Lion Electric Company (LEV)

[WeTheMarket]

LION ELECTRIC ANNOUNCES SECOND QUARTER 2023 RESULTS
August 03 2023
https://ih.advfn.com/stock-market/NYSE/lion-electric-LEV/stock-news/91724226/lion-electric-announces-second-quarter-2023-result

MONTREAL, Aug. 3, 2023 /CNW/ - The Lion Electric Company (NYSE: LEV) (TSX: LEV) ("Lion" or the "Company"), a leading manufacturer of all-electric medium and heavy-duty urban vehicles, today announced its financial and operating results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2023, which ended on June 30, 2023. Lion reports its results in US dollars and in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS").

Q2 2023 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

Record revenue for a quarter of $58.0 million, up $28.5 million, as compared to $29.5 million in Q2 2022.
Achieved positive gross profit of $0.4 million as compared to a gross loss of $3.5 million in Q2 2022.
Delivery of 199 vehicles, an increase of 94 vehicles, as compared to the 105 delivered in the same period last year. Deliveries were negatively impacted by delays in the final approval of a subsidy program which resulted in the deferral to subsequent quarters of the delivery of 50 school buses to one customer despite that such vehicles were ready for delivery and the client being ready to receive them.
Net loss of $11.8 million in Q2 2023, as compared to net earnings of $37.5 million in Q2 2022. Net loss for Q2 2023 includes a $6.0 million gain related to non-cash decrease in the fair value of share warrant obligations and a $2.1 million charge related to non-cash share-based compensation, whereas net earnings for Q2 2022 included a $56.9 million gain related to non-cash decrease in the fair value of share warrant obligations and a $3.4 million charge related to non-cash share-based compensation.
Adjusted EBITDA1 of negative $9.7 million, as compared to negative $14.4 million in Q2 2022, after mainly adjusting for certain non-cash items such as change in fair value of share warrant obligations and share-based compensation.
Capital expenditures, which included expenditures related to the Joliet Facility and the Lion Campus, amounted to $19.1 million, down $25.2 million, as compared to $44.3 million in Q2 2022. See section 8.0 of this MD&A entitled "Operational Highlights" for more information related to the Joliet Facility and the Lion Campus.
Additions to intangible assets, which mainly consist of R&D activities, amounted to $17.9 million, down $6.7 million, as compared to $24.6 million in Q2 2022.
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1 Adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS financial measure. See "Non-IFRS Measures and Other Performance Metrics" section of this press release.

BUSINESS UPDATES

More than 1,400 vehicles on the road, with over 14 million miles driven.
Vehicle order book2 of 2,559 all-electric medium- and heavy-duty urban vehicles as of August 2, 2023, consisting of 304 trucks and 2,255 buses, representing a combined total order value of approximately $625 million based on management's estimates.
LionEnergy order book2 of 275 charging stations and related services as of August 2, 2023, representing a combined total order value of approximately $5 million.
12 Experience Centers in operation in the United States and Canada.
Officially inaugurated the vehicle manufacturing facility in Joliet, Illinois.
Progressing on final certification of the first Lion battery packs.
On July 19, 2023, the Company closed concurrent financing transactions for aggregate gross proceeds to the Company of approximately $142 million, extended the maturity of its senior credit facilities by one year to August 11, 2025, and terminated its at-the-market equity program which was set to expire in July 2024 and will therefore no longer make any sales thereunder.
As of August 2, 2023, Lion had approximately 1,450 employees.
"We are pleased with our performance in the second quarter of 2023, as we continued to see gradual growth in revenue and in truck deliveries," commented Marc Bedard, CEO - Founder of Lion. "As we recently closed a $142 million financing that provides us with the flexibility to execute our growth plans, we will continue to focus our efforts on achieving profitability, which is moving in the right direction, as demonstrated by the positive gross margin we posted this quarter," concluded Marc Bedard.

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2 See "Non-IFRS Measures and Other Performance Metrics" section of this press release. The Company's vehicle and charging stations order book is determined by management based on purchase orders that have been signed, orders that have been formally confirmed by clients or products in respect of which formal joint applications for governmental subsidies or economic incentives have been made by the applicable clients and the Company. The order book is expressed as a number of units or a total dollar value, which dollar value is determined based on the pricing of each unit included in the order book. The vehicles included in the vehicle order book as of August 2, 2023 provided for a delivery period ranging from a few months to the end of the year ending December 31, 2026, with substantially all of such vehicles currently providing for deliveries before the end of the year ending December 31, 2025. In addition, substantially all deliveries are subject to the granting of subsidies and incentives with processing times that are subject to important variations. There has been in the past and the Company expects there will continue to be variances between the expected delivery periods of orders and the actual delivery times, and certain delays could be significant. Such variances or delays could result in the loss of a subsidy or incentive and/or in the cancellation of certain orders, in whole or in part. The Company's presentation of the order book should not be construed as a representation by the Company that the vehicles and charging stations included in its order book will translate into actual sales.


SELECT EXPLANATIONS ON RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE SECOND QUARTER OF FISCAL YEAR 2023

Revenue

For the three months ended June 30, 2023, revenue amounted to $58.0 million, an increase of $28.5 million compared to the corresponding period in the prior year. The increase in revenue was primarily due to an increase in vehicle sales volume of 94 units, from 105 units (90 school buses and 15 trucks; 91 vehicles in Canada and 14 vehicles in the U.S.) for the three months ended June 30, 2022 to 199 units (166 school buses and 33 trucks; 171 vehicles in Canada and 28 vehicles in the U.S.) for the three months ended June 30, 2023.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, revenue amounted to $112.7 million, an increase of $60.6 million compared to the corresponding period in the prior year. The increase in revenue was primarily due to an increase in vehicle sales volume of 230 units, from 189 units (162 school buses and 27 trucks; 171 vehicles in Canada and 18 vehicles in the U.S.) for the six months ended June 30, 2022 to 419 units (373 school buses and 46 trucks; 386 vehicles in Canada and 33 vehicles in the U.S.) for the six months ended June 30, 2023.

Revenues for the three and six months ended June 30, 2023 were negatively impacted by delays in the final approval of a subsidy program which resulted in the deferral to subsequent quarters of the delivery of 50 school buses to one customer despite that such vehicles were ready for delivery and the client being ready to receive them. In addition, revenues were impacted by continuing global supply chain challenges, which required the Company to delay the final assembly of certain vehicles and resulted in increased inventory levels, as well as challenges associated with the production ramp-up and the development of certain models.

Cost of Sales

For the three months ended June 30, 2023, cost of sales amounted to $57.6 million, representing an increase of $24.6 million compared to $33.0 million in the corresponding period in the prior year. For the six months ended June 30, 2023, cost of sales amounted to $114.6 million, representing an increase of $58.0 million compared to $56.5 million in the corresponding period in the prior year. The increase for both periods was primarily due to increased sales volumes and higher production levels, increased fixed manufacturing and inventory management system costs related to the ramp-up of future production capacity, higher raw material and commodity costs, and the impact of continuing global supply chain challenges and inflationary environment.

Gross Profit (Loss)

For the three months ended June 30, 2023, gross profit was $0.4 million compared to a gross loss of $3.5 million for the corresponding period in the prior year. The improvement in gross profit was primarily due to the positive impact of increased sales volumes, favourable product mix, and higher manufacturing throughput, partially offset by higher raw material and commodity costs, higher inventory management system costs related to the ramp-up of future production capacity, and the impact of continuing global supply chain challenges and inflationary environment.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, gross loss was $1.8 million compared to a gross loss of $4.4 million for the corresponding period in the prior year. The decrease in the gross loss was primarily due to the positive impact of increased sales volumes, favourable product mix, and higher manufacturing throughput, partially offset by higher raw material and commodity costs, higher inventory management system costs related to the ramp-up of future production capacity, and the impact of continuing global supply chain challenges and inflationary environment.

Administrative Expenses

For the three months ended June 30, 2023, administrative expenses increased by $0.8 million, from $11.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022, to $12.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023. Administrative expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2023 included $1.6 million of non-cash share-based compensation, compared to $2.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022. Excluding the impact of non-cash share-based compensation, administrative expenses increased from $9.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 to $10.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023. The increase was mainly due to an increase in expenses, including higher headcount, resulting from the expansion of Lion's head office and general corporate capabilities in anticipation of an expected increase in business activities.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, administrative expenses increased by $2.8 million, from $22.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, to $25.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023. Administrative expenses for the six months ended June 30, 2023 included $2.7 million of non-cash share-based compensation, compared to $5.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022. Excluding the impact of non-cash share-based compensation, administrative expenses increased from $17.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 to $22.8 million for six months ended June 30, 2023. The increase was mainly due to an increase in expenses, including higher headcount, resulting from the expansion of Lion's head office and general corporate capabilities in anticipation of an expected increase in business activities.

Selling Expenses

For the three months ended June 30, 2023, selling expenses decreased by $1.3 million, from $6.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022, to $5.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023. Selling expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2023 included $0.4 million of non-cash share-based compensation, compared to $0.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022. Excluding the impact of non-cash share-based compensation, selling expenses decreased from $5.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022 to $5.0 million for three months ended June 30, 2023. The decrease was primarily due to streamlined selling related expenses and lower marketing costs.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, selling expenses decreased by $0.8 million, from $12.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, to $11.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023. Selling expenses for six months ended June 30, 2023 included $0.8 million of non-cash share-based compensation, compared to $1.8 million for six months ended June 30, 2022. Excluding the impact of non-cash share-based compensation, selling expenses slightly increased from $10.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022 to $10.5 million for six months ended June 30, 2023.

Finance Costs (Income)

For the three months ended June 30, 2023, finance costs (income) increased by $2.8 million, from an income of $0.8 million for the corresponding period in the prior year, to a cost $2.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2023. Finance costs for the three months ended June 30, 2023 were net of $1.4 million of capitalized borrowing costs. Excluding the impact of capitalized borrowing costs, finance costs increased by $4.3 million compared to the three months ended June 30, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by higher interest expense on long-term debt, due to higher debt outstanding during the quarter relating to borrowings made under the Revolving Credit Agreement, the IQ Loan, the SIF Loan, and the Finalta-CDPQ Loan Agreement, an increase in interest costs related to lease liabilities, including for the Mirabel battery manufacturing facility. In addition, finance costs (income) for the three months ended June 30, 2022 included the gain on derecognition of the financial liability occurred as a result of the agreement with a private company relating to the previous acquisition of dealership rights in certain territories in the United States maturing on May 7, 2022.

For the six months ended June 30, 2023, finance costs increased by $3.1 million, from $0.3 million for the corresponding period in the prior year, to $3.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2023. Finance costs for the six months ended June 30, 2023 were net of $3.1 million of capitalized borrowing costs. Excluding the impact of capitalized borrowing costs, finance costs increased by $6.2 million compared to the six months ended June 30, 2022. The increase was driven primarily by higher interest expense on long-term debt, due to higher debt outstanding during the first half of the year relating to borrowings made under the Revolving Credit Agreement, the IQ Loan, the SIF Loan, and the Finalta-CDPQ Loan Agreement, as well as an increase in financing costs related to the over-allotment option exercise of the 2022 Warrants, and an increase in interest costs related to lease liabilities, including for the Mirabel battery manufacturing facility. In addition, finance costs (income) for the six months ended June 30, 2022 included the gain on derecognition of the financial liability occurred as a result of the agreement with a private company relating to the previous acquisition of dealership rights in certain territories in the United States maturing on May 7, 2022.

Foreign Exchange Gain

Foreign exchange gains relate primarily to the revaluation of net monetary assets denominated in foreign currencies to the functional currencies of the related Lion entities. For the three months ended June 30, 2023, foreign exchange gain was $1.8 million, compared a gain of $1.6 million in the corresponding period in the prior year, related primarily to the impact of changes in foreign currency rates.

For six months ended June 30, 2023, foreign exchange gain was $3.0 million, compared a gain of $0.7 million in the corresponding period in the prior year, related primarily to the impact of changes in foreign currency rates.

Change in Fair Value of Share Warrant Obligations

Change in fair value of share warrant obligations moved from a gain of $56.9 million for the three months ended June 30, 2022, to a gain of $6.0 million, for the three months ended June 30, 2023. The gain for the three months ended June 30, 2023, was related to the warrants issued to a customer in July 2020, the public and private warrants issued as part of the closing of the Business Combination on May 6, 2021, and the 2022 Warrants issued under the December 2022 Offering, and resulted mainly from the decrease in the market price of Lion equity as compared to the previous valuations.

Change in fair value of share warrant obligations moved from a gain of $78.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, to a gain of $11.7 million, for the six months ended June 30, 2023. The gain for the six months ended June 30, 2023, was related to the warrants issued to a customer in July 2020, the public and private warrants issued as part of the closing of the Business Combination on May 6, 2021, and the 2022 Warrants issued under the December 2022 Offering, and resulted mainly from the decrease in the market price of Lion equity as compared to the previous valuations.

Net Earnings (Loss)

The net loss for the three months ended June 30, 2023 as compared to the net earnings for the corresponding prior period were largely due to the lower decrease in the fair value of share warrant obligations (resulting in a lower gain) discussed in "Change in fair value of share warrant obligations" above, higher administrative expenses (excluding share-based compensation), partially offset by higher gross profit and lower non-cash share-based compensation.

The net loss for the six months ended June 30, 2023 as compared to the net earnings for the corresponding prior period were largely due to the lower decrease in the fair value of share warrant obligations (resulting in a lower gain) discussed in "Change in fair value of share warrant obligations" above, higher administrative expenses (excluding share-based compensation), partially offset by lower gross loss, lower non-cash share-based compensation, and the impact of a higher foreign exchange gain compared to the corresponding prior period.

CONFERENCE CALL

A conference call and webcast will be held on August 3, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) to discuss the results. To participate in the conference call, please dial [phone] or [phone] (toll free) using the Access Code 242263. An investor presentation and a live webcast of the conference call will also be available at www.thelionelectric.com under the "Events and Presentations" page of the "Investors" section. An archive of the event will be available for a period of time shortly after the conference call.

FINANCIAL REPORT

This release should be read together with our 2023 second quarter financial report, including the unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements of the Company as at and for the quarter ended June 30, 2023, and the related management discussion and analysis ("MD&A"), which will be filed by the Company with applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities and with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and which will be available on SEDAR+ as well as on our website at www.thelionelectric.com.