete in time for start of production of the Endurance in 2021. When completed, Lordstown Motors expects the facility to be one of the largest of its kind in the United States.
Lordstown had choices when it came to selecting a site for its Endurance production, but chose Ohio’s favorable ecosystem, including Northeast Ohio’s built-in workforce that knows how to build cars, an available plant to fit its needs, and a training program developed with Youngstown State University.
Ohio is centrally located to more than 70% of current North American automotive assembly plants, according to JobsOhio. The state’s large auto- specific workforce of over 108,000 individuals is among the largest in the Midwest. Earlier this year, Business Facilities ranked Ohio the second strongest state in the nation in terms of automotive manufacturing strength.
The news of the support for its hub motor and battery line comes on the heels of Lordstown Motors earlier announcement in November that it had received 50,000 non-binding production reservations for the commercial EV Endurance, with an average order size of 500 vehicles per fleet, according to the company.
This figure does not capture interest the company has received from organizations that are not in position to be able to place pre-orders, such as federal, state and municipal governments, and military fleets. Deliveries of the Lordstown Endurance are expected to begin in the fall of 2021, with full production ramping up throughout 2022.
The company currently employs more than 300 individuals in the areas of manufacturing, engineering, marketing, sales, facilities, human resources, IT, supply chain, accounting and finance. These employees are engineering the Endurance and preparing the plant for mass production. Lordstown Motors has also engaged approximately 150 contractors.
Lordstown expects to increase its internal employment to more than 500 individuals in just a few weeks, and to triple employment to 1,500 by the end of 2021.
