Lordstown Motors Founder Steve Burns Launches LandX Motors with Familiar EV Trucks
Steve Burns, the ousted founder of bankrupt EV startup Lordstown Motors, has resurfaced with a new venture—LandX Motors—featuring the same electric pickup truck once touted as a Tesla, Ford, and GM compe*****.
The Rebirth of a Controversial EV Vision
Burns, who describes himself as a “serial entrepreneur,” acquired most of Lordstown Motors’ remaining assets during its Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in late 2023. This included a significant inventory of its Endurance electric pickup trucks, now prominently displayed on LandX Motors’ website.
While the new company avoids explicitly naming the Endurance, a promotional video showcases trucks bearing the Lordstown badge. According to an insider, LandX’s focus isn’t solely on the truck itself but on the underlying EV platform, software, and engineering.
Unresolved Challenges from the Lordstown Era
Key questions remain unanswered:
- Production Costs: Lordstown executives admitted the Endurance’s manufacturing costs far exceeded its $60,000 price tag. How will LandX address this?
- Manufacturing Plans: The company hasn’t disclosed where or how it will produce these vehicles.
A LandX spokesperson declined to provide further details when contacted by TechCrunch.
A History of EV Startups and Controversies
Burns’ track record includes:
- Founding Lordstown Motors in 2019 after departing struggling EV startup Workhorse.
- Licensing Workhorse’s pickup design, which evolved into the Endurance.
- Purchasing a defunct GM factory in Ohio and taking Lordstown public via a SPAC merger in 2020.
Legal and Financial Troubles
- In 2021, Burns resigned after an internal probe found misleading statements to investors about pre-orders.
- Lordstown later sold its factory to Foxconn, which briefly produced Endurance trucks before a recall and partnership collapse.
- The SEC is now seeking $45 million from Lordstown for securities violations.
Burns reportedly made tens of millions selling Lordstown stock before its decline. His holding company, LAS Capital, bought Lordstown’s assets for ~$10 million.
The LandX Team: A Lordstown Reunion
Of LandX’s 16 LinkedIn-listed employees, 13 are former Lordstown staff. Notably:
- Duane Hughes, Burns’ successor at Workhorse, appears in Michigan state filings.
- Julio Rodriguez, Lordstown’s ex-CFO, now holds the same role at LAS Capital.
Burns remains defiant, telling Autoweek:
“I believed then, and I believe even more today, in what we built at Lordstown. That’s why I bought back the assets and rehired most of the engineering team.”
What’s Next for LandX Motors?
With familiar faces and technology, LandX aims to revive Burns’ EV ambitions—but skepticism lingers over unresolved cost and production hurdles. The EV market will be watching closely.
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