Lordstown Motors (RIDE) Endurance EV pickup sales began in Q4, with the company selling not one, not two, but three vehicles in the fourth quarter of 2022. Although Lordstown beat the Tesla Cybertruck to market, the EV startup faces more financial woes with widening losses in Q4 and an ongoing production halt.
Meanwhile, Lordstown says it’s progressing on a new EV program with Foxconn.
Endurance EV truck sales begin in Q4
With the first three Endurance sales under its belt, Lordstown has crossed an important milestone, but the EV maker still has a long road ahead of it.
Founded in 2018, Lordstown has faced a series of hurdles to get to this point. After nearly running out of money several times, and the company’s CEO and CFO abruptly resigned in 2021, the fate of the Endurance electric pickup was up in the air.
Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Foxconn threw the company a life raft, buying its Ohio plant later that year. Foxconn has stepped in multiple times since to help the young EV maker since then.
After announcing it would need at least $50 to $75 million last August to ramp Endurance EV production and continue operations, Foxconn invested another $70 million to revamp the program.
Despite the cash injections, Lordstown is still facing issues getting its electric truck into customers’ hands. The company halted Endurance vehicle production last month amid a voluntary recall after finally beginning Endurance pickup sales in the fourth quarter.
On its Q4 earnings Monday, Lordstown said it’s still working to resolve the issue, with additional updates expected soon.
Lordstown Endurance electric truck (Source: Lordstown)
Lordstown Q4 2022 earnings highlights
Although Lordstown said the first batch of 500 Endurance EV trucks was leaving its Ohio plant in November, the company claims 40 of them have been completed or are in process, selling three EVs in Q4 and a total of six through February 2023.
Lordstown also said, “e now have line of sight to the resolution of the issues” and expect to announce in the “coming weeks” when it will resume production and EV deliveries.
Meanwhile, Foxconn continued throwing money at the EV startup, investing up to another $170 million with an initial $52 million funded.
Revenue reached $194,000 in Q4, while Lordstown’s net loss rose to $102 million. Lordstown ended the year with $221.7 million in cash and equivalents. The company expects to end the first quarter with $150 million to $170 million in funds, not including additional investments from Foxconn.
Of the $50 million Foxconn investment, $30 million is being put toward a new EV program, including an electric vehicle and platform.
Lordstown said, “the next platform and vehicle program are key” to the company’s long-term strategy and are becoming more of a focus.
Lordstown (RIDE) stock is down today as investors had hoped to hear better news on the production front.
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NHTSA announced that it has launched an investigation into Tesla for not correctly reporting crashes involving its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving systems.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the road safety regulator in the US, already has several open investigations into Tesla, most of which are related to Tesla’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS): Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD).
Now, it is opening a new investigation related to inconsistencies in how Tesla reports crashes involving its ADAS systems.
Due to the Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), automakers are required to report to NHTSA crashes involving their autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems within five days of being notified of them.
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When it comes to Tesla, it generally receives notification within minutes of a crash, as it has an automated collision snapshot that is sent to its mothership server following an accident.
Now, NHTSA claims that Tesla has sometimes waited months to report crashes involving Autopilot and Full Self-Driving.
They wrote in their notice that they opened a new probe into Tesla:
The Office of Defects Investigation (“ODI”) has identified numerous incident reports submitted by Tesla, Inc. (“Tesla”) in response to Standing General Order 2021-01 (the “SGO”), in which the reported crashes occurred several months or more before the dates of the reports. The majority of these reports involved crashes in which the Standing General Order in place at the time required a report to be submitted within one or five days of Tesla receiving notice of the crash. When the reports were submitted, Tesla submitted them in one of two ways. Many of the reports were submitted as part of a single batch, while others were submitted on a rolling basis.
Tesla told NHTSA that this was due to an “error” in their systems, and they claim to have fixed it, but the agency wants to investigate further:
Preliminary engagement between ODI and Tesla on the issue indicates that the timing of the reports was due to an issue with Tesla’s data collection, which, according to Tesla, has now been fixed. NHTSA is opening this Audit Query, a standard process for reviewing compliance with legal requirements, to evaluate the cause of the potential delays in reporting, the scope of any such delays, and the mitigations that Tesla has developed to address them. As part of this review, NHTSA will assess whether any reports of prior incidents remain outstanding and whether the reports that were submitted include all of the required and available data.
Tesla leads level 2 ADAS system crash data reporting by a mile (ADAS level 2 on the left and ADS level 3-5 on the right):
Tesla only appears on the chart for the level 2 driver assistance system and not on the crash reporting for the automated system, since, despite what its CEO and some shareholders claim, Tesla doesn’t have any system deployed in the US that qualifies as fully automated.
However, when it comes to level 2 ADAS crash reporting, Tesla leads with over 2,300 crashes, followed by GM, which reports 55 crashes with its SuperCruise system.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that Tesla tries to weasle its way out of reporting crash data related to its automated driving efforts.
At this point, it’s basically its modus operandi.
Yet, we are supposed to trust the company to deploy safe systems that automate driving?
Tesla has proven extremely opaque and untrustworthy in its safety reporting regarding Autopilot and Full Self-Driving. I think that’s a fair statement backed by facts.
That’s not what you want from a company deploying products that are potentially dangerous to road uses.
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Toyota’s new electric SUV boasts significantly more range, a revamped interior and exterior design, and an NACS port for recharging at Tesla Superchargers. Despite the upgrades, the 2026 Toyota bZ is $2,000 cheaper than the outgoing model.
2026 Toyota bZ electric SUV prices and range by trim
The bZ4X, Toyota’s first electric SUV, has been killed off and replaced with the upgraded bZ. Toyota improved it in almost every way possible for the 2026 model year, adding driving range, more features, a fresh new look, and more.
Even with the upgrades, the new and improved Toyota bZ is cheaper than the outgoing bZ4X. Toyota revealed prices for the 2026 bZ electric SUV will start at $34,900, or $2,170 less than the outgoing model.
That’s for the base XLE FWD trim with a 57.7 kWh battery, good for 236 miles range. Upgrading to the extended-range bZ XLE FWD Plus will cost $37,900, but a larger 74.7 kWh battery provides up to 314 miles of driving range, representing a 25% improvement over the 2025 model year.
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2026 Toyota bZ electric SUV (Source: Toyota)
For AWD, prices start at $39,900. Thanks to new SIC semiconductors, AWD models now pack up to 388 hp, 50% more than the outgoing electric SUV.
The range-topping 2026 Toyota bZ Limited FWD trim starts at $43,300, while upgrading to AWD will cost you an extra $2,000.
2026 Toyota bZ trim
Battery
Range
Starting Price*
XLE FWD
57.7 kWh
236 miles
$34,900
XLE FWD Plus
74.7 kWh
314 miles
$37,900
XLE AWD
74.7 kWh
288 miles
$39,900
Limited FWD
74.7 kWh
299 miles
$43,300
Limited AWD
74.7 kWh
278 miles
$45,300
2026 Toyota bZ prices and range by trim (*excluding $1,450 DPH fee)
Toyota’s new electric SUV now features a built-in NACS port, allowing you to recharge at Tesla Superchargers. With a new thermal management system and battery preconditioning, the bZ can charge from 10% to 80% in about 30 minutes.
The new electric SUV features a fresh look both inside and out. Like the latest Camry and Crown, the bZ features Toyota’s new “hammerhead front end design” with an LED light bar across the front.
The interior of the 2026 Toyota bZ (Source: Toyota)
Inside, the 2026 bZ gets a redesigned center console and a larger 14″ Toyota Audio Multimedia touchscreen, two wireless phone chargers, and an improved dashboard.
Toyota said dropping the “4X” at the end of the name was to simplify things for buyers. The 2026 models are expected to begin arriving at dealerships in the second half of 2025, which could be any day now.
With the 2026 model year arriving soon, Toyota is offering clearance prices on the 2025 bZ4X with up to $12,000 off in lease cash. You can use our link to find Toyota bZ4X models in your area (trusted affiliate link).
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Innovative EV charging network ChargePoint is expanding the availability of its modular Omni Port EV charger to its customers. While pre-fitted new chargers continue to roll out across the US, ChargePoint has introduced a new conversion kit version of the universal charging technology, giving older stations more modern compatibility.
If you’ve ever owned, leased, or rented an EV in the US, chances are you’ve encountered a ChargePoint ($CHPT) station or port during your travels. The company estimates that it currently holds a 60%+ market share of public AC charging ports in North America and continues to introduce new strategies and technologies to keep that EV network humming.
For example, ChargePoint began implementing AI to monitor and report EV charger issues so they could be addressed more quickly, reducing downtime. Last month, the company announced a new charger checkup program called “Safeguard Care” to maintain and clean stations before any issues arise.
On the tech side of things, ChargePoint has introduced faster V2X level 2 chargers and anti-theft and anti-vandalization charger cables. However, ChargePoint’s most interesting innovation of the past year is its Omni Port EV Charger plug, which combines J1772 and NACS ports into one while maintaining the capabilities for CCS1 DC fast charging where available.
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It’s been just over a year since the Omni Port was unveiled. While new EV chargers donning the tech continue to roll out, ChargePoint has introduced an additional solution to update older, existing stations.
The new Omni Port / Source: ChargePoint
ChargePoint’s conversion kit can update older EV chargers
ChargePoint shared details of its new “Omni Port adaptable charging solution,” designed to bring modern updates to existing EV chargers. The new conversion kit will roll out alongside production of the charging network’s pre-fitted Omni Port Level 2 chargers to further ensure more customers can charge in any space, with any connector (aside from CHAdeMO), regardless of make and model.
ChargePoint hopes the addition of the conversion kit will enable it to bolster its existing EV charger network by providing a solution to the connector issue. Many existing BEVs still utilize J1772 plugs while the entire industry slowly transitions to the North American Charging Standard (NACS). ChargePoint’s CTO of Hardware, Hossein Kazemi, elaborated:
As many automakers shift toward the NACS charging port, charging providers need to serve all of their customers – regardless of their vehicle’s connector type. Omni Port enables customers to future proof their charging infrastructure and eliminates the hassle of dedicating parking spaces to a specific connector type. For EV drivers, it ensures they will encounter the connector type they need to charge at any Omni Port location.
As we explained when the Omni Port debuted last summer, the charging process is seamless. EV drivers register their vehicle in the ChargePoint app and tap to charge, and the station automatically releases the correct connector type.
At the time, ChargePoint also pointed out that the modular design of its EV chargers would allow station owners to upgrade to new technology like the Omni Port, which debuted as being “future-ready.” With the addition of the conversion kit, station owners do not need to replace their EV chargers entirely and instead can swap a minimal amount of components quickly and affordably—all while upgrading to the most up-to-date universal charging technology.
There is no word yet on when the conversion kits will start rolling out, but this could provide a huge technological boost to ChargePoint’s existing EV charger networks, which are already one of the most prominent in North America. We love to see it.
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