ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Overview
We are a technology company focused on providing sustainable and cost-effective solutions to the commercial transportation sector. As an American manufacturer, we design and build high performance electric vehicles and aircraft that make movement of people and goods more efficient and less harmful to the environment. As part of our solution, we also develop cloud-based, real-time telematics performance monitoring systems that enable fleet operators to optimize energy and route efficiency. We are currently focused on our core competency of bringing the C-Series electric delivery truck to market and fulfilling our existing backlog of orders.
Automotive
We are an Original Equipment Manufacturer (“OEM”) of Class 3-6 commercial-grade, medium-duty trucks, to be marketed under the Workhorse® brand. All Workhorse last mile delivery trucks are assembled in the Union City assembly facility. We will be expanding our product portfolio with the C-Series electric delivery truck in 2020.
We believe our battery-electric and range-extended electric commercial vehicles offer fleet operators significant benefits, which include:
•Low Total Cost-of-Ownership as compared to conventional gas/diesel vehicles;
•Competitive advantage to increase brand loyalty and last mile delivery market share;
•Improved profitability through lower maintenance costs and reduced fuel expenses;
•Increased package deliveries per day through use of more efficient delivery methods;
•Decreased vehicle emissions and reduction in carbon footprint; and
•Improved vehicle safety and driver experience.
The Company sells its vehicles to fleet customers directly and through its primary distributor, Ryder System, Inc. ("Ryder"). Ryder also is a maintenance provider for Workhorse, which provides fleet operators with access to Ryder’s network of 800 maintenance facilities and nearly 6,000 trained service technicians across North America.
Delivery Trucks for Last Mile Delivery and Commercial Work Use
Workhorse delivery trucks are produced at our Union City, Indiana plant and are in use by our customers on daily routes across the United States. To date, we have built and delivered approximately 360 electric and range extended medium-duty delivery trucks to our customers. To our knowledge, we are the only American commercial electric vehicle OEM to achieve such a milestone. Our delivery customers include companies such as UPS, FedEx Express, Alpha Baking, W.B. Mason and Ryder.
In addition to improved fuel economy, we anticipate that the performance of our vehicles on-route will reduce long-term vehicle maintenance expense by approximately 60% as compared to fossil-fueled trucks. Over a 20-year vehicle life, we estimate that our C-Series delivery trucks will save over $170,000 in fuel and maintenance savings. Due to this positive return-on-investment, we charge a premium price for our vehicles. We expect that fleet operators will be able to achieve a three-year or better total cost of ownership break even (without government incentives), which we believe justifies the higher acquisition cost of our vehicles.
Our goal is to increase sales and continue development of our existing vehicle portfolio, while executing on a cost-down strategy in order to achieve sustained gross margin profitability of the last mile delivery truck platform. It is our intention that this strategy, which includes several delivery and utility truck platforms that target high-volume market segments, will further drive costs down across our supply chain.
U.S. Post Office Replenishment Program / Next Generation Delivery Vehicle Project
Workhorse was one of the five participants that the United States Postal Service (“USPS”) selected to build prototype vehicles for the USPS Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (“NGDV”) project. The USPS has publicly stated that approximately 165,000 vehicles are to be replaced. In September 2017, Workhorse delivered six vehicles for prototype testing under the NGDV Acquisition Program in compliance with the terms set forth in their USPS prototype contract. In 2019, the vehicles completed the required testing protocol as specified by the USPS. The USPS published a Request for Proposals in December 2019 for the Production Program.
C-Series Electric Delivery Truck
In 2017, Workhorse announced the development of its C-Series electric delivery truck, which leverages the existing ultra-low floor, long-life commercial delivery vehicle platform, as well as our extensive customer experience gained from working with our E-GEN and E-100 customers. The C-Series incorporates lightweight materials, all-wheel drive, best in class turning radius, 360° cameras, collision avoidance systems and an optional roof mounted HorseFly™ delivery drone. These trucks weigh 7,000 pounds, compared to current 11,000 pound gasoline and diesel delivery trucks.
The Workhorse C-Series electric delivery truck platform will be available in 450, 650 and 1,000 cubic feet configurations. We intend to initially launch the 650 cubic foot and 1,000 cubic foot configurations with the goal of competing with conventional market leaders, including the Mercedes Sprinter, Ford Transit and Dodge ProMaster gasoline/diesel vans for both last mile delivery and other service-oriented applications such as telecommunications. We expect these vehicles to achieve a fuel economy of approximately 53 miles per gallon equivalent (“MPGe”) and offer fleet operators the most favorable total cost-of-ownership of any comparable conventional truck utilizing an internal combustion engine that is available today.
Package Delivery Aircraft
HorseFly
Our HorseFly Unmanned Aerial System ("UAS") is a custom-designed, purpose-built system that safely and efficiently delivers packages. Workhorse was granted a patent on our UAS with the description “Package Delivery by Means of an Automated Multi-Copter UAS/UAV Dispatched From A Conventional Delivery Vehicle.” Though initially designed to deliver packages from our electric trucks, the latest iteration of our system supports package delivery to and from almost anywhere.
In tests and demonstrations over the past two years, Workhorse has flown over 100 missions in the National Airspace System, demonstrating package delivery for large multi-national companies, including UPS.
In a 2017 press release, UPS estimated that a reduction of just one mile per driver per day could save UPS up to $50 million on an annualized basis. Rural delivery routes are the most expensive routes for companies like UPS to serve because of the time it takes to cover long, thin routes, and because of the increased maintenance costs that come with driving extra miles. During our tests and demonstrations, the HorseFly aircraft dispatches from the delivery vehicle to deliver a rural package while the driver continues on his route to make another. The HorseFly then returns to the truck at its new location and is ready for another delivery. This is an example of the significant cost savings available to delivery fleets, and we believe we are the first to offer a complete system to the market.
We have flown demonstrations in Ohio, Michigan, Florida and California, and are continuously improving our systems. The knowledge we’ve gained in these real-world tests shows us we can safely and reliably save the last mile delivery market a significant amount of money with our HorseFly system.
Certus
To accelerate our development of the HorseFly system, in November 2019, Workhorse and Moog Inc ("Moog") formed Certus Unmanned Arial Systems LLC ("Certus"). Moog is a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision control components and systems. Moog’s high-performance systems control military and commercial aircraft, satellites and space vehicles, launch vehicles, missiles, automated industrial machinery, marine and medical equipment.
The Company and Moog entered into a joint venture agreement for the development of the Company's Horsefly truck based electrically powered unmanned aerial systems (the "Horsefly Assets") and the related business (the “Horsefly Agreement”). Under the Horsefly Agreement, the Company contributed the Horsefly Assets and Moog contributed certain complementary assets to Certus Unmanned Aerial Systems LLC, (“Certus”) that is 50% owned by both the Company and Moog. Certus will
license the Horsefly Assets to the Company and Moog so that each party may use the Horsefly Assets in their respective businesses. Through Certus, teams from Workhorse and Moog are improving HorseFly’s components and sub-systems with the goal of bringing the highest quality, most capable UAS to market. We believe combining the capabilities of the two companies brings significant value to the UAS marketplace, particularly in the area of high-reliability, safety-sensitive, certificated systems that require the highest levels of government approval for operations.
USOG
Workhorse successfully delivered two of its HorseFly systems for commercial use, selling the systems to the Unmanned Systems Operations Group ("USOG"). USOG is a logistics solutions company specializing in unmanned systems and secure transportation and delivery of drone flight missions by land, air or sea. Based in San Diego, California, USOG is using our HorseFly system and aircraft in commercial operations under Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") regulations Part 107.
Technology
In-House Software Development is Essential
Our powertrains encompass the complete motor assemblies, computers, and software required for vehicle electrification. We use off-the-shelf proven components and combine them with our proprietary software.
Innovation is the Future
Additionally, we have developed a cloud-based, remote management system to manage and track the performance of all of the vehicles that we deploy in order to provide a 21st Century solution for fleet managers.
The telematics system and associated hardware installed in the Workhorse vehicles is designed to monitor the controller area network traffic for specific signals. These signals are uploaded along with GPS data to a Workhorse server facility where the data signals are tracked at ten second intervals while driving and during the electricity generating process and at sixty seconds during a plug-in charge. The real-time data is stored in a database as it arrives and delivers updates to clients connected through the web interface. We are moving to a ".Net" platform for more robust back-end tools and web support.
As a parameter-based system, we can set route-specific parameters to better manage the battery-provided power with the additional power generated through the regenerative braking process. In an upcoming release, we will add the ability to integrate Metron Telematics with the client’s internal telematics system and automatically update the parameters each day with information about the route. This enhancement will result in a “SMART-GEN” vehicle that will maximize efficiency by automating the process to determine the ideal times and locations to use the C-Series to add electricity to the batteries.
Locations and Facilities
Our company headquarters and 45,000 sq. ft. research and development facility is located at 100 Commerce Drive, Loveland, Ohio, a Cincinnati suburb.
Our truck assembly facility is located in Union City, Indiana. This facility consists of three buildings with 250,000 square feet of manufacturing and office space on 47 acres. This plant has capacity to build up to 60,000 trucks per year.
Marketing
There are over 300,000 last mile delivery trucks replaced annually in an $18.0 billion market space. Our sales team is focused on securing purchase orders from commercial transportation companies, in this space. These purchases will give us additional data on demand related to electric and extended range electric vehicles.
Our priority is to establish the commercial delivery truck as our core business. We intend to be the best choice for a vehicle in this segment regardless of the fuel type that the customer chooses. Our sales plan is to meet with the top potential customers and obtain purchase orders for new electric vehicles to be delivered through our production facility.
As the last mile delivery service space expands and non-traditional customers enter, Workhorse is reaching out to those potential new customers to gain product acceptance as their last mile delivery partner. This market is comprised of a higher quantity of smaller delivery vehicles, such as the new Workhorse C650, a 650-cu. ft. platform.
Finally, we believe that our competitive advantage in the marketplace is our ability to provide purpose-built solutions to customers that have unique requirements at relatively low volume. To broaden our sales funnel, we have submitted proposals to companies for purpose-built vehicle applications.
Strategic Relationships
EnerDel, Inc.: EnderDel, Inc. ("EnerDel") is a designer and manufacturer of lithium-ion battery systems, focusing on heavy-duty transportation. EnerDel's advanced cell technology features a low-profile modular pack design that supports Workhorse's lightweight C-Series vehicles, enabling fleet customers to customize the pack size for each vehicle based on its duty cycle. Workhorse's selection of EnerDel as its latest battery supplier of choice complements the Company's existing utility partnership agreement, which seeks to generate second-life uses for its batteries.
Ryder: The Company has an agreement with Ryder to serve as the primary distributor, except with respect to certain exclusive accounts, in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Ryder also serves as a provider of certain repair services and distributor of certain vehicle parts in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Prefix: Michigan-based Prefix Corporation began in 1979 developing innovative design and engineering solutions for the automotive industry. Workhorse relies on Prefix’s complementary capabilities in the areas of complete prototype design, build and finishing to more rapidly advance product development.
Duke Energy Corp.: Workhorse continues working in partnership with Duke Energy Corp ("Duke") in creating an innovative battery leasing program designed to provide customers a cost competitive electric vehicle product alternative. Duke intends to explore further development of eFleet solutions to Workhorse customers which may include single-point management and financing of all the Behind the Meter infrastructure necessary to support depot wide electrification, vehicle/battery leasing and distributed energy resources. Duke and Workhorse believe a seamless/integrated solution will help reduce the overall costs of converting fleets to electric power enabling faster adoption of electric vehicles into commercial fleets.
Research and Development
The majority of our research and development is conducted in-house at our facilities near Cincinnati, Ohio. Additionally, we contract with engineering firms to assist with validation and certification requirements as well as specific vehicle integration tasks.
Competition
The commercial vehicle market, specifically in the last mile delivery segment, is highly competitive and we expect it to become even more so in the future as additional companies launch competing vehicle offerings. However, the commercial alternative fueled vehicle market is less developed and less competitive. There are two primary competitors in the medium-duty vehicle segment in the US market: Ford and Freightliner. Neither has disclosed any plans to offer 100% electric vehicles or electric range extended vehicles in this segment. Ford is a vertically integrated company building a complete vehicle or chassis. They provide a chassis as a strip-chassis (which is similar to the Workhorse Truck chassis that was produced until 2018) or they provide it with a cab. Freightliner provides a chassis as a strip-chassis, which is similar to the Workhorse Truck chassis that was produced until 2018. Further, there have been a few start-ups that have announced their intention to produce electric vehicles in this segment.
Chanje is a California-based, privately held electric vehicle and energy solutions company that specializes in the last mile industry. Chanje introduced its first vehicle in 2017.
Motiv Power Systems is a manufacturer of all-electric powertrain control systems for commercial vehicles, based in Foster City, California. They also produce software for the systems and install them in vehicles that have already been manufactured.
We believe the most dramatic difference between Workhorse and the other competitors in the medium-duty truck market is our ability to offer customers purpose-built solutions that meet the needs of their unique requirements at a competitive price. While there are many electric car companies from abroad, there are only a few foreign companies that have vehicles in the category of medium-duty trucks.
We believe that the primary competitive factors within the medium-duty commercial vehicle market are:
•the difference in the initial purchase prices of electric vehicles and comparable vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, both including and excluding the impact of government and other subsidies and incentives designed to promote the purchase of electric vehicles;
•the total cost of vehicle ownership over the vehicle’s expected life, which includes the initial purchase price and ongoing operational and maintenance costs;
•vehicle quality, performance and safety;
•government regulations and economic incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternate forms of energy;
•the environmental impact of electric vehicles, which are less harmful to the environment than internal combustion engines; and
•the quality and availability of service for the vehicle, including the availability of replacement parts.
Government Regulation
Our electric vehicles are designed to comply with a significant number of governmental regulations and industry standards, some of which are changing as new technologies are deployed. Government regulations regarding the manufacture, sale and implementation of products and systems similar to our electric vehicles are subject to future change. We cannot predict what impact, if any, such changes may have upon our business.
Emission and fuel economy standards
Government regulation related to climate change is in effect at the U.S. federal and state levels. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) issued a final rule for greenhouse gas emissions and fuel economy requirements for trucks and heavy-duty engines on August 9, 2011, which is applicable in model years 2018 through 2020. NHTSA and EPA also issued a final rule on August 16, 2016 increasing the stringency of these standards for model years 2021 through 2027.
The rules provide emission standards for CO2 and fuel consumption standards for three main categories of vehicles: (i) combination tractors; (ii) heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans; and (iii) vocational vehicles. We believe that the Workhorse vehicles would be considered “vocational vehicles” and “heavy-duty pickup trucks and vans” under the rules. According to the EPA and NHTSA, vocational vehicles consist of a wide variety of truck and bus types, including delivery, refuse, utility, dump, cement, transit bus, shuttle bus, school bus, emergency vehicles, motor homes and tow trucks, and are characterized by a complex build process, with an incomplete chassis often built with an engine and transmission purchased from other manufacturers, then sold to a body manufacturer.
The EPA and NHTSA rule also establishes multiple flexibility and incentive programs for manufacturers of alternatively fueled vehicles, such as the Workhorse vehicles, including an engine Averaging, Banking and Trading (“ABT”) program, a vehicle ABT program and additional credit programs for early adoption of standards or deployment of advanced or innovative technologies. The ABT programs will allow for emission and/or fuel consumption credits to be averaged, banked or traded within defined groupings of the regulatory subcategories. The additional credit programs will allow manufacturers of engines and vehicles to be eligible to generate credits if they demonstrate improvements in excess of the standards established in the rule prior to the model year the standards become effective or if they introduce advanced or innovative technology engines or vehicles.
The Clean Air Act requires that we obtain a Certificate of Conformity issued by the EPA and a California Executive Order issued by the California Air Resource Board (“CARB”) with respect to emissions and mileage requirements for our vehicles. On February 14, 2020, Workhorse received its Certificate of Conformity from the EPA. The Certificate of Conformity is required for vehicles sold in states covered by the Clean Air Act’s standards and the Executive Order is required for vehicles sold in states that have sought and received a waiver from the EPA to utilize California standards. The California standards for emissions control for certain regulated pollutants for new vehicles and engines sold in California are set by CARB. States that have adopted the California standards as approved by EPA also recognize the Executive Order for sales of vehicles. The testing program that leads to an Executive Order from CARB is now underway.
Manufacturers who sell vehicles in states covered by federal requirements under the Clean Air Act without a Certificate of Conformity may be subject to penalties of up to $44,539 per violation and be required to recall and remedy any vehicles sold with emissions in excess of Clean Air Act standards.
Vehicle safety and testing
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 (the “Safety Act”) regulates motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment in the United States in two primary ways. First, the Safety Act prohibits the sale in the United States of any new vehicle or equipment that does not conform to applicable motor vehicle safety standards established by NHTSA. Meeting or exceeding many safety standards is costly, in part because the standards tend to conflict with the need to reduce vehicle weight in order to meet emissions and fuel economy standards. Second, the Safety Act requires that defects related to motor vehicle safety be remedied through safety recall campaigns. A manufacturer is obligated to recall vehicles if it determines that the vehicles do not comply with a safety standard. Should we or NHTSA determine that either a safety defect or noncompliance exists with respect to any of our vehicles, the cost of such recall campaigns could be substantial.
Battery safety and testing
Our battery pack configurations are designed to conform to mandatory regulations that govern transport of “dangerous goods,” which includes lithium-ion batteries, which may present a risk in transportation. The governing regulations, which are issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Safety Administration and are based on the United Nations Recommendations on the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods Model Regulations, and related United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria. The requirements for shipments of these goods vary by mode of transportation, such as ocean vessel, rail, truck and air.
Our battery suppliers have completed the applicable transportation test for our prototype and production battery packs demonstrating our compliance with the United Nations Manual of Tests and Criteria, including:
•altitude simulation, which involves simulating air transport;
•thermal cycling, which involves assessing cell and battery seal integrity;
•vibration, which involves simulating vibration during transport;
•shock, which involves simulating possible impacts during transport;
•external short circuit, which involves simulating an external short circuit; and
•overcharge, which involves evaluating the ability of a rechargeable battery to withstand overcharging.
Vehicle dealer and distribution regulation
Certain states’ laws require motor vehicle manufacturers and dealers to be licensed in such states in order to conduct manufacturing and sales activities. To date, we are registered as a motor vehicle manufacturer in Indiana and Ohio and as a dealer in California, New York and Chicago. We have not yet sought formal clarification of our ability to manufacture or sell our vehicles in any other states.
Intellectual Property
We have four pending trademark applications and 12 issued trademark registrations (US and foreign). We also intend to pursue additional trademark registrations. We have four pending (one non-provisional, one design and two provisional) U.S. and foreign patent applications, and eight existing patents, two of which are design patents. We also plan to pursue appropriate foreign patent protection on those inventions, if available as well pursue additional inventions. The following is a summary of our patents:
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Country
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Serial Number
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Application Date
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Patent Number
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Issue/Grant Date
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Expiration Date
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Title
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United States
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13/283,663
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10/28/2011
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8,541,915
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9/24/2013
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12/16/2031
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Drive module and manifold for electric motor drive assembly
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Canada
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2,523,653
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10/17/2005
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2,523,653
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12/22/2009
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10/17/2025
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Vehicle chassis assembly
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United States
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11/252,220
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10/17/2005
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7,717,464
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5/18/2010
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9/6/2026
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Vehicle chassis assembly
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United States
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11/252,219
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10/17/2005
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7,559,578
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7/14/2009
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9/6/2026
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Vehicle chassis assembly
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United States
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29/243,074
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11/18/2005
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D561,078
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2/5/2008
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2/5/2022
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Vehicle header
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United States
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29/243,129
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11/18/2005
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D561,079
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2/5/2008
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2/5/2022
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Vehicle header
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United States
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14/606,497
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1/27/2015
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9,481,256
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11/1/2016
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5/3/2035
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Onboard generator drive system for electric vehicles
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United States
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14/989,870
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1/7/2016
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9,915,956
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3/13/2018
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6/24/2036
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Package delivery by means of an automated multicopter UAS/UAV dispatched from a conventional delivery vehicle
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United States
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15/915,144
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3/8/2018
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Package delivery by means of an automated multicopter UAS/UAV dispatched from a conventional delivery vehicle (1)
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United States
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62/957,577
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1/6/2020
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Systems and Methods for Manufacturing Land Vehicles
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United States
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62/959,548
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1/10/2020
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Electric Delivery Truck Control System for Electric Power Management
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United States
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29/719,591
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1/6/2020
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Design Application that covering the electric delivery truck
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(1) Assigned to Certus, a joint venture, that is 50% owned by the Company and 50% owned by Moog Inc.
Employees
We currently have 81 full-time employees.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
We need access to additional financing in 2020 and beyond, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we cannot access additional financing when we need it and on acceptable terms, our business may fail.
Our business plan to design, produce, sell and service commercial electric vehicles through our Union City facility will require continued capital investment in 2020. Our research and development activities will also require continued investment. For the year ended December 31, 2019, our independent registered public accounting firm issued a report on our 2019 financial statements that contained an explanatory paragraph stating that the lack of sales, negative working capital and stockholders’ deficit, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. We expect to have adequate capital to continue operations through the second quarter 2020. Unless and until we are able to generate a sufficient amount of revenue, reduce our costs and/or enter into a strategic relationship, we expect to finance future cash needs through public and/or private offerings of equity securities and/or debt financings. We do not currently have any committed future funding for operating costs or for confirmed purchase orders. If we are not able to obtain additional financing when needed in 2020 and/or substantially increase revenue from sales, we will be unable to continue as a going concern or satisfy the delivery of our orders. As a result, we may have to liquidate our assets and may receive less than the value at which those assets are carried on our consolidated financial statements, and investors will likely lose a substantial part or all of their investment. We cannot be certain that additional financing will be available to us on favorable terms when required, or at all. Further, if there remains doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide additional funding on acceptable terms or at all. If we cannot obtain additional financing when we need it and on terms acceptable to us, we will not be able to continue as a going concern.
Our results of operations have not resulted in profitability and we may not be able to achieve profitability going forward.
We have an accumulated deficit of $178.8 million as of December 31, 2019. We have had net losses in each year since our inception. We may continue to incur net losses in 2020. We may incur significant losses in the future for a number of reasons, including the other risks described in "Risk Factors", and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown events. Accordingly, we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability. Our management is developing plans to alleviate the negative trends and conditions described above and there is no guarantee that such plans will be successfully implemented. Our business plan is focused on providing sustainable and cost-effective solutions to the commercial transportation sector but is still unproven. There is no assurance that even if we successfully implement our business plan, that we will be able to curtail our losses or ever achieve profitable operations. If we incur additional significant operating losses, our stock price may significantly decline.
We have yet to achieve positive cash flow and, given our projected funding needs, our ability to generate positive cash flow is uncertain.
We have had negative cash flow from operating activities of $36.9 million and $21.8 million for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018, respectively. We may continue to have negative cash flow from operating and investing activities for 2020 as we expect to incur research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative expenses and make capital expenditures in our efforts to increase sales and ramp up operations at our Union City facility. Our business also will at times require significant amounts of working capital to support our growth of additional platforms. An inability to generate positive cash flow for the near term may adversely affect our ability to raise needed capital for our business on reasonable terms, diminish supplier or customer willingness to enter into transactions with us, and have other adverse effects that may decrease our long-term viability. There can be no assurance that the Company will achieve positive cash flow in the near future or at all.
The development of our business in the near future is contingent upon the implementation of orders from UPS and other key customers for the purchase of Workhorse vehicles and if we are unable to perform under these orders, our business may fail.
On June 4, 2014, the Company entered into a Vehicle Purchase Agreement with United Parcel Service Inc. (“UPS”) which outlined the relationship by which the Company would sell vehicles to UPS. To date, we have received six separate orders totaling up to 1,405 vehicles from UPS. The sixth and most recent order is from the first quarter of 2018. There is no guarantee that the Company will be able to perform under these orders and if it does perform, that UPS will purchase additional vehicles from the Company. Also, there is no assurance that UPS will not terminate its agreement with the Company pursuant to the termination provisions therein. Further, if the Company is not able to raise the required capital to purchase required parts and
pay certain vendors, the Company may not be able to comply with UPS’s deadlines. Accordingly, despite the receipt of the orders from UPS, there is no assurance, due to the Company’s financial constraints and status as a development stage company, that the Company will be able to deliver such vehicles or that it will receive additional orders whether from UPS or other potential customers.
If we are unable to perform under our orders with UPS, the Company business will be negatively impacted.
The Covid-19 novel coronavirus, or other epidemics, could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, or financial condition.
In December 2019, COVID-19 began to impact the population of Wuhan, China. We rely upon third-party manufacturers to provide certain parts that are incorporated into our vehicles. The outbreak has resulted in significant governmental measures being implemented to control the spread of the virus, including, among others, restrictions on manufacturing and the movement of employees in many regions of the country. As a result of COVID-19 and the measures designed to contain the spread of the virus, our third-party manufacturers may not have the materials, capacity, or capability to manufacture such parts according to our schedule and specifications. If our third-party manufacturers’ operations are curtailed, we may need to seek alternate manufacturing sources, which may be more expensive. Alternate sources may not be available or may result in delays in shipments to us from our supply chain and subsequently to our customers, each of which would affect our results of operations. While the disruptions and restrictions on the ability to travel, quarantines, and temporary closures of the facilities of our third-party manufacturers and suppliers, as well as general limitations on movement in the region are expected to be temporary, the duration of the production and supply chain disruption, and related financial impact, cannot be estimated at this time. Should the production and distribution closures continue for an extended period of time, the impact on our supply chain in China and globally could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and cash flows.
Our limited operating history makes it difficult for us to evaluate our future business prospects and make decisions based on those estimates of our future performance.
As we begin to fully implement our manufacturing capabilities, it is difficult, if not impossible, to forecast our future results based upon our historical data. Because of the uncertainties related to our lack of historical operations, we may be hindered in our ability to anticipate and adapt to increases or decreases in revenues or expenses. If we make poor budgetary decisions as a result of limited historical data, we could be less profitable or incur losses.
We offer no financing on our vehicles. As such, our business is dependent on cash sales, which may adversely affect our growth prospects.
While most of our current customers are well-established companies with significant purchasing power, many of our potential smaller and medium-sized customers may need to rely on credit or leasing arrangements to gain access to our vehicles. Unlike some of our competitors who provide credit or leasing services for the purchase of their vehicles, we do not provide, and currently do not have commercial arrangements with a third party that provides, such financial services. We believe the current limited availability of credit or leasing solutions for our vehicles could adversely affect our revenues and market share in the commercial electric vehicle market.
We do not receive progress payments on orders of our vehicles, and if a purchaser fails to pay upon delivery, we may not be able to recoup the costs we incurred in producing such vehicles.
Our arrangements with existing customers do not provide for progress payments as we begin to fulfill orders. Customers are only required to pay us upon delivery of vehicles. If a customer fails to take delivery of an ordered vehicle or fails to pay for such vehicle, we may not receive cash to offset the production expenses of such vehicle, which could adversely affect our cash flows.
Our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be adversely affected if we cannot reduce and adequately control the costs and expenses associated with operating our business, including our material and production costs.
We incur significant costs and expenses related to procuring the materials, components and services required to develop and produce our electric vehicles. We have secured supply agreements for our critical components including our batteries. However, these are dependent on volume to ensure that they are available at a competitive price. We continually work on cost-down initiatives to reduce our cost structure so that we may effectively compete. If we do not reduce our costs and expenses, our net losses will continue.
Increases in costs, disruption of supply or shortage of lithium-ion cells could harm our business.
We may experience increases in the cost or a sustained interruption in the supply or shortage of lithium-ion cells. Any such increase, supply interruption or shortage could materially and negatively impact our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. The prices for these lithium-ion cells can fluctuate depending on market conditions and global demand for these materials and could adversely affect our business and operating results. We are exposed to multiple risks relating to lithium-ion cells including:
•the inability or unwillingness of current battery manufacturers to build or operate battery cell manufacturing plants to supply the numbers of lithium-ion cells we may require going forward;
•disruption in the supply of cells due to quality issues or recalls by battery cell manufacturers;
•an increase in the cost of raw materials used in the cells; and
•fluctuations in the value of the Japanese yen against the U.S. dollar in the event our purchasers of lithium-ion cells are denominated in Japanese yen.
Our business is dependent on the continued supply of battery cells for the battery packs used in our vehicles. While we believe several sources of the battery cells are available for such battery cells, we have fully qualified EnerDel for the supply of the cells used in such battery packs and have very limited flexibility in changing cell suppliers. Any disruption in the supply of battery cells could disrupt production of our vehicles until such time as a different supplier is fully qualified. Furthermore, fluctuations or shortages in petroleum, tariff or trade issues and other economic or tax conditions may cause us to experience significant increases in freight charges. Substantial increases in the prices for the battery cells or prices charged to us, would increase our operating costs, and could reduce our margins if we cannot recoup the increased costs through increased vehicle prices. Any attempts to increase vehicle prices in response to increased costs in our battery cells could result in cancellations of vehicle orders and therefore materially and adversely affect our brand, image, business, prospects and operating results.
The demand for commercial electric vehicles depends, in part, on the continuation of current trends resulting from dependence on fossil fuels. Extended periods of low diesel or other petroleum-based fuel prices could adversely affect demand for our vehicles, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
We believe that much of the present and projected demand for commercial electric vehicles results from concerns about volatility in the cost of petroleum-based fuel, the dependency of the United States on oil from unstable or hostile countries, government regulations and economic incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternative forms of energy, as well as the belief that climate change results in part from the burning of fossil fuels. If the cost of petroleum-based fuel decreased significantly, the outlook for the long-term supply of oil to the United States improved, the government eliminated or modified its regulations or economic incentives related to fuel efficiency and alternative forms of energy, or if there is a change in the perception that the burning of fossil fuels negatively impacts the environment, the demand for commercial electric vehicles could be reduced, and our business and revenue may be harmed.
Diesel and other petroleum-based fuel prices have been extremely volatile, and we believe this continuing volatility will persist. Lower diesel or other petroleum-based fuel prices over extended periods of time may lower the perception in government and the private sector that cheaper, more readily available energy alternatives should be developed and produced. If diesel or other petroleum-based fuel prices remain at deflated levels for extended periods of time, the demand for commercial electric vehicles may decrease, which would have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
Our future growth is dependent upon the willingness of operators of commercial vehicle fleets to adopt electric vehicles and on our ability to produce, sell and service vehicles that meet their needs. This often depends upon the cost for an operator adopting electric vehicle technology as compared to the cost of traditional internal combustion technology.
Our growth is dependent upon the adoption of electric vehicles by operators of commercial vehicle fleets and on our ability to produce, sell and service vehicles that meet their needs. The entry of commercial electric vehicles into the medium-duty commercial vehicle market is a relatively new development, particularly in the United States, and is characterized by rapidly changing technologies and evolving government regulation, industry standards and customer views of the merits of using electric vehicles in their businesses. This process has been slow as without including the impact of government or other subsidies and incentives, the purchase prices for our commercial electric vehicles currently is higher than the purchase prices for diesel-fueled vehicles. Our growth has also been negatively impacted by the relatively low price of oil over the last few years.
If the market for commercial electric vehicles does not develop as we expect or develops more slowly than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be adversely affected.
As part of our sales efforts, we must educate fleet managers as to the economical savings we believe they will benefit from during the life of the vehicle. As such, we believe that operators of commercial vehicle fleets should consider a number of factors when deciding whether to purchase our commercial electric vehicles (or commercial electric vehicles generally) or vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, particularly diesel-fueled or natural gas-fueled vehicles. We believe these factors include:
•the difference in the initial purchase prices of commercial electric vehicles and vehicles with comparable gross vehicle weight powered by internal combustion engines, both including and excluding the impact of government and other subsidies and incentives designed to promote the purchase of electric vehicles;
•the total cost of ownership of the vehicle over its expected life, which includes the initial purchase price and ongoing operating and maintenance costs;
•the availability and terms of financing options for purchases of vehicles and, for commercial electric vehicles, financing options for battery systems;
•the availability of tax and other governmental incentives to purchase and operate electric vehicles and future regulations requiring increased use of nonpolluting vehicles;
•government regulations and economic incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternate forms of energy;
•fuel prices, including volatility in the cost of diesel;
•the cost and availability of other alternatives to diesel fueled vehicles, such as vehicles powered by natural gas;
•corporate sustainability initiatives;
•commercial electric vehicle quality, performance and safety (particularly with respect to lithium-ion battery packs);
•the quality and availability of service for the vehicle, including the availability of replacement parts;
•the range over which commercial electric vehicles may be driven on a single battery charge;
•access to charging stations and related infrastructure costs, and standardization of electric vehicle charging systems;
•electric grid capacity and reliability; and
•macroeconomic factors.
If, in weighing these factors, operators of commercial vehicle fleets determine that there is not a compelling business justification for purchasing commercial electric vehicles, particularly those that we produce and sell, then the market for commercial electric vehicles may not develop as we expect or may develop more slowly than we expect, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
We currently do not have long-term supply contracts with guaranteed pricing which exposes us to fluctuations in component, materials and equipment prices. Substantial increases in these prices would increase our operating costs and could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
Because we currently do not have long-term supply contracts with guaranteed pricing, we are subject to fluctuations in the prices of the raw materials, parts and components and equipment we use in the production of our vehicles. Substantial increases in the prices for such raw materials, components and equipment would increase our operating costs and could reduce our margins if we cannot recoup the increased costs through increased vehicle prices. Any attempts to increase the announced or expected prices of our vehicles in response to increased costs could be viewed negatively by our customers and could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
If we are unable to scale our operations at our Union City facility in an expedited manner from our limited low volume production to high volume production, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be adversely affected.
We are assembling our orders at our Union City facility which has been acceptable for our historical orders. To satisfy increased demand, we will need to quickly scale operations in our Union City facility as well as scale our supply chain including access to batteries. Such a substantial and rapid increase in operations may strain our management capabilities. Our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected if we experience disruptions in our supply chain, if we cannot obtain materials of sufficient quality at reasonable prices or if we are unable to scale our Union City facility.
We depend upon key personnel and need additional personnel. The loss of key personnel or the inability to attract additional personnel may adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our success depends on the continuing services of our CEO, Duane Hughes and top management. On November 6, 2019, Mr. Hughes and the Company entered into an Amended and Restated Employment Agreement. Further, we entered into an amended and restated employment agreement with Mr. Robert Willison, our Chief Operating Officer. The loss of any of these individuals could have a material and adverse effect on our business operations. Additionally, the success of our operations will largely depend upon our ability to successfully attract and maintain other competent and qualified key management personnel. As with any company with limited resources, there can be no guarantee that we will be able to attract such individuals or that the presence of such individuals will necessarily translate into profitability for our company. Our inability to attract and retain key personnel may materially and adversely affect our business operations. Any failure by our management to effectively anticipate, implement, and manage the changes required to sustain our growth would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We face intense competition. Some of our competitors have substantially greater financial or other resources, longer operating histories and greater name recognition than we do and could use their greater resources and/or name recognition to gain market share at our expense or could make it very difficult for us to establish market share.
Companies currently competing in the fleet logistics market offering alternative fuel medium-duty trucks include Ford Motor Company and Freightliner. Ford and Freightliner are currently selling alternative fuel fleet vehicles including hybrids. Ford and Freightliner have substantially more financial resources, established market positions, long-standing relationships with customers and dealers, and who have more significant name recognition, technical, marketing, sales, financial and other resources than we do. Although we believe that HorseFly™, our unmanned aerial system (“UAS”), is unique in the marketplace in that it currently does not have any competitors when it comes to a UAS that works in combination with a truck, there are better-financed competitors in this emerging industry, including Google and Amazon. While we are seeking to partner with existing delivery companies to improve their efficiencies in the last mile of delivery, our competitors are seeking to redefine the delivery model using drones from a central location requiring extended flight patterns. Our competitors’ new aerial delivery model would essentially eliminate traditional package delivery companies. Our model is focused on coupling our delivery drone with delivery trucks supplementing the existing model and providing shorter-term flight patterns. Google and Amazon have more significant financial resources, established market positions, long-standing relationships with customers, more significant name recognition and a larger scope of resources including technical, marketing and sales than we do.
The resources available to our competitors to develop new products and introduce them into the marketplace exceed the resources currently available to us. As a result, our competitors may be able to compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period than we can. This intense competitive environment may require us to make changes in our products, pricing, licensing, services, distribution, or marketing to develop a market position. Each of these competitors has the potential to capture significant market share in our target markets, which could have an adverse effect on our position in our industry and on our business and operating results.
Our electric vehicles compete for market share with vehicles powered by other vehicle technologies that may prove to be more attractive than ours.
Our target market currently is serviced by manufacturers with existing customers and suppliers using proven and widely accepted fossil fuel technologies. Additionally, our competitors are working on developing technologies that may be introduced in our target market. If any of these alternative technology vehicles can provide lower fuel costs, greater efficiencies, greater reliability or otherwise benefit from other factors resulting in an overall lower total cost of ownership, this may negatively affect the commercial success of our vehicles or make our vehicles uncompetitive or obsolete.
We currently have a limited number of customers, with whom we do not have long-term agreements, and expect that a significant portion of our future sales will be from a limited number of customers. The loss of any of these customers could materially harm our business.
A significant portion of our projected future revenue is expected to be generated from a limited number of fleet customers. Additionally, much of our business model is focused on building relationships with a few large fleet customers. Currently, we have no contracts with customers that include long-term commitments or minimum volumes that ensure future sales of vehicles. As such, a customer may take actions that negatively affect us for reasons that we cannot anticipate or control, such as reasons related to the customer’s financial condition, changes in the customer’s business strategy or operations or as the result of the perceived performance or cost-effectiveness of our vehicles. The loss of or a reduction in sales or anticipated sales to our most significant customers would have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
Changes in the market for electric vehicles could cause our products to become obsolete or lose popularity.
The modern electric vehicle industry is in its infancy and has experienced substantial change in the last few years. To date, demand for electric vehicles has been slower than forecasted by industry experts. As a result, growth in the electric vehicle industry depends on many factors outside our control, including, but not limited to:
•continued development of product technology, especially batteries;
•the environmental consciousness of customers;
•the ability of electric vehicles to successfully compete with vehicles powered by internal combustion engines; and
•whether future regulation and legislation requiring increased use of non-polluting vehicles is enacted.
We cannot assume that growth in the electric vehicle industry will continue. Our business will suffer if the electric vehicle industry does not grow or grows more slowly than it has in recent years or if we are unable to maintain the pace of industry demands.
President Trump’s administration may create regulatory uncertainty for the alternative energy sector and may materially harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
President Trump’s administration may create regulatory uncertainty in the alternative energy sector. During the election campaign, President Trump made comments suggesting that he was not supportive of various clean energy programs and initiatives designed to curtail global warming. Since taking office, President Trump has released his America First Energy Plan which relies on fossil fuels, canceled U.S. participation in the Paris Climate Agreement and signed several executive orders relating to oil pipelines. It remains unclear what specifically President Trump would or would not do with respect to these programs and initiatives, and what support he would have for any potential changes to such legislative programs and initiatives in the Unites States Congress. If President Trump and/or the United States Congress take action or publicly speak out about the need to eliminate or further reduce legislation, regulations and incentives supporting alternative energy or take action to further support the use of fossil fuels, such actions may result in a decrease in demand for alternative energy in the United States and may materially harm our business, financial condition and operating results.
The unavailability, reduction, elimination or adverse application of government subsidies, incentives and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
We believe that, currently, the availability of government subsidies and incentives including those available in California and other areas is an important factor considered by our customers when purchasing our vehicles, and that our growth depends in part on the availability and amounts of these subsidies and incentives. Any reduction, elimination or discriminatory application of government subsidies and incentives because of budgetary challenges, policy changes, the reduced need for such subsidies and incentives due to the perceived success of electric vehicles or other reasons may result in the diminished price competitiveness of the alternative fuel vehicle industry.
We may be unable to keep up with changes in electric vehicle technology and, as a result, may suffer a decline in our competitive position.
Our current products are designed for use with, and are dependent upon, existing electric vehicle technology. As technologies change, we plan to upgrade or adapt our products to continue to provide products with the latest technology. However, our
products may become obsolete or our research and development efforts may not be sufficient to adapt to changes in or to create the necessary technology. Thus, our potential inability to adapt and develop the necessary technology may harm our competitive position.
The failure of certain key suppliers to provide us with components could have a severe and negative impact upon our business.
We have secured supply agreements for our critical components, including our batteries. However, the agreements are dependent on volume to ensure that they are available at a competitive price. If these suppliers become unwilling or unable to provide components or if we are unable to meet certain volume requirements in our existing supply agreements, there are a limited number of alternative suppliers who could provide them and the price for them could be substantially higher. Changes in business conditions, wars, governmental changes, and other factors beyond our control or which we do not presently anticipate could negatively affect our ability to receive components from our suppliers. Further, it could be difficult to find replacement components if our current suppliers fail to provide the parts needed for these products. A failure by our major suppliers to provide these components could severely restrict our ability to manufacture our products and prevent us from fulfilling customer orders in a timely fashion.
Product liability or other claims could have a material adverse affect on our business.
The risk of product liability claims, product recalls, and associated adverse publicity is inherent in the manufacturing, marketing, and sale of electrical vehicles. Although we have product liability insurance for our consumer and commercial products, that insurance may be inadequate to cover all potential product claims. We also carry liability insurance on our products. Any product recall or lawsuit seeking significant monetary damages either in excess of our coverage, or outside of our coverage, may have a material adverse effect on our business and financial condition. We may not be able to secure additional product liability insurance coverage on acceptable terms or at reasonable costs when needed. A successful product liability claim against us could require us to pay a substantial monetary award. Moreover, a product recall could generate substantial negative publicity about our products and business and inhibit or prevent commercialization of other future product candidates. We cannot provide assurance that such claims and/or recalls will not be made in the future.
Regulatory requirements may have a negative impact upon our business.
While our vehicles are subject to substantial regulation under federal, state, and local laws, we believe that our vehicles are in compliance with all applicable laws. However, to the extent the laws change, or if we introduce new vehicles in the future, some or all of our vehicles may not comply with applicable federal, state, or local laws. Further, certain federal, state, and local laws and industrial standards currently regulate electrical and electronics equipment. Although standards for electric vehicles are not yet generally available or accepted as industry standards, our products may become subject to federal, state, and local regulation in the future. Compliance with these regulations could be burdensome, time consuming, and expensive.
Our products are subject to environmental and safety compliance with various federal and state regulations, including regulations promulgated by the EPA, NHTSA, FAA and various state boards, and compliance certification is required for each new model year. The cost of these compliance activities and the delays and risks associated with obtaining approval can be substantial. The risks, delays, and expenses incurred in connection with such compliance could be substantial.
Our success may be dependent on protecting our intellectual property rights.
We rely on trade secret protections to protect our proprietary technology as well as several registered patents and five patent applications. Our patents relate to the vehicle chassis assembly, vehicle header and drive module and manifold for electric motor drive assembly. Our existing patent applications relates to the onboard generator drive system for electric vehicles and the delivery drone. Our success will, in part, depend on our ability to obtain additional trademarks and patents. We are working on registering additional patents and trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office but have not finalized any as of this date. Although we have entered into confidentiality agreements with our employees and consultants, we cannot be certain that others will not gain access to these trade secrets. Others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and technologies or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets. We do not maintain proprietary rights agreements with our employees, which agreements would further protect our intellectual property rights against claims by our employees. Therefore we may be subject to disputes with our employees over ownership of any new technologies or enhancements that such employees help to develop.
Our business may be adversely affected by union activities.
Although none of our employees are currently represented by a labor union, it is common throughout the automotive industry for many employees at automotive companies to belong to a union, which can result in higher employee costs and increased risk of work stoppages. Our employees may join or seek recognition to form a labor union, or we may be required to become a union signatory. Our production facility in Union City, Indiana was purchased from Navistar. Prior employees of Navistar were union members and our future work force at this facility may be inclined to vote in favor of forming a labor union. Furthermore, we are directly or indirectly dependent upon companies with unionized work forces, such as parts suppliers and trucking and freight companies, and work stoppages or strikes organized by such unions could have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition or operating results. If a work stoppage occurs, it could delay the manufacture and sale of our trucks and have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, operating results or financial condition. The mere fact that our labor force could be unionized may harm our reputation in the eyes of some investors. Consequently, the unionization of our labor force could negatively impact our company’s health.
We may be exposed to liability for infringing upon the intellectual property rights of other companies.
Our success will, in part, depend on our ability to operate without infringing on the proprietary rights of others. Although we have conducted searches and are not aware of any patents and trademarks which our products or their use might infringe, we cannot be certain that infringement has not or will not occur. We could incur substantial costs, in addition to the great amount of time lost, in defending any patent or trademark infringement suits or in asserting any patent or trademark rights, in a suit with another party.
Our electric vehicles make use of lithium-ion battery cells, which, if not appropriately managed and controlled, have occasionally been observed to catch fire or vent smoke and flames. If such events occur in our electric vehicles, we could face liability associated with our warranty, for damage or injury, adverse publicity and a potential safety recall, any of which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.
The battery packs in our electric vehicles use lithium-ion cells, which have been used for years in laptop computers and cell phones. On occasion, if not appropriately managed and controlled, lithium-ion cells can rapidly release the energy they contain by venting smoke and flames in a manner that can ignite nearby materials. Highly publicized incidents of laptop computers and cell phones bursting into flames have focused consumer attention on the safety of these cells. These events also have raised questions about the suitability of these lithium-ion cells for automotive applications. There can be no assurance that a field failure of our battery packs will not occur, which would damage the vehicle or lead to personal injury or death and may subject us to lawsuits. Furthermore, there is some risk of electrocution if individuals who attempt to repair battery packs on our vehicles do not follow applicable maintenance and repair protocols. Any such damage or injury would likely lead to adverse publicity and potentially a safety recall. Any such adverse publicity could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. Warranty expense for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 was $0.1 million and $8.0 million, respectively.
We are subject to significant corporate regulation as a public company and failure to comply with all applicable regulations could subject us to liability or negatively affect our stock price.
As a publicly traded company, we are subject to a significant body of regulation, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. While we have developed and instituted a corporate compliance program based on what we believe are the current best practices in corporate governance and continue to update this program in response to newly implemented or changing regulatory requirements, we cannot provide assurance that we are or will be in compliance with all potentially applicable corporate regulations. If we fail to comply with any of these regulations, we could be subject to a range of regulatory actions, fines or other sanctions or litigation. If we disclose any material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, our stock price could decline.
Any impairment of our investment in Lordstown Motor Corp. could negatively impact our financial results.
Our investment in Lordstown Motor Corp. ("LMC") is recorded at fair value. For the year ended December 31, 2019, the carrying value of our investment is $12.2 million. In the event there are future events or circumstances that are likely to have a significant adverse effect on LMC, we will estimate the fair value of the investment and compare it to its carrying value. Our estimation of fair value considers financial information related to LMC available to us, including valuations based on recent third-party equity investments in LMC. If the fair value of the investment is less than its carrying value, we will recognize an impairment loss which will negatively impact our financial position and results of operations.
Cyber-attacks could adversely affect the Company.
The Company faces a risk of cyber-attack. Cyber-attacks may include hacking, viruses, malware, denial of service attacks, ransomware or other data security breaches. The Company’s business requires the continued operation of information systems and network infrastructure. In the event of a cyber-attack that the Company was unable to defend against or mitigate, the Company could have its operations and the operations of its customers and others disrupted. The Company could also have their financial and other information systems and network infrastructure impaired, property damaged and customer and employee information stolen; experience substantial loss of revenues, response costs and other financial loss; and be subject to increased regulation, litigation, penalties and damage to their reputation.
Risks Related to Owning Our Warrants or Common Stock
There is no public market for the Warrants to purchase shares of our common stock.
There is no public trading market for Warrants to purchase shares of our common stock, and we do not expect a market to develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply to list the Warrants on any national securities exchange or other nationally recognized trading system, including the Nasdaq Capital Market. Without an active market, the liquidity of the Warrants will be limited, and warrant holders may not be able to resell the Warrants. If the Warrants cannot be resold, a holder will have to depend upon any appreciation in the value of our common stock over the exercise price of the Warrants in order to realize a return on investment in the Warrants.
Except as otherwise provided in the Warrants, holders of our Warrants will not have the rights or privileges of a holder of our common stock, including any voting rights, until such holders exercise their Warrants and acquire our common stock.
Except as otherwise provided in the Warrants, holders of our Warrants will not have the rights or privileges of a holder of our common stock, including any voting rights, until such holders exercise their Warrants and acquire our common stock. As a result, absent exercise of the Warrants, holders of the Warrants will not have the ability to vote their shares underlying the Warrants, which may limit the influence that investors in our offering may have over the outcome of matters submitted to our stockholders for a vote.
Our stock price and trading volume may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses for our stockholders.
The equity trading markets may experience periods of volatility, which could result in highly variable and unpredictable pricing of equity securities. The market price of our common stock could change in ways that may or may not be related to our business, our industry or our operating performance and financial condition. In addition, the trading volume in our common stock may fluctuate and cause significant price variations to occur. We have experienced significant volatility in the price of our stock. In addition, the stock markets in general can experience considerable price and volume fluctuations.
We have not paid cash dividends in the past and have no immediate plans to pay cash dividends.
We plan to reinvest all of our earnings, to the extent we have earnings, in order to develop our products, deliver on our orders and cover operating costs and to otherwise become and remain competitive. We do not plan to pay any cash dividends with respect to our securities in the foreseeable future. We cannot assure common stockholders that we would, at any time, generate sufficient surplus cash that would be available for distribution to the holders of our common stock as a dividend. Therefore, common stockholders should not expect to receive cash dividends on our common stock.
Stockholders may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.
In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in our prior offerings. We may sell shares or other securities in any future offering at a price per share that is lower than the price per share paid by historical investors, which would result in those newly issued shares being dilutive. In addition, investors purchasing shares or other securities could have rights superior to existing stockholders, which could impair the value of existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by our historical investors.
Our charter documents and Nevada law may inhibit a takeover that stockholders consider favorable.
Provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws and applicable provisions of Nevada law may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in control or change in our management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares, or transactions that our stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. The provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws:
•limit who may call stockholder meetings;
•do not provide for cumulative voting rights; and
•provide that all vacancies may be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum.
There are limitations on director/officer liability.
As permitted by Nevada law, our certificate of incorporation limits the liability of our directors for monetary damages for breach of a director’s fiduciary duty except for liability in certain instances. As a result of our charter provision and Nevada law, shareholders may have limited rights to recover against directors for breach of fiduciary duty. In addition, our certificate of incorporation provides that we shall indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Risks Related to Owning Our Convertible Note
In the event we do not redeem our debt in shares of common stock, servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our obligations under the 4.5% Convertible Note (the "Note").
Our ability to make scheduled payments of principal or to pay interest on or to refinance the Note depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. As of December 31, 2019, our outstanding indebtedness is approximately $58.2 million, and the terms of the Note requires us to repay or redeem the full principal amount of the Note at maturity or any other time. Our business may not generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to satisfy our obligations under the Note. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as reducing or delaying investments or capital expenditures, selling assets, refinancing or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance the Note will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on the Note.
Some significant restructuring transactions may not constitute a fundamental change as defined in the Note, in which case we would not be obligated to offer to purchase the Note.
Upon the occurrence of a fundamental change, note holders have the right to require us to purchase the Note. However, the fundamental change provisions will not afford protection to holder of the Note in the event of other transactions that could adversely affect the Note. For example, transactions such as leveraged recapitalizations, refinancings, restructurings, or acquisitions initiated by us may not constitute a fundamental change requiring us to purchase the Note. In the event of any such transaction, the holders would not have the right to require us to purchase the Note, even though each of these transactions could increase the amount of our indebtedness, or otherwise adversely affect our capital structure or any credit ratings, thereby adversely affecting the holder of the Note.
Conversion of the Note may dilute the ownership interest of existing stockholders or may otherwise depress the price of our common stock.
Conversion of the Note will dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders to the extent we deliver shares upon conversion of the Note. Any sales in the public market of the common stock issuable upon such conversion could adversely affect prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, the existence of the Note may encourage short selling by market participants because the conversion of the Note could be used to satisfy short positions, or anticipated conversion of the Note into shares of our common stock could depress the price of our common stock.
Upon conversion of the Note, note holders may receive less valuable consideration than expected because the value of our common stock may decline after you exercise your conversion right but before we settle our conversion obligation.
Under the Note, a converting holder will be exposed to fluctuations in the value of our common stock during the period from the date such holder surrenders the Note for conversion until the date we settle our conversion obligation. We will deliver the consideration due in respect of conversion on the second business day immediately following the relevant conversion date. Accordingly, if the price of our common stock decreases during this period, the amount and/or value of consideration a note holder will receive will be adversely affected.
The fundamental change repurchase feature of the Note may delay or prevent an otherwise beneficial attempt to take over our Company.
The terms of the Note require us to repurchase the Note in the event of a fundamental change. A takeover of our Company would trigger an option of the holder of the Note to require us to repurchase the Note. This may have the effect of delaying or preventing a takeover of our company that would otherwise be beneficial to investors in the Note.
The holder of the Note will not be entitled to certain rights with respect to our common stock, but will be subject to all changes made with respect to them.
The holder of the Note will not be entitled to certain rights with respect to our common stock (including, without limitation, voting rights) but to the extent the conversion consideration includes shares of our common stock, the holder of the Note will be subject to all changes affecting our common stock.
We cannot assure that an active trading market will develop for the Note.
There has been no trading market for the Note, and we do not intend to apply to list the Note on any securities exchange or to arrange for quotation on any automated dealer quotation system. As a result, we cannot assure note holders that an active trading market will develop for the Note. If an active trading market does not develop or is not maintained, the market price and liquidity of the Note may be adversely affected. In that case note holders may not be able to sell the Note at a particular time or note holders may not be able to sell their Note at a favorable price.
We are subject to certain covenants set forth in the Note. Upon an event of default, including a breach of a covenant or the failure to obtain shareholder approval to increase our authorized shares of common stock, we may not be able to make such accelerated payments under the Note.
The Note contains customary events of default, including for non-payment, misrepresentation, breach of covenants, defaults under other material indebtedness, material adverse change, bankruptcy, change of control and material judgments. Among other things, we will be required to maintain a minimum liquidity of at least $8.0 million at all times. We do not expect that we will be able to maintain compliance with this covenant unless we obtain further financing in addition to the proceeds of this offering.
Upon an event of default, the outstanding principal amount of the loan plus any other amounts owed under the Note will become immediately due and payable and the holder of the Note could foreclose on our assets. A default would also likely significantly diminish the market price of our common stock.
Note holders may be subject to tax if we make or fail to make certain adjustments to the applicable conversion rate of the Note even though note holders did not receive a corresponding cash distribution.
The conversion rate is subject to adjustment in certain circumstances, including the payment of cash dividends. If the applicable conversion rate is adjusted as a result of a distribution that is taxable to our common stockholders, such as a cash dividend, note holders may be deemed to have received a dividend subject to U.S. federal income tax without the receipt of any cash. In addition, a failure to adjust (or to adjust adequately) the applicable conversion rate after an event that increases a note holders' proportionate interest in us could be treated as a deemed taxable dividend to a note holder.