Lordstown Motors is finalizing the prototype for its vehicle battery, with pre-production to be done on-site.

Today’s headlines:

🚗 ELECTRIC VEHICLES: The CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Lordstown Motors — which in November purchased General Motors’ shuttered plant in Lordstown, Ohio — announced the company will unveil its first electric truck, Endurance, during a virtual event the week of June 22. Originally the company planned to showcase the vehicle at the North American International Auto Show, which was set to begin today but was cancelled because of the pandemic.

• Lordstown Motors is finalizing the vehicle battery prototype and is starting engineering for the battery equipment line. It intends to have a semi-automated line for battery pre-production in place by the end of this year. The battery and motor lines combined initially will total 200,000 square feet.
• Along with Michigan-based Rivian, which just revealed a plan to build its own EV charging infrastructure, Lordstown Motors stands to be a top Midwest player in the EV development space and seeks to give industry leader Tesla a run for its money.
• The Midwest is the birthplace of automobiles and provides more cost-competitive locations than the coasts for research, development, and manufacturing on more ecologically conscious future models, such as EVs. Last month Elon Musk threatened to move Tesla’s headquarters out of California because he was disgruntled over regulatory issues, and he is reportedly looking at lower-cost locations for the headquarters.

🔬 RESEARCH: Argonne National Laboratory is among the eight national labs and 20 university and industry partners to assist the National Renewable Energy Laboratory with advancing fuel and engine research to develop more fuel-efficient, lower emissions, more affordable vehicles. A progress report released this week details the work on solutions for both passenger and commercial vehicles.

🔌 POWER GRID: Purdue University innovators have discovered a method to prevent catastrophic power grid failures. The patented technology uses real-time data and failure diagnostics to recommend optimal repair sequences. They are looking to license the technology and are seeking partners for further development.

🤝 PARTNERSHIP: Cleveland-based technology company Acme Express is looking for 10 developer or solar installer partners to beta test Roll-A-Rack, its patent-pending solar racking, or mounting, system. Test partners would help to hone the manufacturing and installation processes. The system reportedly is simpler than competitors’ products and reduces costs of some types of solar panel mounting by 33%.

🏗 RECOVERY: A proposal put forth by a commissioner on the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission encourages the state’s energy companies to speed up projects — including renewable energy projects — to get people back to work following pandemic-induced job losses, reports MinnPost.

❌ CANCELLATION: The International Manufacturing Technology Show set to take place in Chicago in September has been canceled because of governmental health and safety requirements related to COVID-19. This is the first time the biannual show — which includes emerging and energy efficient manufacturing technologies — has been canceled since World War II. IMTS will soon announce digital events to connect visitors and exhibitors.

Do you know of Midwest businesses or organizations developing technology that improves the environment? Send news tips, press releases, and feedback to katie@centered.tech or connect on Twitter @centereddottech.