Lordstown Motors wants to prove that its Endurance electric truck is ready for the desert through a familiar strategy: it is entering a prominent race. Autoblog reports that Lordstown revealed a race-ready version of his Endurance Beta truck that will compete in the SCORE World Desert championship in San Felipe 250 on April 17. The upgraded EV is ready for the Mexican race with bigger off-road wheels (complete with wider fenders), four high-power steering lights and the removal of ‘frills’ like mirrors, windows and many of the cabin’s luxuries.
Ideally, the race will prove that the Endurance is the “toughest and most robust” truck on the planet, while reducing emissions, said company chief Steve Burns.
If all goes well, the Lordstown pilot can provide further evidence that electric trucks are ready for extreme conditions. If they can handle off-road bumps and bruises, you’re more likely to buy an Endurance for your own excursions out of the way.
The competition may highlight the current limitations of EVs, however. The race covers a 290-mile course, but the Street Endurance has a range of only 250 miles. Even with weight reduction, there is a real chance that the race variant will have to reload in the middle of the race while its competitors pass. So Lordstown is unlikely to win – until the range of his vehicles improves, this is more proof of ability than a realistic bet for motorsport glory.