The rise of electric cars has seen many attempts to start a new automaker. But starting up a new car company is an incredible challenge, and most startups in the automotive world fail. The car business is one of the most capital-intensive imaginable, requiring a new entrant to set up factories and their supply systems, as well as dealerships and service networks, all before making that first sale.
That has resulted in some innovative thinking. Tesla, for instance, challenged state laws against a company selling its cars directly. Lordstown Motors, meanwhile, has enlisted camping and RV stores in its quest to bring a truck to market.
You can’t buy a Lordstown Endurance pickup yet – the company plans to sell only to fleets at first. But it plans retail sales eventually. And when those trucks hit the road, they’ll be able to pull into Camping World locations for service.
Camping World operates 227 stores, 170 of which have service bays for recreational vehicles (RVs). Under the new agreement, those locations will now also service Lordstown electric pickups. The two companies also plan to develop an all-electric RV together.
Though it’s an unconventional pairing at first glance, the partnership could be a stroke of genius. Lordstown has just gone from zero service centers to 170 without incurring the cost of building even one from scratch. That may help bring the Endurance to individual sales faster than anyone expected.
