Electric vehicle maker Lordstown Motors warns it may go out of business
Startup Lordstown Motors says it may not be in business a year from now as it tries to secure funding to start full production of an electric pickup truck. The electric-vehicle maker warned that the $587 million it had on hand at the end of March isn't enough to start commercial production and begin selling its full-size pickup.
"These conditions raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least one year," the company said in a filing Tuesday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Shares of the company, which is set up in a former General Motors plant east of Cleveland, tumbled $1.70, or 15%, on Wednesday, following a 16% decline on Tuesday.
On May 24, CEO Steve Burns warned that production could be cut by over half to only 1,000 vehicles this year unless Lordstown raised an undisclosed amount of new capital.
Tuesday's SEC filing appears to be much more dire. "Going concern" is a term companies typically use when noting that their outside auditors are questioning their ability to remain in business. Lordstown reported a first-quarter net loss of $125 million and said it had a deficit of $259 million as of March 31.
The filing said management is evaluating new sources of capital, including issuing more equity or borrowing from partners, government or financial institutions.
"There can be no assurance that such financing would be available to us on favorable terms or at all," the filing said.
Burns said in May the company expects to lose up to $380 million this year, but he assured investors that Lordstown will end 2021 with at least $50 million in cash.
He said the company expects to start making the Endurance in September.
The Endurance, a $52,500 pickup truck, has passed two of the U.S. government's toughest crash tests, and will beat Ford Motor Co.'s electric F-150 to market, Burns said, adding that Lordstown has purchase agreements for about 30,000 of the trucks.
A company spokesman said he could not comment beyond Burns' guidance from May.
