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Lordstown Motors Corp. shares dropped nearly more than 20% after the electric-vehicle company warned investors about its ability to continue functioning financially Tuesday.
In delayed quarterly and annual filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission that were made public Tuesday, Lordstown
RIDE,
added a “going-concern” warning, which informs investors that it may not be able to continue operating due to financial conditions.
“The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on its ability to complete the development of its electric vehicles, obtain regulatory approval, begin commercial scale production and launch the sale of such vehicles. The Company believes that its current level of cash and cash equivalents are not sufficient to fund commercial scale production and the launch of sale of such vehicles,” the filing states. “These conditions raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least one year from the date of issuance of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.”
Lordstown executives revealed similar concerns in the electric-vehicle company’s most recent earnings report. The company, which has been planning to introduce an electric pickup truck called the Endurance, said in May that production under current financial conditions “will be limited and would at best be 50% of our prior expectations.”
Lordstown went public in October through a reverse merger with a special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that raised nearly $700 million. That path to the public markets has been popular for companies seeking to make electric vehicles, as potential Tesla Inc.
TSLA,
competitors seek to raise enough money to produce EVs, an expensive task.
Since going public, Lordstown has struggled. Short seller Hindenburg Research published a report on the electric-truck maker earlier this year, accusing it of misleading investors and being a “mirage.” Established automakers have also made strides in introducing electric pickups, including Ford Motor Co.
F,
which recently unveiled its plans for an electric F-150.
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Lordstown shares were trading near their daily peak of $15.80 when the filings were released Tuesday, and then plunged to less than $11 a share amid a trading halt.
