Lordstown turns focus to future EV based mostly on Foxconn platform

Because it continues to hunt an answer to the problem that led to February’s manufacturing halt and voluntary recall of its Endurance full-size electrical truck, Lordstown Motors has introduced a next-generation platform and car program.

Lordstown on Monday mentioned it’s working with contract producer Foxconn to develop the platform and a brand new business car. The Ohio-based EV startup described the platform and car as “key” to its long-term enterprise technique and mentioned they had been turning into a “better portion” of its focus.

The announcement comes at a time Lordstown says it doubts it might “proceed as a going concern” except its will get “considerably extra” capital to develop its subsequent EV. It’ll additionally want more cash to mass produce its Endurance truck past the five hundred models already deliberate.

The brand new car’s platform is deliberate to be derived from Foxconn’s modular EV platform often known as the MIH, which was first proven in 2020. Lordstown mentioned its new car will probably supply parts and subsystems from Foxconn and different suppliers related to the MIH platform.

Foxconn, whereas finest recognized for being the producer of Apple’s iPhones, has lately been shifting into automotive improvement and manufacturing. It has additionally launched its personal EV model, Foxtron, and final 12 months previewed a handful of fashions for the model, together with a mid-size electrical truck known as the Mannequin V.

Foxtron Mannequin V

“Our asset-light enterprise mannequin and collaboration with the Foxconn EV ecosystem, together with MIH, will present the chance for Lordstown Motors to create profitable EVs which might be tailor-made to the wants of consumers that use them for numerous work functions, whereas gaining the fee advantages of scale,” Edward Hightower, Lordstown’s CEO, mentioned in a press release.

Timing for the brand new car wasn’t talked about in Monday’s announcement. Nevertheless, Lordstown confirmed manufacturing will happen on the Ohio plant the corporate purchased from Common Motors in 2019, and offered to Foxconn in 2021. The plant is the place Foxconn constructed the primary few examples of the Endurance below contract, earlier than manufacturing was halted because of {an electrical} problem found in a few of the accomplished vehicles.

In its announcement, Lordstown mentioned it has a “line of sight to the decision of the problem” and expects to supply an replace within the coming weeks on when manufacturing and deliveries of the Endurance will resume. Lordstown mentioned 40 Endurance vehicles out of a deliberate preliminary batch of 500 vehicles had been constructed by way of February, of which six had been offered.