

News
Lordstown Endurance units head to customers for initial deliveries
Update 10:35 AM ET: Lordstown’s expected production rate for 2022 and 2023 with quotes from Q3 Earnings Call added.
Lordstown Motors announced today that the first production units of the Endurance all-electric pickup are leaving its Ohio factory and headed to customers. The Endurance officially achieved full homologation earlier this week and was fully certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resource Board (CARB).
The first of 500 Endurance units are leaving the Foxconn EV Ohio plant for initial customer deliveries, Lordstown said in a press release. Production is expected to ramp slowly and will accelerate as the company works toward solving supply chain constraints.
“I am very proud of the Lordstown Motors and Foxconn EV Ohio team for their hard work, grit, and tenacity in achieving this milestone,” company CEO and President Edward Hightower said. “We are very excited to start delivering vehicles to our commercial fleet customers. The EnduranceTM will provide benefits to customers that use their vehicles for work. It optimizes key attributes of traction and maneuverability – with our in-wheel hub motors, safety – with our five-star crash performance, and value in the segment.”
Lordstown launched commercial production of the Endurance in late September. The company stated it had built only two vehicles just days after manufacturing had started. The company plans to build 30 units by the end of 2022, with the remaining 470 initial Endurance trucks finished in the first half of 2023. Lordstown detailed this in its Q3 2022 Earnings Call:
“Approximately 30 commercial units of the first batch are estimated to be built by the end of 2022, with the remainder built in the first half of 2023.”
After initial commercial production began, Lordstown still did not have the essential EPA green light that was needed to begin customer deliveries. The EPA and CARB both needed to certify the Endurance’s emissions and range through testing. Certifications were recently received and were followed by FMVSS crash and non-crash testing, which the vehicle also passed.
In just one short year, Lordstown has gone from being on the verge of financial ruin to having customer-ready units of its first vehicle roll off production lines. Last year, Lordstown was bailed out by Foxconn, the iPhone manufacturer, when the company bought the automaker’s Ohio production facility in a joint partnership. Production began after financial stability and corporate restructuring occurred at Lordstown. Edward Hightower took over as CEO after Steve Burns was ousted from the position.
Lordstown and Foxconn recently made their partnership all but permanent as the iPhone manufacturer pumped an additional $170 million in additional equity investments earlier this month. $100 million of the additional investments will be used to fund Lordstown’s “development and design activities for a new electric vehicle program in collaboration with Foxconn.” The remaining $70 million will be used to fund general corporate activities.
Some of Foxconn’s funding is pending Lordstown’s ability to achieve EV program milestones. You can read a complete breakdown here.
Technically, Lordstown and Foxconn’s joint venture was terminated, and all project developments are now expected to fall under Lordstown Motor Company.
Disclosure: Joey Klender is not a Lordstown or Foxconn investor.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
Elon Musk
Tesla Board takes firm stance on Elon Musk’s political involvement in pay package proxy
But there was one driving factor that was considered critical to Tesla: “Receive assurances that Musk’s involvement with the political sphere would wind down in a timely manner.”

The Tesla Board of Directors announced yesterday that it had established a new pay package for CEO Elon Musk, as it believes it is “critical” to secure his long-term commitment to the position.
However, the Board made it clear about Musk’s political involvement in its proxy filing, which announced the new pay package, and it seems the company is addressing it directly.
Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation
The proxy announced the massive pay package, which could give Musk $1 trillion if he achieves various goals that would help Tesla grow as an automaker, energy provider, and in the Robotics and AI sectors.
There are also some details about the Board’s decision, which we went over yesterday, as it felt that Musk was the right person to continue to lead Tesla for the foreseeable future.
It appears that there were four primary reasons behind the decision to retain Musk with this substantial pay package.
Tesla sought to secure Musk’s commitment to the company by offering him a path to increased ownership; if he were to achieve all tranches, he would hold approximately 27 percent ownership.
Another was to let Musk develop the newest Master Plan, which was released last week. Additionally, there needs to be a “meaningful framework for long-term succession planning led by the Board with Musk’s active participation.”
But there was one driving factor that was considered critical to Tesla: “Receive assurances that Musk’s involvement with the political sphere would wind down in a timely manner.”
This is an interesting tidbit in Tesla’s proxy filing. The board says: “Ultimately, the Committee believed it to be critical to Tesla to secure Musk’s commitment to Tesla, receive assurances that Musk’s involvement with the political sphere would wind down in a timely manner.”… pic.twitter.com/uGdVESprc8
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) September 5, 2025
It is far from a secret that Musk’s involvement with President Donald Trump during his election campaign and after he was voted in rubbed many people the wrong way.
Musk was part of President Trump’s White House, serving as the Head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and also acting as a Special Advisor.

President Donald J. Trump purchases a Tesla on the South Lawn, Tuesday, March 11, 2025. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)
Musk’s political involvement impacted sales, but by how much is unknown.
It appears the Board is truly ready to move on from politics and focus on what matters: expanding AI, Robotics, and sustainable energy. For what it’s worth, Musk has backed away from politics significantly compared to how it was during election season.
News
Tesla launches new Supercharger program that business owners will love
“We treat your site like we treat our sites. By providing you with a full-service package that includes network operations, preventative maintenance and driver support, we’re able to guarantee 97% uptime–the highest in the industry.”

Tesla has officially launched a new Supercharger program in the United States, catering to business owners who are sure to love it.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network is the world’s most expansive electric vehicle charging network, with over 70,000 locations worldwide. EV owners can also access other networks, making the charging experience well-rounded and available at nearly every location imaginable.
The company is now taking things a step further by launching “Supercharger for Business,” a new way to enable fast-charging for Teslas and other EVs through stalls that are owned by you but managed by the company.
Tesla Superchargers get massive nod in new study showing reliability
“Purchase and install Superchargers at your business,” Tesla writes on a page on its website for the new program. “Superchargers are compatible with all electric vehicles, bringing EV drivers to your business by offering convenient, reliable charging.”
There are several advantages to this program that benefit owners, customers, and employees alike. It is truly a great opportunity for everyone involved.
For company owners, the presence of Superchargers is extremely beneficial for customers, as it can be a convenient way to attract people to your business. It will also provide your employees who drive EVs with a fast and convenient way to charge at work, making your business a more attractive place to work.
The stalls are also customizable, and can have your company’s logo placed on the charger:
For customers, they will be able to pull up to your business for a meeting or a visit and charge during their stop. EV owners know how convenient this would be.
For employees, they can now fast-charge at work. It is a huge benefit to have this available. It can also be more convenient than typical chargers at offices, which usually have a lower power output and take hours to gain range. In a pinch, the Superchargers will be more convenient.
Businesses also have the ability to control everything they want with the Superchargers, including pricing, while also benefiting from Tesla’s management and maintenance of the stalls:
“We treat your site like we treat our sites. By providing you with a full-service package that includes network operations, preventative maintenance and driver support, we’re able to guarantee 97% uptime–the highest in the industry.”
With EVs becoming more popular every year, this is something that many businesses will take advantage of to not only gain customers, but also potentially sway an employee to their company for employment.
Not to mention, this is a great advertising opportunity for businesses.
Elon Musk
Tesla board reveals reasoning for CEO Elon Musk’s new $1 trillion pay package
“Yes, you read that correctly: in 2018, Elon had to grow Tesla by billions; in 2025, he has to grow Tesla by trillions — to be exact, he must create nearly $7.5 trillion in value for shareholders for him to receive the full award.”

Tesla’s Board of Directors has proposed a new pay package for company CEO Elon Musk that would result in $1 trillion in stock offerings if he is able to meet several lofty performance targets.
Musk, who has not been meaningfully compensated since 2017, completed his last pay package by delivering billions in shareholder value through a variety of performance-based “tranches,” which were met and resulted in the award of billions in stock.
Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation
However, Musk was unable to claim this award due to a ruling by the Delaware Chancery Court, which deemed the payout an “unfathomable sum.”
Now, the company is taking steps to ensure Musk gets paid, as the Board feels that it is crucial to retain its CEO, who has been responsible for much of the company’s success.
This is not a statement to undermine the work of all of Tesla’s terrific employees, but a ship needs to be captained by someone, and Musk has proven he is the right person for the job.
The Board also believes that, based on a statement made by the company in its proxy, various issues will be discussed during the upcoming Shareholder Meeting.
Robyn Denholm and Kathleen Wilson-Thompson recognized Musk’s contributions in a statement, which encouraged shareholders to vote to approve the payout:
“We’re asking you to approve the 2025 CEO Performance Award. In designing the new performance award, we explored numerous alternatives. Ultimately, the new award aims to build upon the success of the 2018 CEO Performance Award framework, which ensure that Elon was only paid for the performance delivered and incentivized to guide Tesla through a period of meteoric growth. The 2025 CEO Performance Award similarly challegnes Elon to again meet a series of even more aspirational goals, including operational milestones focused on reaching Adjusted EBITDA targets (thresholds that are up to 28 times higher than the 2108 CEO Performance Award’s top Adjusted EBITDA milestone) and rolling out new or expanded product offerings (including 1 million Robotaxis in commercial operation and delivery of 1 million AI Bots), all while growing the company’s market capitalization by trillions of dollars.
Yes, you read that correctly: in 2018, Elon had to grow Tesla by billions; in 2025, he has to grow Tesla by trillions — to be exact, he must create nearly $7.5 trillion in value for shareholders for him to receive the full award.
In addition to these unprecedented performance milestones, the 2025 CEO Performance Award also includes innovative structural features, born out of the special committee’s considered analysis and extensive shareholder feedback. These features include supercharged retention (at least seven and a half years and up to 10 years to vest in the full award), structural protections to minimize stock price volatility due to administration of this award and, thereafter, incentives for Elon to participate in the Board’s continued development of a framework for long-term CEO Succession. If Elon achieves all the performance milestones under this principle-based 2025 CEO Performance Award, his leadership will propel Tesla to become the most valuable company in history.”
Musk will have a lot of things to accomplish to receive the 423,743,904 shares, which are divided into 12 tranches.
However, the Board feels he is the right person for the job, and they want him to remain the CEO. This package should ensure that he stays with Tesla, as long as shareholders feel the same way.
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