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Workhorse Group has announced an immediate halt to all sales and deliveries of its C-1000 electric truck, citing that it found a previous report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) unreliable. In addition to frozen sales, Workhorse announced it will recall 41 electric vans that have already been delivered to customers.

Workhorse Group is an EV manufacturer that specializes in delivery vans, with roots that date all the way back to 1998 with step van chassis. In 2015, AMP Electric Vehicles took over the Workhorse Chassis name and rebranded it as Workhorse Group with a focus on electrified delivery vehicles.

After licensing its W-15 electric pickup design to Lordstown Motors in 2019, Workhorse focused on electrified last-mile delivery vehicles, garnering a slew of orders in early 2021. However, the company has since struggled to meet production targets.

One potential suitor was the USPS, for which Workhorse became one of three bidding finalists for a contract, the only one to bid for an entire fleet of BEVs. Its proposal, however, was rejected and Workhorse’s stock immediately plummeted 47%.

In June, Workhorse Group filed a lawsuit against the USPS. With new CEO Rick Dauch, who replaced ousted CEO Duane Hughes on July 29th, Workhorse withdrew its legal challenge to focus on other business opportunities.

One of those opportunities for the new Workhorse chief is to ensure the safety and quality of its electric vehicles, hence the latest announcement of a recall.

Workhorse recall
Workhorse’s C-Series electric vans / Source: Workhorse Group

Workhorse freezes all C-1000 sales, recalls electric vans over safety

In a recent press release, Workhorse Group explained its report to the NHTSA requesting additional testing and vehicle modifications to certify its C-1000 vehicles under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Here’s the official statement:

The Company has identified a number of enhancements in the production process and design of the C-1000 to address customer feedback, primarily related to vehicle dynamics to increase the vehicles’ payload capacity. As Workhorse has identified these enhancements and continued its review and redesign of the C-1000, the Company has decided to suspend deliveries of C-1000 vehicles and recall 41 vehicles it has already delivered. As part of these efforts, the new leadership team has determined that additional testing and modifications to existing vehicles are required to certify the C-1000 vehicles under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).

Although Workhorse has issued a recall on the electric vans, it has stated that it has not received any customer reports of safety issues in any of the C-1000 vehicles previously delivered.

CEO Rick Dauch has spearheaded this recall and demanded higher quality from Workhorse products than his predecessors were delivering. Dauch spoke on the Workhorse recall in the release as well:

Our new leadership team is taking decisive and necessary actions as we conduct our comprehensive operational review of the business. We have identified a number of opportunities to improve our C-1000 series vehicles and are committed to getting these previously delivered vehicles back on the road. Importantly, we remain on track to communicate our new, long-term strategic roadmap to enhance our trucks and operational capabilities on our third quarter earnings call. We continue to be confident in our ability to be a leading manufacturer of last-mile delivery vehicles over the long term.

Dauch continues to try and right the Workhorse ship left amiss by those who came before him, but the automaker has already missed out on first-mover perks that come with delivering the first electric vans.

Competitors like Rivian and GM subsidiary BrightDrop are already moving in on the space. This fact, on top of multiple quarters not hitting van delivery targets, has put Workhorse on the hot seat.

While the latest recall is admirable in showcasing Workhorse Group’s newfound focus on safety and quality EVs, a halt to sales and production will only make future progress more difficult.

Dauch surely has his work cut out for him.


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MasterChef presenter John Torode says allegation he used racist language upheld in report

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MasterChef presenter John Torode says allegation he used racist language upheld in report

MasterChef presenter John Torode says an allegation he used “racial language” was upheld in a report as part of a review into the behaviour of his former co-presenter Gregg Wallace.

The report, led by law firm Lewis Silkin, found 45 out of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated.

There were also two standalone allegations made against other people.

In a statement posted on his Instagram page, Torode said he was one of those people, but added that he had “no recollection of the incident” and said he “did not believe that it happened”.

He commented: “Following publication of the executive summary of the investigation into Gregg Wallace while working on MasterChef, I am aware of speculation that I am one of the two other individuals against whom an allegation has been upheld.

“For the sake of transparency, I confirm that I am the individual who is alleged to have used racial language on one occasion.

“The allegation is that I did so sometime in 2018 or 2019, in a social situation, and that the person I was speaking with did not believe that it was intended in a malicious way and that I apologised immediately afterwards.

“I have absolutely no recollection of any of this, and I do not believe that it happened.

“However, I want to be clear that I’ve always had the view that any racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment. I’m shocked and saddened by the allegation as I would never wish to cause anyone any offence.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the latest version.

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Gregg Wallace: Over half of allegations against MasterChef presenter substantiated, including one of unwanted physical contact

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Gregg Wallace: Over half of allegations against MasterChef presenter substantiated, including one of unwanted physical contact

An investigation into Gregg Wallace’s “inappropriate behaviour” on MasterChef has found that more than half of the allegations against him have been substantiated, including one of “unwanted physical contact”.

MasterChef’s production company Banijay UK shared a summary of its report into historical allegations of misconduct against the 60-year-old presenter, carried out by independent law firm Lewis Silkin over seven months.

The report also said the number of sustained allegations made Wallace’s return to MasterChef “untenable”.

The investigation heard evidence from 78 witnesses, including 41 complainants.

There were 83 allegations against Wallace, and 45 of them were substantiated. All were related to MasterChef.

While the majority of the substantiated allegations related to inappropriate sexual language and humour, a smaller number of allegations of other inappropriate language and being in a state of undress were also substantiated.

One allegation of unwanted physical contact was substantiated.

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Nearly all the allegations against Wallace were related to behaviour which is said to have occurred between 2005 and 2018, with just one substantiated allegation taking place post-2018.

Wallace and Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2014
Image:
Wallace and Anne-Marie Sterpini in 2014

Ahead of the publication of the summary, Wallace had said he had been “cleared of the most serious and sensational accusations” made against him.

Additionally, the report summary found that there were also 10 standalone allegations about other people between 2012 and 2018/2019, two of which were substantiated. Those people were not named in the summary.

The investigation found that complaints had previously been raised with the production company between 2005 and 2024.

Gregg Wallace on MasterChef. Pic: BBC/ Shine TV 2024
Image:
Gregg Wallace on MasterChef. Pic: BBC/ Shine TV 2024

While the report flagged inadequate reporting procedures prior to 2016, when Endemol merged with Shine ahead of Banijay acquiring Endemol Shine in 2020, it said there were significant improvements to HR processes and training after 2016.

While the investigation said some formal action was taken by the BBC in 2017, it also noted the corporation held no information regarding concerns raised over Wallace centrally, resulting in issues being addressed as a first offence.

Sky News has tried to contact Gregg Wallace for contact today.

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Man arrested for alleged sexual assault ‘on set of EastEnders’

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Man arrested for alleged sexual assault 'on set of EastEnders'

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assault and sexual assault – which reportedly took place on the set of EastEnders.

The alleged incident happened on the set of the BBC soap at Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire, according to The Sun newspaper.

Hertfordshire Police confirmed a man in his 50s was arrested after the report in Eldon Avenue, Borehamwood, on 7 May.

The man is accused of sexual assault and common assault in relation to two victims, the force said.

The suspect is on bail while inquiries continue, police added.

EastEnders said in a statement: “While we would never comment on individuals, EastEnders has on-site security and well-established procedures in place to safeguard the safety and welfare of everyone who works on the show.”

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