{"id":30002,"date":"2022-11-03T18:47:28","date_gmt":"2022-11-03T22:47:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=30002"},"modified":"2022-11-03T17:48:53","modified_gmt":"2022-11-03T21:48:53","slug":"payne-the-lordstown-endurance-marches-to-the-beat-of-a-different-hub-motor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/payne-the-lordstown-endurance-marches-to-the-beat-of-a-different-hub-motor","title":{"rendered":"Payne: The Lordstown Endurance marches to the beat of a different hub motor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ann Arbor<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Electric trucks these days are supercar wannabes. Go zero-60 mph in the GMC Hummer EV in three seconds! The Rivian R1T has neck-snapping torque! The Ford Lightning is quicker to 60 mph than a Ford Raptor! And so on.<\/p>\n

The Lordstown Endurance pickup truck is different.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow fast does the Endurance do 0-60 mph?\u201d I asked chief engineer Darren Post who was riding riding shotgun as I stomped the Endurance\u2019s accelerator on to West Huron River Drive northwest of Ann Arbor.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout 6.3 seconds, but our clients want us to slow that down,\u201d smiled Post. \u201cThey worry their drivers will drag-race.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Unlike Hummer, Rivian, Lightning, and Tesla Cybertruck (0-60 mph in 3.0 seconds!), the Lordstown Endurance is singularly focused on commercial truck fleets \u2014 not wealthy motorheads at M1 Concourse race track. That means Endurance is obsessed with efficiency. Woodward drag racing? Not so much.<\/p>\n

It also means Lordstown is synonymous with yet another novel electrified term for our auto lexicon. If Lightning pioneered the mega-frunk, Rivian the gear tunnel, and Hummer crab-walking, then Endurance wants you to know about hub motors.<\/p>\n

\u201cFleet customers are interested in cost of ownership,\u201d said Post. \u201cIf they can adopt technologies that will bring down significant operating and maintenance cost of a vehicle, then that becomes a significant advantage. They are aware of the complexity of a traditional EV powertrain that requires gear reduction (transmission), lubrication, various shafts and u-joints that need to be kept up.<\/p>\n

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\u201cSo, as we talked about hub motors at the corners without that extra hardware, it became very attractive to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Peer underneath the Endurance and it doesn\u2019t look like any other vehicle on the market.<\/p>\n

Tesla simplified the auto interior; Lordstown has simplified the drivetrain. Gone are the gearbox and driveshafts and u-joints found on other automobiles, including EVs.<\/p>\n

The Endurance is motivated by electric motors on each hub, the driveshaft space replaced by huge cables carrying current to each corner.<\/p>\n

The arrangement is key to Lordstown\u2019s pitch to commercial clients. Less parts, less maintenance. Indeed, even as I tested the Endurance, a semifinalist for Truck of the Year in my duties as a North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year juror,\u00a0the Endurance is the only vehicle nominated that will not be sold to retail customers.<\/p>\n

As its customers\u2019 0-60 mph concerns reflect, Endurance is not a vehicle gym-toned for performance \u2014 unlike EV pickup peers such as Rivian R1T and Ford F-150 Lightning. Endurance is a vehicle to be driven efficiently, within the lines \u2014 not pushing the boundaries of speed (the Lightning will do an insane 4.0 second 0-60 run) or off-road performance (dude, Rivian can go deep into America\u2019s national parks with 34-inch Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus off-road tires).<\/p>\n

When asked if Rivian had looked at hub motors, Rivian engineer Kenneth Tsang replied matter-of-factly: \u201cI can see where that fits Lordstown\u2019s commercial model, but we are a brand focused on off-road enthusiasts.\u201d<\/p>\n

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My time in the Endurance was spent in its natural habitat \u2014 urban Ann Arbor, navigating city streets and secondary roads. The same routes that say, a utility service truck, would take on daily rounds of less than 200 miles \u2014 which happens to be the $65K Endurance\u2019s range, well shy of a $75K Rivian\u2019s claimed 314 miles.<\/p>\n

The Endurance was not unpleasant to drive, however. Far from it. With its smooth, instant torque, it felt like other EVs I\u2019ve driven from Tesla to Hummer.<\/p>\n

I flogged it harder, I’m sure, than any utility employee will be allowed. Lordstown stuffs its trucks with data monitors so owners can track their trucks \u2014 and it’s equipped with all-season tires to discourage off-road forays. This is not the Tesla Cybertruck.<\/p>\n

Nor is it the F-150 Lightning.<\/p>\n

The Lordstown and Ford products are the first mass-production pickups available in the commercial market. The startup vs. the legacy king of trucks. David vs. Goliath.<\/p>\n

Lordstown is one of a rash of EV startups in the U.S. market that has taken hope from Tesla\u2019s own David vs. Goliath success story. The Silicon Valley automaker reinvented the automobile with electrification and \u2014 just a decade after the introduction of its first mainstream product, the Model S \u2014 is the luxury sales leader in the U.S., beating out giants BMW, Mercedes and Lexus.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a startup, we can make decisions more quickly,\u201d said Post, who came to Lordstown in 2019 after a 30-year career with GM as well as stints with two other startups. \u201cWe can take on new technologies without being hampered by standardized processes. And being a startup offers the chance to take a fresh look at what the customer\u2019s need is and adopt technologies that could do things differently than the rest of the industry.”<\/p>\n

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Lordstown\u2019s path will be formidable given the Detroit Three\u2019s dominance of the commercial pickup market (F-series, Chevy Silverado\/GMC Sierra, Ram) \u2014 and because all three automakers have EV trucks of their own in the pipeline.<\/p>\n

Ford\u2019s offering, the Lightning Pro, isn\u2019t cheap at $55K as EV material costs have inflated its sticker from $40,000 just four months ago. But the Endurance’s sticker is even higher at $65,000.<\/p>\n

For that cost, customers get not only extensive tracking data and hub motors, but a deep \u201cfrunk\u201d (front trunk) so workers can carry gear without fear of its getting waterlogged in the 5\u20198\u201d bed. The 4-wheel-drive truck will tow 8,000-pounds.<\/p>\n

Post\u2019s team has not yet published a range figure for towing, a task that has proven a challenge for EVs. A recent TFL Truck report, for example, found that Lightning went just 93 miles on a charge when towing 6,000 pounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be degradation in towing,\u201d said Post, but he says customers will typically use the vehicle on low-mileage routes. \u201cThey essentially leave a depot, do work at multiple sites, then return to the depot. We\u2019ve done study of data and found the average route is under 100 miles, but may extend upwards to 150.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Inside, Endurance boasts modern, digital instrument and infotainment displays. Interior materials are simple \u2014 cloth seats, plastic dash \u2014 as the pickup assumes interiors won\u2019t be driven by country club valets like retail-oriented brands, but used as daily workplaced for service and construction workers.<\/p>\n

At 6\u20195\u201d and 235 pounds, my large frame fit easily in the interior, and access to the 5’8″ composite bed was excellent with Chevy Silverado-like corner bumper steps.<\/p>\n

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Lordstown\u2019s access to the market has not been as easy. The pickup maker purchased GM\u2019s former Lordstown manufacturing facility but ran into financial problems that led to the\u00a0resignation of its CEO, Steve Burns<\/a>, then a sale of the plant to Foxconn \u2014 the Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer that is itself a rookie at vehicle manufacturing.<\/p>\n

The Endurance is Foxconn\u2019s first vehicle project. Indeed, it will be the first contract assembly plant in North America \u2014 seeking to replicate the success of Magna Steyr in Austria that assembles European models like the Mercedes G-Class and Jaguar iPace.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work closely with (Foxconn) as would any company launching a new vehicle,\u201d said Post. \u201cWe have targets to meet in terms of quality, and on a daily basis we are involved in the plant as we are work through launch issues. We have very good working relationship with the Foxconn team.\u201d<\/p>\n

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In keeping with its creative engineering and manufacturing, Endurance\u2019s design is also unique. You can\u2019t miss it on the road with its bold, horizontal lines tracing the bodywork like etchings on a circuit board. Also unique to any EV (save the Nissan Leaf sedan), Endurance\u2019s charge port is found smack in the middle of the front fascia.<\/p>\n

The Endurance launches off the assembly line \u2014 at less than 6.5 seconds 0-60 mph \u2014 in late 2022.<\/p>\n

2023 Lordstown Endurance<\/h2>\n

Vehicle type: Battery-powered, all-wheel-drive, five-passenger\u00a0pickup truck<\/p>\n

Price: $65,000<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 109 kWh lithium-ion battery driving four, in-wheel hub motors<\/p>\n

Power: 440 horsepower<\/p>\n

Transmission: NA<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph, 6.3\u00a0seconds (mftr.); payload, 1,050 pounds; towing, 8,000 pounds; top speed, 74 mph<\/p>\n

Weight: 6,450 pounds<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA 65 MPGe; range, 200 miles<\/p>\n

Report card<\/strong><\/p>\n

Highs: Hub-motor simplicity; unique design<\/p>\n

Lows: Higher sticker, lower range than Ford F-150 Lightning Pro<\/p>\n

Overall: 3\u00a0stars<\/p>\n

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ann Arbor\u00a0\u2014 Electric trucks these days are supercar wannabes. Go zero-60 mph in the GMC Hummer EV in three seconds! The Rivian R1T has neck-snapping torque! The Ford Lightning is quicker to 60 mph than a Ford Raptor! And so on. The Lordstown Endurance pickup truck is different. \u201cHow fast does the Endurance do 0-60 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30002"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30002"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30003,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30002\/revisions\/30003"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}