Endurance features a number of conventional knobs and buttons, notably for its climate control system - its buttons, notably, being large enough to easily adjust the temperature and other settings while wearing thick gloves - work gloves, perhaps? While the touchscreen handles a broad array of vehicle functions, I actually prefer Lordstown’s approach compared to that of the Rivian R1T. It’s actually two screens: a big, easy-to-read digital gauge cluster, and the requisite infotainment unit. There’s a single display stretching from nearly the left A-pillar through the top of the center stack. Inside, Lordstown has adopted the screen-centric approach taken with virtually all new battery-electric vehicles. There’s a reasonably large frunk, or front trunk, under the hood, something that should appeal to buyers who don’t like leaving valuables inside the cabin. But the nose is the most distinctive detail on Endurance, with a broad panel replacing what would be a conventional grille, and slit-style lighting just below the hood. The automaker plucked its engineering team from Detroit and they brought with them some useful details, including steps built into the bumper to make it easy to reach into the bed.Ĭoming at the truck from the rear or sides you might not notice anything unusual.
StylingĬlearly not as radical as Tesla’s long-delayed Cybertruck, the Lordstown Endurance boasts a fairly conventional pickup shape, with a four-door cab and a 67-inch cargo bed. It’s a midsize package riding atop a unique, skateboard-like platform and is powered by four wheel-hub motors. It took a while to line up an Endurance for a test drive, and I was limited to a long afternoon behind the wheel, putting it through its paces along my favorite route through Hell, Michigan and beyond. Lordstown officials claim the approach requires fewer moving parts which should translate into lower maintenance costs. What’s unusual about the truck is that it relies on four individual “hub” motors, meaning they’re mounted within Endurance’s wheels. It’s a full-size package riding atop a unique, skateboard-like platform.
Plans have shifted, however, and the company is now focused on the commercial market, rather than aiming at retail customers. The company’s first offering, the Lordstown Endurance is finally rolling off the line at the now Foxconn-owned plant. It’s a bet I wish I had taken, though it’s still far from certain that Lordstown Motors will be a long-term survivor. Somewhere in Vegas the bookmakers were clearly giving long odds against the startup ever making it into production. It’s management team baldly inflated advance sales numbers and Lordstown was forced to sell its assembly plant - an old GM facility in, appropriately, Lordstown, Ohio to Taiwanese mega-manufacturer Foxconn. Where Lordstown winds up remains to be seen.Įarlier this year, it seemed like the Ohio-based EV wannabe was doomed to crash and burn. There are a handful of strong contenders, such as Lucid and Rivian, as well as a long list of failures. While not as eclectic looking as Tesla’s Cybertruck, the Lordstown Endurance offers a unique look.īut it’s only with the advent of the battery-electric vehicle that there’ve been any real success stories - primarily in the form of Tesla.
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