Lordstown’s Endurance Electric Pickup Gets Lousy Mileage and Range
The Lordstown Endurance pickup has been in the news a lot recently, mostly for the wrong reasons. It is unclear just how long the EV maker will continue producing the Endurance EV pickup. But its recent MPGe and range numbers won’t help any. When launched, the Endurance was to feature many firsts. Instead, for all of its promises, it is far and away the worst in the categories one would expect it to excel.
Is Lordstown even making any Endurance trucks?
Honestly, it is surprising there is any mention of Endurance performance at all. The company has produced so few, around 40 by April 2023, with only six actually delivered to customers. Then in May, Lordstown announced it might have to stop production due to a lack of funds necessary to continue. So coming into June, Lordstown remains in this Twilight Zone of being in production, but not having produced very many, with a distinct possibility of not making many more. And this is just the Cliffs Notes.
The Endurance gets power from a 109-kWh lithium-ion battery, with the original specifications offering a 250-mile range. But now, the EPA Combined range is a lower 174 miles. That puts it dead last for EVs with over 100 kWh batteries. And in a backward rating puzzle, the EPA Highway range is even worse, at only 169 miles.
Why are Endurance range and performance so poor?
Then there is the performance. Initially touting a 0 to 60 mph time of 5.5 seconds, that figure has risen to 6.3 seconds. For comparison, the Rivian R1T hits 60 mph in 3.3 seconds, with the Ram REV hitting 3.7 seconds. So the R1T is twice as quick as the Endurance.
Why the miserable range, and why is Highway mileage worse? According to InsideEVs, it has to do with the Endurance’s energy consumption. It says the charging losses are estimated to be 48 MPGe: 702 watt-hours per mile. That’s the highest figure for any EV in over 10 years.
Why is the energy consumption so high? One of the things that does make the Endurance unique from other electric trucks is its four hub motors housed inside each wheel. While offering instant four-wheel drive, it may be a less efficient way to get from point A to B.
Does the Lordstown Endurance excel in any category?
Lordstown needs something compelling to launch it into the electric truck segment, which now includes the GMC Hummer, Rivian R1T, and Ford F-150 Lightning. Very soon, there will be even more distractions from Tesla’s Cybertruck, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, Ram REV, and similar GMC Sierra EVs. But a 179-mile range won’t even come close to impressing EV truck buyers, with the Rivian truck at a 400-mile range and the Hummer and Lightning around 320 miles.
None of the Endurance’s specs break out beyond the current crop of EV trucks. And as we’ve shown, there are some that trail far behind. If it were being offered for far less money than a Lightning Pro, that would be a reason to consider one. But right now there isn’t any pricing available on the Lordstown website.
Once a few Endurance trucks get into consumers’ hands (right now they’re only available for commercial buyers), maybe things will look better. But is there enough to offer to ever get to that point?
