Electric-Truck Maker Lordstown Motors to Go Public in Reverse Merger
Ben Foldy•
Last Updated August 3, 2020, 12:58 PM
Lordstown Motors Corp., the electric-truck startup working to revive a former General Motors Co. plant in Ohio, plans to go public through a reverse merger deal.
Ohio-based Lordstown Motors, the latest company looking to tap investor excitement around battery-powered vehicles, said Monday it will merge with publicly traded DiamondPeak Holdings Corp. in a deal that aims to list it on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "RIDE." The deal implies a value of $1.6 billion for the electric-truck maker, the companies said.
Lordstown is now the third electric-vehicle startup this year to reveal plans for going public by reverse merging with a so-called blank-check company, rather than pursue a traditional IPO process itself.
Blank-check companies like DiamondPeak are established for the sole purpose of making an acquisition, using funds raised through an initial public offering. They have no operating history when they go public, and within a specified time, typically two years, they must use the proceeds of the IPO to acquire or merge with a target company.
**DiamondPeak stock went up $6 on the publication of this news alert**
keep that RIDE ticker on your radar whenever it gets listed.
keep the $RIDE
The mergers have become more popular as the IPO market has been rife with volatility amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
For instance, electric-truck startup Nikola Corp. went public in June after concluding a reverse merger with blank-check company VectoIQ Acquisition Corp.
Fisker Inc., a new electric-car venture headed by well-known car designer Henrik Fisker, also said last month it would merge with a special-purpose acquisition company backed by private-equity giant Apollo Global Management Inc. The deal gave Fisker an implied valuation of $2.9 billion
Investor enthusiasm for electric-vehicle technology has heightened in recent months, lifting valuations for little-known startups trying to put their first plug-in models on the market. Part of the interest is being driven by Tesla Inc., whose shares have more than tripled this year, making the company the world's most valuable auto maker, analysts say.