EV startup Fisker (FSR) is pausing EV production for six weeks as its financial struggles worsen. Fisker looks to get its finances in order after failing to make an interest payment. The EV maker did get a commitment for up to $150 million in financing, but will it be enough?
Fisker is halting production as EV woes worsen
Fisker reiterated there is “substantial doubt” in its ability to continue operations after missing an interest payment.
According to an SEC filing on Monday, Fisker is pausing EV production for six weeks, starting immediately. The move is to “align inventory levels and progress strategic and financing initiatives.”
The EV startup was unable to file its annual report (10-K) due on March 15, putting it in default under its convertible notes due in 2025. Because of this, investors retain the right to convert the payable amount. The investors waived the right on Monday as Fisker works to file the report.
In addition, Fisker failed to make an interest payment of $8.4 million on March 15, 2024. The company has a 30-day grace period to make the payment before it goes into default.
Fisker Ocean electric SUVs (Source: Fisker)
Fisker said it “elected not to make the interest payment,” even though it currently has the liquidity to do so, as it looks to improve its financial situation.
The EV startup cash and equivalents dwindled to just $120.9 million (as of March 15, 2024) after making “significant payments” to suppliers. That’s down from $736.5 million at the end of 2022 and $325.5 million at the end of 2023.
Fisker Ocean (Source: Fisker)
Substantial doubt in its ability to continue
As of December 31, 2023, Fisker’s accounts payable were $182 million. However, Fisker expects more cash will be needed to pay debt and scale EV production.
Fisker will need to raise additional debt (or equity financing), partner with an OEM, or generate cash from vehicle sales to continue operations.
Fisker continues to seek funding through equity raises or partnering with an OEM. Earlier this month, reports suggested Fisker and Nissan were in “advanced talks” that could give the EV maker a financial lifeline (and an electric pickup). However, Nissan has since partnered with rival Honda.
(Source: Fisker)
The company said it is “continuing negotiations with a large automaker” that could include an investment, joint EV platform development, and North American manufacturing.
Fisker did get a financing commitment from an existing investor worth up to $150 million, but that won’t be enough to fund operations long-term.
After producing zero vehicles in January, Fisker built about 1,000 from February 1 to March 15. The company sold about 1,300 cars in the first two months of 2024.
Fisker (FSR) stock chart over the past year (Source: TradingView)
Following the news, Fisker’s (FSR) stock is down over 11%. The company is facing a delisting from the NYSE exchange, with its stock price well below the required minimum of $1.00 per share. Fisker shares are currently around 0.115 per share, down 97% over the past year.
Fisker’s current vehicle inventory includes:
North America: 1,168 at parts, 11 in transit, 180 at sea, 2,140 in storage, and 171 produced but not delivered.
EU: 131 at port, 5 in transit, 72 at sea, 739 in storage, and 105 produced and undelivered.
Work-in-progress vehicles include 175 in North America and another 126 in the EU.
Electrek’s Take
Fisker’s journey so far has been anything but easy, but their ability to continue just got even more challenging. After failing to miss an interest payment, Fisker is pausing EV production.
It’s already struggling to make ends meet, and now it’s halting its primary revenue source. Fisker already has a ton of convertible notes ($1.2 billion) issued that will need to be paid back.
Without significant financial backing, likely from an OEM, it will be nearly impossible for Fisker to repay them.
To make matters worse, Fiker is likely to be delisted from the NYSE, making raising equity even harder.
What do you guys think? Can Fisker pull through? Let us know what you think in the comments.
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The US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) closed a $1 billion loan to restart Three Mile Island Unit 1, a nuclear reactor at Three Mile Island in Londonderry Township, Pennsylvania.
The money is being loaned to Constellation Energy Generation, which is renaming the 835 megawatt (MW) Three Mile Island Unit 1 the Crane Clean Energy Center. Constellation said in September 2024 that it would restart the reactor under a power purchase agreement with Microsoft, which needs more clean power to feed its growing data-center demand.
The project is estimated to cost around $1.6 billion, and the DOE says the project will create around 600 jobs. The reactor is expected to start generating power again in 2027.
Three Mile Island Unit 1 (in the foreground in the photo above) went offline in 2019 because it could no longer compete with cheaper natural gas, but it wasn’t decommissioned. It’s capable of powering the equivalent of approximately 800,000 homes. It’s on the same site as the Unit 2 reactor (in the background in the photo above) that went into partial nuclear meltdown in 1979, and is known as the worst commercial nuclear accident in US history.
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When asked about the loan’s timing, Greg Beard, senior adviser to the Loan Programs Office, told reporters on a call that it would “lower the cost of capital and make power cheaper for those PJM [Pennsylvania-New Jersey-Maryland] ratepayers.” Data centers are driving up electricity costs for consumers.
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An affordable Bronco EV? Not for those in the US. Ford opened orders for the electric Bronco in China, starting at under $33,000.
Ford Bronco electric pre-orders open at under $33,000
Ford announced the All-Wheel Drive electric SUV is officially open for pre-sale on Tuesday, starting at RMB 229,800 ($32,300).
The electric Bronco is available in pure electric (EV) and extended range electric vehicle (EREV) options. It’s offered in three variants, priced from RMB 229,800 ($32,300) to RMB 272,800 ($38,400).
All models are All Wheel Drive, while the pure electric version costs an extra 10,000 yuan ($1,400). Ford is offering pre-sale buyers some pretty sweet benefits, including a camping experience package (with an added roof tent), a Mountain Kitchen Multi-Function Tailgate gift, an overnight stay package (for your vehicle), and more.
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The electric Ford Bronco is about the same size as the standard 4-door version sold in the US at 5,025 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,815 mm tall.
The electric Ford Bronco (Source: Ford)
Although it may look the same, the EV version draws power from a 105.4 kWh LFP battery pack from BYD’s FinFreams, providing up to 650 km (404 miles) CLTC driving range.
It’s equipped with two electric motors, one in the front and the other in the rear, producing a combined 445 horsepower (332 kW).
The electric Ford Bronco (Source: Ford)
The EREV version combines a 43.7 kWh battery with a 1.5T engine, delivering a pure-electric range of 220 km (137 miles) and a combined CLTC driving range of 1,220 km (758 miles).
Some of the higher trims feature Ford’s Fuyu ADAS system, developed exclusively for buyers in China with a roof-mounted LiDAR and over 30 sensors and cameras. It even features a cool “off-road logbook” that shows drivers over 20 popular routes across China.
The interior is custom-tailored for Chinese buyers with a 15.6″ central infotainment and a smaller driver display screen. It also offers a massive 70″ AR head-up display (HUD).
Unlike the Ford vehicles we’re accustomed to seeing, the electric Bronco includes a 7.5L refrigerator in the center console.
The AWD electric SUV is coming at a critical time as Ford aims to revamp its business in China. Ford is working with local partners on new technologies, designs, and powertrain ideas for global markets.
Ford’s sales in China are down by over 14% through October this year, but new electrified vehicles, including the Bronco, are expected to help turn things around. Ford’s lineup in China mainly consists of gas-powered vehicles, which have quickly fallen out of favor with buyers shifting to more advanced, more efficient, and often lower-priced domestic EVs.
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The cooling towers of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania, Oct. 30, 2024.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
The Trump administration will provide Constellation Energy with a $1 billion loan to restart the Crane Clean Energy Center nuclear plant in Pennsylvania, Department of Energy officials said Tuesday.
Previously known as Three Mile Island Unit 1, the plant is expected to start generating power again in 2027. Constellation unveiled plans to rename and restart the reactor in Sept. 2024 through a power purchase agreement with Microsoft to support the tech company’s data center demand in the region.
Three Mile Island Unit 1 ceased operations in 2019, one of a dozen reactors that closed in recent years as nuclear struggled to compete against cheap natural gas. It sits on the same site as Three Mile Island Unit 2, the reactor that partially melted down in 1979 in the worst nuclear accident in U.S. history.
The loan would cover the majority to the project’s estimated cost of $1.6 billion. The first advance to Constellation is expected in the first quarter of 2026, said Greg Beard, senior advisor to the Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office, in a call with reporters. The loan comes with a guarantee from Constellation that it will protect taxpayer money, Beard said.
Constellation’s stock was up more than 2% in after hours trading on Tuesday.
The control panel in the main control room of the Three Mile Island Nuclear power plant is seen on Oct. 30, 2024 in Middletown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
CEO Joe Dominguez hinted at federal financial support previously, telling investors in Sept. 2024 that Constellation would “take a look as we finance the project at loan guarantees and other things that will be available.” Constellation is the largest operator of nuclear plants in the U.S.
When asked why Constellation was receiving the loan now, Beard said Tuesday that Constellation could have completed the project without help from the Energy Department. But the loan will help make electricity cheaper for consumers on the grid operated by PJM Interconnection, which serves more than 65 million people across 13 states, Beard said.
“What’s important for the administration is to show support for affordable, reliable, secure energy in the U.S.,” Beard told reporters. “This loan to Constellation will lower the cost of capital and make power cheaper for those PJM ratepayers.”
Electricity prices
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said last week that his department’s loan office would use most of its money to support the nuclear industry. President Donald Trump signed four executive orders in May that aim to significantly expand new nuclear capacity.
Consumers in many states in the PJM region are facing significant electricity price increases as the rapid increase in demand from artificial intelligence data centers outstrips available supply.
“We want to bring as much net addition of dispatchable, reliable electricity onto the grid to stop these price rises in electricity,” Wright told reporters on Tuesday.
The turbine deck of the Three Mile Island Nuclear power plant is seen on Oct. 30, 2024 in Middletown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Danielle DeVries | CNBC
The Crane Clean Energy Center is one of three shuttered nuclear plants in the U.S. that are aiming to start generating power again this decade subject to approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Crane had the capacity to power more than 800,000 homes when it closed in 2019, according to Constellation.
The Energy Department is supporting the restart of the Palisades nuclear plant in Michigan with a $1.5 billion loan to Holtec International. NextEra Energy announced in October plans to restart the Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Iowa through an agreement Alphabet‘s Google Unit.
When asked whether NextEra will receive a loan for Duane Arnold, Beard told CNBC that Trump’s executive orders direct the Energy Department to “prioritize the restart of nuclear reactors.”