Workhorse Group Inc., announced that it has started production of the chassis for its W56 electric vehicle at the Company's Union City, Indiana manufacturing facility. The W56 is the company’s first fully-designed, purpose-built Class 5/6 model chassis platform built from the ground up.

“With the first W56 chassis rolling off the line in Union City, we have reached an important milestone along our product roadmap,” said Workhorse CEO Rick Dauch. “The W56 has advanced technology and features that will be a significant growth driver for us as we work to accelerate the transition to commercial EVs. We have strong customer interest in the W56, and we are confident in our ability to secure firm purchase orders in the fourth quarter and beyond. I want to thank our incredible team for all of their continued hard work in the design, testing, sourcing, production, and assembly of the W56 and our vehicles, which will continue to drive our success forward.”

Checking Out the W56 Chassis

The W56 provides a blend of high reliability, quality, and serviceability. The zero emission delivery work van is designed to meet the challenging demands of the commercial vehicle industry, supporting benchmark payload capacity of up to approximately 10,000 pounds and with a range of up to 150 miles.

The W56 step van also offers a large 1,000+ cubic foot cargo box with lowered step-in and wide cabin door for easier entry and exit. Built with the delivery driver in mind, the cabin has been ergonomically designed while still providing safety and comfort during even the longest shifts.

Specifications include: 

• Vehicle Class: Class 5 & 6

• Interior Volume: 1,000+ cubic ft.

• Payload: ~10,000 lbs. on the Class 6 configuration

• GVWR: 23,000 lbs.on the Class 6 configuration

• Range: Up to 150 miles

• Battery Capacity: 210 kWh

• Certification: Targeted: FMVSS, ZEP, ZEV

• Charging: Level 2 at 20 kW / ~12 hrs.Level 3 at 100 kW / 3-4 hrs.

• Mileage/Efficiency: 0.66-0.77 mi/kWh / 1.3-1.5 kWh/mi

Workhorse expects to begin production of full W56 step vans later in September and to have production quality demo units delivered to major fleets early in the fourth quarter.