Workhorse Group Reports Third Quarter 2020 Results  PR Newswire
    CINCINNATI, Nov. 9, 2020
    CINCINNATI, Nov. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --  Workhorse Group Inc. (Nasdaq: WKHS) ("Workhorse" or "the Company"), an American technology company focused on providing sustainable and cost-effective drone-integrated electric vehicles to the last-mile delivery sector, today reported financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2020.
      Release Updates and Highlights 
    Sets 2021 production volume target at 1,800 vehicles. Received a purchase order for 500 C-1000 trucks from  Pritchard Auto Company for its National Fleet Program,      which is being financed by Hitachi Capital America ("HCA"). Through various financings, the Company improved its      current cash position to over $260 million. Workhorse strategic partner Lordstown Motor Corporation      ("LMC") completed its merger with DiamondPeak Holdings Corp.      LMC's Class A shares now trade on the Nasdaq Global Select market under      the ticker symbol "RIDE." Workhorse has maintained its 10%      ownership stake in the merged company. That stake is estimated at nearly $285 million based on the November      6th closing price. Partnered with Hitachi and Hitachi Capital America to      optimize the Company's manufacturing, operational and supply chain      capabilities as well as to develop a national dealer network to support      Workhorse's sales with vehicle financing options for both dealers and      customers. Recorded additional new vehicle sales orders from Fluid      Systems and eTrucks LLC.  Management Commentary   "Our strategic partnership approach to engaging with dealerships has paid off very quickly as evidenced by our recent 500 truck order from Pritchard Auto Company that will be financed by HCA," said Workhorse CEO Duane Hughes. "We believe this initial sale is just the start of this channel's growth. We were also encouraged by the results of a positive dealer survey administered by HCA that looked favorably on the long-term prospects for the EV delivery truck market and, in particular, Workhorse within that ecosystem."
    Hughes added, "Previously, we projected 300-400 vehicles to be produced by the end of 2020, mostly in the fourth quarter. Although we will still manufacture and deliver vehicles in Q4, it will be a substantially lower amount than our previous guidance. We are unable to give a specific estimate for the following reasons:
    The inability of our primary battery supplier to meet      our volumes due to capacity issues and COVID-related slowdowns; COVID-19: Having more than 36% of our      production-related staff currently out with the virus or quarantined      awaiting results and with daily increases in cases, we must protect our      employees' health. To do that, we have modified our assembly process,      limited production support from third party sources, and delayed planned      additions to our assembly staff.   "We view this as only a delay in our progress. We've introduced several new battery supplier options into our supply chain and will have supplemental volume additions in the first quarter of 2021. While we cannot predict the full impact from COVID right now, let alone in 2021, when conditions improve and the coronavirus is no longer a business issue for us and our suppliers, then we would anticipate producing approximately 1,800 units in 2021."
    Third Quarter and Recent Operational Highlights
    October 2020: Received a purchase      order for 500 C-1000 trucks from  Pritchard Auto Company for its National Fleet Program,      which is being financed by Hitachi Capital America. October 2020: Submitted formal      "Type Certification" application to the  Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") for      the Company's HorseFlyTM Unmanned Aerial System      ("UAS"). October 2020: Received approval from      the  New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program      ("NYTVIP") to offer monetary vouchers for C-Series all-electric      delivery vehicles in select New York State      counties. October 2020: Closed $200 million convertible note financing from      institutional lenders and converted pre-existing $70      million note into shares of the Company's common stock, altogether      providing Workhorse with over $260 million in      cash. September 2020: Achieved an improved and      industry-leading range of approximately 160 miles per charge under urban      situations for its 2020 model year C-1000 Extended Range. August 2020: Entered into strategic      agreement with Hitachi for an operational assessment of Workhorse's      manufacturing, operational and supply chain capabilities, benchmark to      best-in-class standards and provide recommendations that support the      Company's increased production requirements; separate agreement with      Hitachi Capital America to assist in developing a national dealer network      and support Workhorse's sales with vehicle financing options for both      dealers and customers, including dealer floor-plan programs. August 2020: Workhorse strategic      partner Lordstown Motors Corp. ("LMC") entered into a business      combination agreement with DiamondPeak Holdings Corp. ("DPHC"),      a special purpose acquisition company. October 2020: Shareholders of       DPHC approved the agreement, enabling LMC to become a publicly traded       company. LMC's Class A shares now trade on the Nasdaq Global Select market       under the ticker symbol "RIDE."July 2020: Awarded Executive      Order: A-445-0003 from the  California Air Resources Board ("CARB"),      designating multiple C-Series models as zero-emission vehicles in the state      of California in addition to the 13 other      states under  Section 177 of the Clean Air Act. July 2020: Obtained HVIP       Eligibility from CARB, qualifying certain Workhorse C-Series models for       monetary vouchers of up to $50,000 per       vehicle. October 2020: Awarded  Executive Order: A-445-0003-1 from CARB for the       C-1000 Extended Range, granting the same designations as noted above.  Third Quarter 2020 Financial Results   Sales for the third quarter of 2020 were recorded at $565,000 compared to $4,000 in the third quarter of 2019. 
    Cost of goods sold increased to $2.8 million from $1.4 million in the third quarter of 2019. The increase was primarily driven by increases in labor and materials relating to costs for the C-Series production.
    Selling, general and administrative expenses increased to $6.0 million from $2.6 million in the same period last year. The increase is attributable to an increase in consulting expenses, higher employee-related costs, and incentive stock expenses.
    Research and development expenses were $1.6 million, which was flat compared to $1.6 million reported in the third quarter of 2019.
    Interest expense, net increased to $74.3 million compared to an interest expense, net of $5.9 million in the same period last year. The significant increase in interest expense was almost exclusively due to a change in fair value of the Company's convertible note, the loss on its conversion to stock and the loss on the redemption of Series B Preferred Stock. These GAAP adjustments are non-cash and were dependent on the underlying stock components of the financial instruments, respectively. 
    Net loss was $84.1 million, compared with a net loss of $11.5 million in the third quarter of 2019. The increased net loss was due to the increase in interest expense (net) just noted. With these considerations, the Company believes operating income would be a better indication of operating and cash performance. Operating income during the period was a loss of $9.8 million compared to a loss of $5.6 million in the third quarter of 2019.  
    As of September 30, 2020, the Company had cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments of $80.2 million compared to $23.9 million as of December 31, 2019. Subsequent to the quarter end, the Company entered into, and closed, a convertible note financing with a group of institutional lenders for gross proceeds of $200 million. In conjunction with these efforts, Workhorse entered into a separate agreement with the holder of its prior 4.5% convertible notes to exchange the full $70.0 million outstanding principal amount of those existing notes for shares of the Company's common stock. Currently, the Company has a cash balance of over $260 million.
    Conference Call   Workhorse management will hold a conference call today (November 9, 2020) at 10:00 a.m. Eastern time (7:00 a.m. Pacific time) to discuss these results. 
    Workhorse management will host the presentation, followed by a question and answer period. 
    U.S. dial-in: 877-407-8289   International dial-in: 201-689-8341
    Please call the conference telephone number 10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Gateway Investor Relations at 949-574-3860. 
    The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay  here and via the Investor Relations section of Workhorse's website.
    A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available after 4:00 p.m. Eastern time today through November 16, 2020.
    Toll-free replay number: 877-660-6853   International replay number: 201-612-7415   Replay ID: 13712406 |