Workhorse is once again pushing back on affordability concerns and high fuel prices with the introduction of a new, more affordable configuration of the company’s W56 Step Van electric delivery vehicle.
A number of independent service and third-party logistics providers (ISPs and 3PLs) have consistently reported that 100 miles of daily range substantially exceeds their needs for many of their routes – and the 210 kWh battery pack fitted to the Workhorse W56 delivery van is serious overkill. That’s where the new, 140 kWh Workhorse comes in.
Priced at “just” $169,000, the new 140 kWh W56 Step Van ships in the company’s “Standard” 178″ wheelbase configuration with Workhorse’s purpose-built composite body, and offers an estimated nominal range of 100 miles per charge at its full, 10,000 lb. payload capacity.
“The new 140 kWh version of our W56 step van is a result of listening to customer feedback and purpose-building a product to meet their needs,” said Scott Griffith, CEO of Workhorse. “We’ve been able to balance the functional needs of fleets – range, durability, reliability and performance – with a lower entry price to offer a ‘no-compromise’ electric truck.”
The company’s timing couldn’t be better for fleet buyers, coming just days after France’s Finance Minister confirmed that more than 30% of Gulf refining capacity has been damaged or destroyed by Iran’s retaliatory strikes, leaving a shortage of 11 million barrels per day on global oil markets and sending fuel prices surging.
“Commercial ground fleets have similar exposure to spikes in fuel prices as airlines, and the launch of this new model offers fleets a no-compromise option to control costs while still ensuring efficient operations,” adds Griffith. “Because electricity costs are low, local, and more immune to global oil shocks, we believe every electric truck in a mixed fleet can act as a buffer against the volatility that is once again hammering operators who run entirely on gasoline and diesel.”
The pain at the pump is already severe. AAA data shows the national average hit $3.98 per gallon on March 25, up from $3.11 just weeks earlier — the highest level since 2022. California is at $5.83 per gallon. CNN reported that Americans are cutting back on fresh food, skipping meals, and canceling vacations, making news of a more affordable and highly capable truck feel especially welcome for fleets looking to cut costs.
Workhorse says its new products and lower prices are a result of the initial synergies realized through the company’s December 2025 merger with Motiv Electric Trucks, as the combined, 20 million-mile company works to drive down production costs through economies of scale.
Electrek’s Take
I’ve sared this take before, and I will again, but: Motiv (and, by extension, Workhorse Group) is one of those companies that I like to root for. They took a huge risk when they launched in 2009, and took an even bigger risk more recently when they decided to develop their own proprietary operator cab and chassis, the Argo. As much fun as all that is, though, it’s comments like these (below) that really make me hope Motiv continues to succeed – because they seem to get it.
Poor air quality caused by fossil-powered trucks disproportionally affects low-income communities and communities of color, as pollution is found in higher rates near highways, warehouses and ports, where these communities abound. Long-term exposure to poor air quality causes increased death rates attributed to cardiovascular diseases and has been linked to lung cancer.
Additionally, children who grow up in areas with high levels of pollution show reduced lung function, increased rates of asthma and lower IQ levels in their teens. Each electric mile our customers drive helps reduce these public health issues, for the benefit of everyone along the route.
When vehicle manufacturers start to look at the damage that ICEs have done, and continue to do their communities, and fess up to lasting, generational impact caused by the sort of lazy and/or corrupt government policies Americans have endured for decades, it’s hard not to think of them as, “the good guys.”
Here’s hoping that the good guys everywhere eventually win out.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Workhorse.
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