Startup Gains Momentum

A fledgling electric vehicle maker in the state expects to complete the prototypes of its new pickup truck in March…and remains on target to start full production in the fall. Lordstown Motors Corp. says it already has begun metal stamping and welding for the Endurance All-Electric Pickup Truck prototypes, which will be used for testing. Full production of the trucks is slated to begin in September at the former General Motors assembly plant near Youngstown, which Lordstown Motors bought in 2019. The company acquired the plant with the help of a $40 million loan from GM. The startup says it will hire hundreds of people to build to the first line of Endurance trucks, but its long-term plan is to add thousands of jobs. It currently has nearly 350 workers, mainly at its Ohio headquarters and its research center, in suburban Detroit. The company says it expects to have around 1,000 employees, by year’s end. Officials add the automaker is working on plans…released later this year…for a new electric van that initially will be used as a recreational vehicle, in a partnership with Camping World.