Automotive Engineering - December 2022 - 16

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Hub-motoring in Lordstown's novel Endurance
" It's been exciting to create a new vehicle
from the ground up, " Chi Yip,
Lordstown Motors' director of vehicle
integration, asserted from the passenger
seat, as we accelerated onto Michigan
I-94. Our vehicle, a new Endurance electric
all-wheel-drive pickup, was VIN 006,
the sixth production unit out of the company's
eastern Ohio plant. It's the first
significant production vehicle to feature
electric hub motors in all four wheels.
And like every Endurance, our test-drive
truck was painted white.
Yip is a veteran vehicle-dynamics
engineer with extensive experience at
Meritor, Ford, and an Asian EV start-up
before joining Lordstown Motors three
years ago. He's based at the company's
Farmington Hills, MI, engineering office
and was heavily involved in the truck's
clean sheet 'skateboard' development.
" The challenge on this program has
been in balancing the key vehicle attributes
- performance, towing capability,
gradeability, 0-to-60 mph acceleration,
and meeting our energy efficiency
goals, " Yip said. " We don't have many
options available compared with the
other full-size pickups. Fleet buyers
heading into the EV space are focused
on vehicle durability, reliability, utility
and low cost of ownership, " he noted.
Tight turning
From the driver's seat, the four-door
Endurance impresses as being spot-on
for its target market's expectations. It's
aimed at fleet customers, not the general
public; the cabin is thus trimmed as
a workplace, not a leather-goods showcase.
The multi-adjustable driver's seat
is plenty supportive and both legroom
and the foot box are more than ample
for my 6-ft. 3-in. frame. Cabin noise at
highway speeds is impressively low.
" We put a lot of work into seat comfort
and durability, " Yip explained. " We
spec'd a new fabric that's waterproof
and easy to clean. It's not the typical
work-truck vinyl, which fleet-vehicle
drivers told us is uncomfortable. "
In terms of performance, the
Endurance's 47-ft. (14.3-m) turning
radius proves handy while negotiating
the parking lot - a benefit of the inThe
Endurance electric pickup
is the first significant vehicle to
feature in-wheel hub motors.
Chi Yip, director of
vehicle integration
on the Endurance
program.
16 December 2022
wheel drive system, according to Yip. It
will be useful in tight urban delivery and
service situations.
Lordstown Motors claims the 6500-lb
(2948-kg) Endurance will accelerate
from stop to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) in 6.3
seconds, which to SAE Media's seat-ofpants
during our test drive (during
North American Truck of the Year evaluation)
feels about right. The Ford F-150
Lightning is more than two seconds
quicker, said Car and Driver, but that
metric isn't a priority to fleet users.
Lordstown claims a 118-mph (190km/h)
top speed, but an app designed
for fleet managers allows them to cap
vehicle acceleration and max velocity
(realistically 80 mph/129 km/h) in order
to conserve battery energy for
most use cases. The app also " provides
the manager with a lot of data, including
road speed, miles traveled, and
service info, " Yip noted.
With the propulsion system underfloor
and at the wheels, the Endurance
has a 'frunk' (front trunk) lockable storage
well offering 9.6 cu.ft. (279 L) of
space underhood. The composite cargo
bed, also made in-house, will hold 59.3
cu.ft. (1671 L). Payload rating is 1,050 lb
(476 kg), and the Endurance is capable
of towing up to 8000 lb (3629 kg).
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
TRUCK IMAGE: LORDSTOWN MOTORS. YIP: LINDSAY BROOE
Automotive Engineering - December 2022

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