- Gateway builds on its 2026 order of 100 W56s, as fleet operator demand grows
- W56 deployments continue alongside new Gateway site launches, with additional trucks supporting growth into 2027
DETROIT, Sept. 30, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Workhorse Group Inc. (NASDAQ: WKHS) (“Workhorse”), an American Industrial Technology company, and Kingsburg Truck Center (KTC), a leading California truck dealer, today announced that Gateway Fleets has placed a follow-on purchase order for 200 W56 fully-electric step vans. Gateway, a California-based provider of turnkey electric vehicle and charging solutions for commercial delivery operators, is purchasing the vehicles through KTC with the intent to lease them to its customers, who are primarily last-mile independent package delivery providers.
Gateway’s business model bundles purpose-built electric trucks with charging infrastructure, fleet support, and depot access through flexible financing arrangements designed to simplify electric fleet operations. For Gateway, scale follows operator confidence. To build that confidence, Gateway is investing in the vehicles, infrastructure, and support required to keep operators moving every day.
Through Gateway’s lease structure, operators will gain the fuel and maintenance savings of electric vehicles while managing cash flow and avoiding large upfront capital expenditures. Gateway currently operates depots in Southern California and is scaling its network to meet growing operator demand across the region and beyond. For Workhorse, this purchase order expands a channel to delivery operators seeking a more accessible path to fleet electrification.
“In today’s era of high and volatile fuel prices, customers are seeking the stability and lower operating costs associated with electric trucks, without sacrificing safety or performance,” said Scott Griffith, Chief Executive Officer at Workhorse. “We believe Gateway’s innovative model will help unlock wider adoption of electric trucks through its bundled pricing that eliminates the two biggest barriers to widespread adoption: the higher upfront cost of the vehicle and the added investment capital required to build out the charging infrastructure.”
The W56 step vans available through Gateway are Standard Wheelbase (178″) configurations with a 210 kWh battery, offering 1,000 cubic feet of cargo space, a payload of 10,000 lbs. and a nominal range of 150 miles per charge. Every van features a fully-integrated, purpose-built composite body, an ergonomic driver environment, and a platform engineered for the demands of high-cycle last-mile delivery. Vehicles contracted in this new order are expected to begin deploying to customers in the second half of 2027, with deployments continuing through 2028.
“Getting the truck on the road is only the beginning. Keeping operators moving takes the right combination of infrastructure, service, and support,” said Jamie Miller, Chief Revenue Officer of Gateway Fleets. “Workhorse has brought us an innovative vehicle and a team committed to standing behind it, while Kingsburg provides the service expertise and support our customers need in the field. Gateway brings those pieces together with the charging infrastructure and capital to make electrification work for operators. As we open new locations, we’re continuing to expand W56 deployments alongside our network, with more sites and trucks coming online through ‘peak’ and into 2027. We’re excited to keep building on what’s working together.”
All W56 models are produced at Workhorse’s commercial-scale manufacturing facility in Union City, Indiana, which is capable of producing up to 5,000+ vehicles per year on a standard operating shift. To date, Workhorse has delivered more than 1,100 vehicles that have collectively accumulated more than 21 million real-world miles across customer fleets.
Vehicles contracted in this new order are expected to begin deploying in the second half of 2027 so that customers can deploy them fleetwide in advance of “peak” holiday season, when package delivery volumes spike.
“This partnership brings together three critical components of fleet electrification: a high quality, proven Workhorse truck; a deployment and service partner, Gateway; and our team at Kingsburg, providing full-circle consultative sales, incentive processing and service support,” said Jerry Smith, Owner at Kingsburg Truck Center. “We’ve had nothing but positive feedback on the performance of the W56 this year, and we’re looking forward to an even better 2027.”
Fleets interested in leasing a Workhorse W56 should contact Gateway Fleets directly or visit www.gatewayfleets.com.
About Workhorse Group Inc.
Headquartered in the Detroit area with a commercial-scale manufacturing plant in Union City, Indiana, Workhorse (Nasdaq: WKHS) is an American Industrial Technology company specializing in electrification, high-voltage systems integration, mobility platforms, ruggedized mobile platform manufacturing, distributed energy systems, and deployable industrial infrastructure. We manufacture durable, reliable and high-performing vehicles and infrastructure for mission-critical applications deployed in the world’s most demanding operating environments. More information is available at www.workhorse.com.
About Gateway Fleets
Gateway Fleets is a California-based provider of complete electric vehicle and charging solutions designed for commercial delivery operators. Gateway delivers electric trucks, fast flat-rate charging infrastructure, real-time fleet visibility and support, and depot access in a single bundled package — removing the barriers to electric fleet adoption and enabling operators to focus on their routes. Gateway Fleets currently serves operators in Southern California and is expanding to meet growing demand. More information is available at www.gatewayfleets.com.
About Kingsburg Truck Center
Based in Kingsburg, California, Kingsburg Truck Center is one of the nation’s leading commercial truck dealerships and was the first full-service authorized dealer for Workhorse Group Inc. in the state of California. Specializing in advanced vocational solutions and zero-emission fleet deployment, Kingsburg Truck Center provides comprehensive upfitting, sales, and service for the medium-duty market. The company is a recognized leader in California’s incentive ecosystem, leveraging deep expertise in grant writing and voucher processing to maximize funding for fleet transitions. As a strategic partner for sustainable transportation, Kingsburg Truck Center helps operators navigate technical and financial complexities to achieve zero-emission goals. More information is available at kingsburgtruckcenter.com.
Contacts:
Workhorse
John Williams, Communications
+1-206-660-5503, john.williams@workhorse.com
ICR, Inc.
workhorse@icrinc.com
Investor Relations Contact:
Gateway Fleets
Kingsburg Truck Center
Wesley Lowe, wes@ktrucks.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Exchange Act, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this press release, including statements regarding the planned delivery of vehicles to Gateway Fleets, Gateway Fleets’ intended leasing activities, anticipated fleet operator demand for electric vehicles, and the expected deployment timing of purchased trucks, and the production capacity of Workhorse’s Union City facility, are forward-looking statements. Some of these statements may be identified by the use of the words “plans”, “expects” or “does not expect”, “estimated”, “is expected”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “forecasts”, “intends”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “targets”, “projects”, “contemplates”, “predicts”, “potential”, “continue”, or “believes”, or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “might”, “will” or “will be taken”, “occur” or “be achieved”.
Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management of Workhorse as of the date such statements are made, and they are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ include our ability to raise capital to fund our operations and to maintain access to our current debt facilities; our ability to achieve the expected synergies and/or efficiencies from our operations and as a result of the Motiv/Workhorse merger; our ability to reduce the cost to build our vehicles; our ability to hire and retain the workforce needed; changes in laws, regulations, technologies, the global supply chain, and macro-economic and social environments affecting our business, including demand for electric trucks and our cost of production; and our ability to maintain compliance with Nasdaq rules and otherwise maintain our listing of securities on Nasdaq.
Additional information on these and other factors that may cause actual results and Workhorse’s performance to differ materially is included in Workhorse’s periodic reports filed with the SEC, including Workhorse’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 including those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” therein, and Workhorse’s subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Copies of Workhorse’s filings with the SEC are available publicly on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or may be obtained by contacting Workhorse. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and Workhorse undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements except as required by law.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/938f8926-7c8e-4969-bea9-3f204b98cb2b
