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Order your Workhorse today!

2K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  FI Spyder 
#1 ·
#3 ·
Keep in mind this company is not new. They make other vehicles already. I blew them off until I found this out.

http://workhorse.com/about

AMP Electric Vehicles was established in 2007 as a developmental-stage vehicle electrification company. We first experimented with adding battery-electric power to two-seat roadsters.

In 2009/2010, Progressive Insurance sponsored a rigorous nation-wide competition for clean, “production-capable” vehicles. Our 100% electric GM Sky was the only mass-produced vehicle in the competition. All other vehicles were primarily prototypes or concept vehicles not suitable for driving on public roads. We were one of eight finalists in the Side-by-Side seating category. Our Sky achieved four times the fuel efficiency of an internal combustion equivalent with zero emissions (96 MPGe vs.19/24 city/highway for ICE version).

We followed the electrification of the Sky Roadster with the design and implementation of systems capable of powering larger vehicles. This led to the creation of electrification packages for the Chevrolet Equinox SUV, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Mercedes Benz ML350. These development activities resulted in the successful execution of the concept for SUVs.

AMP Electric Vehicles went public in 2010 trading on the OTC market under the AMPD symbol. When the economic benefits of conversion became less certain, we pivoted away from passenger vehicles and began to focus on electrifying commercial vehicles. This led to a development agreement with Navistar, a major U.S. truck OEM. Under the development agreement, the initial project was to re-power a 1,000 cubic foot delivery van.

The first vehicle was delivered to them in August of 2012 and successfully passed Navistar’s requirements and performance test. Navistar’s top management changed at precisely the same time the project vehicle passed its performance test and Navistar tabled the electrification project. They did however, introduce us to their client and AMP began to work directly with the end-user. As part of the end-user’s requirement, the battery-electric test truck successfully passed a 4,000-mile durability test at TRC, Inc.’s automotive test facility in East Liberty, OH.

AMP acquired the Workhorse brand and the Workhorse Custom Chassis assembly plant in Union City, IN in March of 2015. The asset acquisition made the company an OEM and enables the company to manufacture new, medium-duty truck chassis in the 14,500 to 23,500 GVW class.

In addition to the plant assets, our exclusive arrangement with UpTime Parts, Inc. for logistical and spare parts support and our 400+ network of dealers provides AMP with unequaled nationwide support for our vehicles.


In March of 2015, AMP formally changed its name to Workhorse Group Incorporated (NASDAQ: WKHS).
 
#5 ·
I placed my reservation the day they announced sales to the public. I have had Chevy trucks for the past 30 years and had hoped that they would be offering a extended range plug-in truck or van soon. I thought sure a plug-in would be offered by the 2019 model year as their tax credit would disappear after that, but so far no luck. The Workhorse W-15 is my only other option. It sounds great on paper and the price is almost too good to be true considering what is being offered and this truck will qualify for both the federal tax credit and any state incentives. I have two big concerns, first, will the range extender be powerful enough to operate a 7,000 pound truck for long distance travel through areas where public charging is unlikely to be available. My second concern was the lack of maintenance facilities. The early specs were confusing, some said the range extender would be powered by a 3 cylinder ICE, others said the 600 cc W20 range extender from the BMW i3 would be used. That really worried me as the i3 range extender cannot maintain SOC in the tiny i3, let alone a big unaerodynamic heavy truck like the W-15. Recently I watched a couple of interviews with Steve Burns, Workhorse CEO, where he settled this concern by saying the W-15 will have a turbo 3 cylinder ICE which will generate enough power to do anything a fully loaded Ford F-150 could do. He also said the AER has been increased from 80 to 100 miles. My guess is the more powerful range extender can work with a smaller buffer.

Maintenance is still a concern. Workhorse has signed an agreement with Ryder Trucks to do maintenance, but the availability of Ryder maintenance facilities are pretty scarce. Luckily there is one about 20 miles from where I live, but I'm still concerned how knowledgeable the techs are and availability of spare parts.

Workhorse is one of the bidders to replace the 180,000 USPS vans. If they win that competition, which should be announced soon, I think they will be a much more viable supplier of the W-15 as it is based on what Workhorse is offering the USPS.

I've written to Workhorse to suggest they should offer a consumer version of the W-15 as a van similar in size to the Sprinter/transit/Promaster vans for outfitters to convert to camper vans. An extended range electric van with its 7kw offload capability eliminates the need for the often complex and expensive RV electrical system and secondary air conditioner. No other manufactures offers as much power (460 hp) and torque vectoring to all four wheels. The electric drive should be much less costly to operate and the big 60 kwh battery can be recharged in any camp site with hookups. If they evered offer such a van I would change my reservation for the W-15 pickup in a heartbeat.
 
#7 ·
... The early specs were confusing, some said the range extender would be powered by a 3 cylinder ICE, others said the 600 cc W20 range extender from the BMW i3 would be used. That really worried me as the i3 range extender cannot maintain SOC in the tiny i3, let alone a big unaerodynamic heavy truck like the W-15. Recently I watched a couple of interviews with Steve Burns, Workhorse CEO, where he settled this concern by saying the W-15 will have a turbo 3 cylinder ICE which will generate enough power to do anything a fully loaded Ford F-150 could do. He also said the AER has been increased from 80 to 100 miles. My guess is the more powerful range extender can work with a smaller buffer.
Good point. They confirm that in an article on their site too. Also only using 40 kWh (via at 23 kWh) out of the 60 kWh battery for longevity plus have power for tools!
http://workhorse.com/newsroom/2017/05/we-drive-workhorses-electric-pickup-ryder-signs-support-it
In the production truck, the BMW twin will be swapped out for a larger engine—a 1.5-liter turbo three-cylinder—so that it can keep up with range-extending duties without cutting into performance. DC fast charging isn’t part of the plan because of that range extender and because the vast majority of fleet customers will charge overnight. The truck’s 60-kWh battery, made up of Panasonic 18650 cells—a proven commodity in the Tesla Model S and Model X, among other vehicles—is one that Workhorse expects will be available in replacement form for many years. In the interest of battery longevity, Workhorse plans to use only 40 kWh of that capacity; it also managed the configuration so that it promises 7.2 kW of exportable power for job-site needs.
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Workhorse is one of the bidders to replace the 180,000 USPS vans. If they win that competition, which should be announced soon, I think they will be a much more viable supplier of the W-15 as it is based on what Workhorse is offering the USPS.
That is HUGE.

From that article above they say this about their fleet experience already!
Another argument Burns presents is that Workhorse is no newbie; it already builds hybrid delivery trucks for UPS, DHL, and Ryder, among others, in the company’s (former Navistar) plant in Union City, Indiana. “We cut our teeth on fleets,” says Burns. “We know that business.”
 
#10 ·
Interested in the truck, but recall from the videos that the interior was a bit, uh, fisher-price. Maybe the production model will be better. I'm also a shareholder of the company so I hope they do well. The other specs look good.
 
#11 · (Edited)
Interested in the truck, but recall from the videos that the interior was a bit, uh, fisher-price.
A simple interior USED TO MEAN painted metal. Now it means plastics. It's a design choice between dark (which people complain makes the interior hot), light but neutral (which people complain looks dull), and light but a little challenging, which people complain looks especially plastic a la 'Fischer-Price'). I'm a little surprised car designers don't just fill the interior with shag carpeting and mutter things like "That'll show 'em..."

As much as we may complain "two-tone with orange accents" seem to be design language for "modern" and "electric" these days. Even for electric outboards.

Tool
 
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