Electric Pickup Chassis to Compete in Desert Race

Feb. 17, 2021

Lordstown Motors, a creator of electric light duty trucks focused on the commercial fleet market, has entered the Endurance Beta skateboard chassis in the 2021 SCORE International San Felipe 250, part of the SCORE World Desert Championship race series. The 290-mile single loop race will start and finish in San Felipe, Baja California, Mexico on April 17, 2021. The Mexican desert race course is considered one of the most grueling in the world, according to a press release.

According to Forbes, Lordstown is gearing up to race the "guts" of the truck—a skateboard chassis and powertrain—across the desert. The main reason for testing the truck in this unfinished state is to make sure the finished product will be able to haul the gear and deliver the power truck buyers are looking for. 

The Lordstown Endurance is a full-size, all-electric pickup that has a range of 250 miles, the equivalent of 600 horsepower, and can tow up to 7,500 pounds. After successful prototype and Alpha builds, Lordstown is now building the first Beta Endurance vehicles and is on track for start of production in September of this year. 

“We feel that it is quite a significant milestone for the electric vehicle community that an electric pickup truck can compete in an environment as demanding as Baja California,” said Steve Burns, CEO of Lordstown Motors. “Our goal is to be the first electric vehicle to ever complete the San Felipe 250.”

After being postponed in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 San Felipe 250, held in April on Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, will be the SCORE World Desert Championship season-opener for the ninth straight season.

Source: Lordstown, Forbes