FirstEnergy Will Buy 250 Electric Trucks From Lordstown Motors
FirstEnergy is a utility company based in Akron, Ohio, which plans to purchase 250 electric pickup trucks from the new Lordstown Motors Company. The utility company will deploy the Endurance trucks to provide service to its customers in New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, and West Virginia.
Dennis M. Chack, FirstEnergy’s senior vice president, said:
We remain committed to embracing new ideas and opportunities that better serve our customers and contribute to a sustainable energy future. We’re proud to partner with Lordstown Motors to enhance our operating fleet and support continued electric vehicle growth throughout our service area.
Steve Burns, the CEO of Lordstown Motors, was previously CEO of another company called Workhorse but left it when he took over the former General Motors Company in Ohio last fall. Burns spent the last several months working to prepare the plant, the Endurance truck, and to persuade customers to purchase the product.
Burns explained:
Over the past couple of months, we have worked to better understand the needs of local residents and businesses. The ultimate goal is to continue to prioritize relationships, like the one we’ve developed with our partners at FirstEnergy, which drive innovative developments for this community.
Lordstown Motors is aiming to attract commercial customers with its trucks. The electric truck features a four-wheel drive, hub motor system, which involves fewer moving parts, thus, lowering the cost of the vehicle over its lifetime. The truck doesn’t require gasoline, will cost less to maintain, and is priced at $52,500. The company plans to begin production of the Endurance truck in late 2020 at the Lordstown plant in Ohio.
