Lordstown Motors Corp. made first deliveries on its preliminary batch of 500 electrical pickups for business fleet prospects.

The Lordstown, Ohio, EV startup on Tuesday mentioned it started to maneuver its Endurance pickup after receiving homologation certification from the U.S. authorities. The Division of Transportation should present certification a automobile meets U.S. codes earlier than a producer can start deliveries.

The corporate additionally acquired certification from the Environmental Safety Company and California Air Assets Board.

Lordstown has struggled to deliver the truck to market. However a $170 million funding by the Taipei, Taiwan-based Foxconn Know-how Group, the contract producer that makes the Apple iPhone, offered an important money injection.

“The Endurance will present advantages to prospects that use their automobiles for work. It optimizes key attributes of traction and maneuverability … with our in-wheel hub motors … [and] security … with our five-star crash efficiency … [as well as] worth within the section,” mentioned Lordstown CEO Edward Hightower in an announcement.

Lordstown Motors has survived a number of hurdles to place itself to ship its first electrical vehicles.

The corporate acquired its Lordstown manufacturing facility from Common Motors in late 2019. GM had closed the ability and was on the lookout for one other producer to relaunch manufacturing on the web site.

Lordstown then grew to become a publicly traded firm by means of a reverse-merger cope with a particular goal acquisition firm and was listed on the NASDAQ in October 2020. Quickly afterward, Lordstown was beset by manufacturing, provide chain and monetary points amid the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. The corporate grew to become the goal of a Securities and Change Fee investigation in 2021 after Hindenburg Analysis accused Lordstown of deceptive buyers in regards to the power of its truck pre-orders. Hindenburg focuses on brief gross sales — funding bets that an organization’s share value will fall. Its findings led Lordstown founder and former CEO Steve Burns to resign from the corporate.

Final yr, Lordstown offered the manufacturing facility to Foxconn for $280 million.

The contract producer agreed to take over manufacturing the Endurance pickup and mentioned it’ll produce EVs for different producers on the plant. Foxconn can also be making Fisker’s electrical Pear utility automobile and Monarch’s electrical tractor on the Lordstown plant.

Foxconn is in talks with Volkswagen to construct Scout automobiles because the German automaker revives the previous Worldwide Harvester model within the U.S., Automotive Information affiliate Automobilwoche reported Tuesday. It’s unclear whether or not Foxconn will construct Scouts on the Lordstown manufacturing facility or elsewhere.

Final month Foxconn unveiled two new EV prototypes highlighting its ambitions to change into a significant automobile producer, replicating its success in electronics meeting as Apple’s largest manufacturing accomplice. A partnership with VW might imply a significant breakthrough for Foxconn.

Lordstown Motors and Foxconn are pursuing a $200 million U.S. Vitality Division mortgage to assist pay prices for retooling the manufacturing facility to construct electrical vehicles.