ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below, together with all of the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” before deciding whether to purchase any of our securities. If any of these risks actually occur, it could harm our business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results. In that event, the price of our securities could decline and you could lose part or all of your investment.
Risk Factor Summary
There are a number of risks that you should understand before making an investment decision regarding our securities. These risks are discussed more fully below this summary. These risks include, but are not limited to:
•Until such time as, and if, we develop alternative sources of technology, platforms, subsystems, components and/or parts, we will be dependent on our existing or new arrangements with third parties as a source of the underlying technology, platforms, subsystems, components and/or parts to be used in our Urban Delivery and Urban Utility vehicles.
•The Sokon Supply Agreement and the Wuling Master Purchase Agreement are currently the only agreements to supply a significant portion of the components that may be used in our currently planned vehicles.
•We currently depend on our rights under the SERES/Sokon Contracts and/or the Wuling Contracts to operate our business.
•We have no prior operating history, which makes it very difficult to evaluate our future business prospects.
•Failure to successfully finish the modification of the ELMS Facility to support the commercial production of the ELMS Vehicles could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. We will rely on complex machinery for our operations, and production of the ELMS Vehicles will involve a significant degree of risk and uncertainty in terms of operational performance and costs.
•As the ELMS Vehicles are still in the development phase, we do not have any current customers or any pending orders, and there is no assurance that non-binding pre-orders will be converted into binding orders or sales.
•Our growth depends upon our ability to develop and maintain relationships with suppliers of critical components, including battery cells, and to develop our supply chain, while effectively managing the risks related to such relationships.
•We may experience delays in realizing our projected timelines and cost and volume targets for the production, launch and ramp up of production of the ELMS Vehicles and the modification of the ELMS Facility, which could adversely impact our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
•We will initially depend on revenue generated from a single vehicle model and in the foreseeable future will be significantly dependent on a limited number of models.
•We may not be able to accurately estimate the supply and demand for the ELMS Vehicles, which could result in inefficiencies in our business and hinder our ability to generate revenue. If we fail to accurately predict our manufacturing requirements, we could incur additional costs or experience delays.
•Our growth is dependent upon the willingness of operators of commercial vehicle fleets and fleet management companies to adopt electric vehicles and on our ability to produce, sell and service vehicles that meet their needs. If the market for commercial electric delivery vehicles does not develop as we expect or develops more slowly than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations will be adversely affected.
•Increases in costs, disruption of supply or shortage of lithium-ion battery cells and/or microchips could harm our business.
•We face intense competition, which could prevent us from potentially being the “first to market” in the United States’ Class 1 electric commercial vehicle market with an electric “last mile” urban delivery vehicle. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial or other resources, longer operating histories and greater name recognition than we do, and one or more of these competitors could use their greater resources and/or name recognition to gain market share at our expense or could make it difficult for us to establish significant market share.
•Our electric vehicles will compete for market share with vehicles powered by other vehicle technologies that may prove to be more attractive than the ELMS Vehicles. We may be unable to keep up with changes in electric vehicle technology as new entrants and existing, larger manufacturers enter the electric vehicle space.
•If the ELMS Vehicles fail to perform as expected, our ability to develop, market and sell the ELMS Vehicles could be harmed.
•Our success may be dependent on our development and protection of intellectual property rights.
•The ELMS Facility could be damaged or adversely affected as a result of disasters or other unpredictable events. Any prolonged disruption in the operations of the ELMS Facility would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
•If we are unable to establish and maintain confidence in our long-term business prospects among commercial fleet operators and fleet management companies and within our industry, our financial condition, operating results and business prospects may be adversely affected.
•There are complex software and technology systems that must be developed and/or modified in coordination with vendors and suppliers in order to commence full scale production of the ELMS Vehicles, and there can be no assurance such systems will be successfully developed and/or modified.
•Interruption or failure of, or unauthorized access to, our or the ELMS Vehicles’ information technology and communications systems could adversely affect our operating results and reputation.
•We may not succeed in establishing, maintaining and strengthening our brand, which would materially and adversely affect customer acceptance of the ELMS Vehicles and our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
•Management has limited experience in operating a public company.
•The other risks and factors described below and elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
Risks Related to Our Business and Industry
Until such time as, and if, we develop alternative sources of technology, platforms, subsystems, components and/or parts, we will be dependent on our existing or new arrangements with third parties as the source of the underlying technology, platforms, subsystems, components and/or parts to be used in our Urban Delivery and Urban Utility vehicles.
We expect that, for the foreseeable future and until such time as, and if, we develop our own or develop alternative sources of technology, platforms, subsystems, components and/or parts, the underlying platform and related technology for, and/or the subsystems, components, and parts to be used in, our Urban Delivery and Urban Utility vehicles will come from third-party sources.
If disagreements or disputes arise with these third party sources, we may be unable to access and use the underlying platforms and related technologies for, and/or the subsystems, components, and parts to be used in, the Urban Delivery and Urban Utility vehicles. In such event, we may be required to source and access alternative platforms and related technologies for, and/or subsystems, components, and parts for use in, the production and manufacture of our vehicles, which could be costly, could delay the production of the vehicles, and could result in the loss of our potential “first mover” advantage in the Class 1 electric commercial vehicle space in the United States, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
In addition, under the exclusive IP license agreement, dated April 9, 2021, by and between SERES and ELM (the “SERES Exclusive Intellectual Property License Agreement”), SERES has granted us an exclusive right and license to make, use and sell certain Licensed Products (as defined in the SERES Exclusive Intellectual Property License Agreement) in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and to use and commercialize certain Licensed Intellectual Property (as defined in the SERES Exclusive Intellectual Property License Agreement) in connection with such Licensed Products in those countries; however, SERES will not be restricted from making, importing, using, marketing, selling, or commercializing products (including the same Licensed Products) within or outside the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. In the event that SERES chooses to sell one or more
competing products in these markets and particularly in the U.S., our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially adversely impacted.
The Sokon Supply Agreement and the Wuling Master Purchase Agreement are currently the only agreements for a significant portion of components that may be used in our currently planned vehicles.
The supply agreement, dated April 9, 2021, by and between Sokon and ELM (the “Sokon Supply Agreement”) and/or the Wuling Master Purchase Agreement currently represent our only agreements to supply a significant portion of the components. Under the Sokon Supply Agreement, Sokon has no obligation to manufacture and conform products to comply with applicable laws and regulations to sell any products in the permitted territories. Accordingly, to the extent that we purchase components from Sokon under the Sokon Supply Agreement, we are responsible for investigating and making any such improvements or adjustments at our own risk and expense. If such modifications are required, we must submit a proposal to Sokon for Sokon’s approval at its sole discretion. If Sokon chooses to assist us in conforming the products, Sokon is entitled to reasonable compensation in providing such assistance. In addition, Sokon has the power to change prices upon thirty days’ notice to us, and Sokon has the right to hold any shipments until payment in full is made by us.
If there is a disagreement or dispute with respect to the Sokon Supply Agreement or if Sokon is unable or unwilling to perform any of its obligations or provide any required approvals requested by us under the Sokon Supply Agreement and/or there is a disagreement or dispute with respect to the Wuling Master Purchase Agreement or if Wuling is unable to provide us with necessary components, we may have to identify alternative sources for our components and we may experience delays in identifying such alternative sources. There can be no assurance that we will be able to find alternative sources or that components from such other sources would be materially similar to the cost and quality of the components we intend to source from Sokon under the Sokon Supply Agreement and/or Wuling under the Wuling Master Purchase Agreement, all of which could have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We currently depend on our rights under the SERES/Sokon Contracts and/or the Wuling Contracts to operate our business.
We currently depend on our rights under the SERES Exclusive Intellectual Property License Agreement, the SERES Asset Purchase Agreement and the Sokon Supply Agreement (collectively, the “SERES/Sokon Contracts”) and/or the Wuling Contracts to operate our business, including the right to use certain intellectual property licensed from SERES, purchase certain products from Sokon, and purchase, access and use certain products, components and technology from Wuling. We also currently depend on our rights under the SERES/Sokon Contracts to occupy and operate the Mishawaka, Indiana plant. The SERES/Sokon Contracts include significant obligations on our part, and provide Sokon and SERES with various approval rights, as well as termination rights and other remedies if we fail to pay amounts due under the SERES/Sokon Contracts, or otherwise breach the SERES/Sokon Contracts.
If we fail to pay amounts due under or otherwise fail to comply with the SERES/Sokon Contracts and are found to be in breach of any of the SERES/Sokon Contracts, or if any of we, SERES or Sokon become unable or unwilling to perform any of our respective obligations under any of the SERES/Sokon Contracts, it could have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. Further, if there is a disagreement or dispute with SERES or Sokon and/or a disagreement or dispute with Wuling, which disagreement or dispute limits, restricts or terminates our access to intellectual property, products, components and/or technology necessary for our business, it would have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. Finally, if there is a disagreement or dispute with SERES, which disagreement or dispute restricts or terminates our right to occupy and operate the Mishawaka, Indiana plant, it would have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We have no prior operating history, which makes it very difficult to evaluate our future business prospects.
We have no prior operating history and have generated no revenue to date. As we work to transition from initial start-up activities to commercial production and sales, it is difficult to forecast our future results, and we have limited insight into trends that may emerge and affect our business. The estimated costs and timelines that we have developed to reach full scale commercial production of the Urban Delivery and Urban Utility vehicles (collectively, the “ELMS Vehicles”) are subject to inherent risks and uncertainties involved in the transition from a start-up company focused on developing its prototype vehicles to the large-scale manufacture and sale of the ELMS Vehicles. There can be no assurance of the accuracy of our estimates related to the costs and timing
necessary to (a) finish the modification of the ELMS Facility (which was formerly used to manufacture traditional combustion engine vehicles), such that it can be used by the Company to manufacture the ELMS Vehicles on a commercial scale and (b) reach full scale commercial production of the ELMS Vehicles. These are complex processes that may be subject to delays, cost overruns and other unforeseen issues. Even if we are able to bring the ELMS Vehicles to market on time and on budget, there can be no assurance that fleet customers will embrace the ELMS Vehicles in significant numbers. Market conditions, many of which are outside of our control and subject to change, including general economic conditions, the impacts and ongoing uncertainties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, fuel and energy prices, regulatory requirements and incentives, competition and the pace and extent of vehicle electrification generally, will impact demand for the ELMS Vehicles and our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are subject to risks related to health epidemics and pandemics, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We face various risks related to public health issues, including epidemics, pandemics and other outbreaks, such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The effects and potential effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including, but not limited to, its impact on general economic conditions, trade and financing markets, changes in customer behavior and continuity in business operations creates significant uncertainty. The spread of COVID-19 also disrupted the manufacturing, delivery and supply chain of vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, and has led to a global decrease in vehicle sales in markets around the world. In particular, the COVID-19 crisis may cause a decrease in demand for the ELMS Vehicles if fleet management companies or other potential customers delay purchases of the ELMS Vehicles or if fuel prices for internal combustion engine vehicles remain low. In addition, the COVID-19 crisis may cause an increase in costs resulting from our efforts to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, delays in our schedule to achieve full commercial production of the ELMS Vehicles, and disruptions to our supply chain, among other negative effects.
The pandemic has resulted in government authorities implementing many measures to contain the spread of COVID-19, including travel bans and restrictions, quarantines, shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders, and business shutdowns. These measures may be in place for a significant period of time and may be reinstituted if conditions deteriorate, which could adversely affect our start-up and manufacturing plans. Measures that have been relaxed may be re-implemented if COVID- 19 continues to spread. If, as a result of these measures, we have to limit the number of employees and contractors at the ELMS Facility at a given time, it could cause a delay in the modification of the ELMS Facility and the production schedule for the ELMS Vehicles. Further, our sales and marketing activities may be adversely affected by the inability to conduct in-person sales activities, meetings, events and conferences. If our workforce is unable to work effectively, including due to illness, quarantines, government actions or other restrictions in connection with COVID-19, our operations will be adversely affected. Our planned operations at a single manufacturing location concentrates these risks.
The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may affect our business will depend on continued developments, which are uncertain and cannot be predicted. Even if the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, we may continue to suffer an adverse impact on our business due to the global economic effect of the pandemic, including any economic recession. If the immediate or prolonged effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have a significant adverse impact on government finances, it would create uncertainty as to the continuing availability of incentives related to electric vehicle purchases and other governmental support programs.
We expect to require continued capital investment in the future.
The design, manufacture and sale of the ELMS Vehicles is a capital-intensive business. Our business plan to design, produce, sell and service the ELMS Vehicles is expected to require continued capital investment to fund ongoing operations, continue research and development, and improve infrastructure. There can be no assurance that we will have access to the capital we need on favorable terms when required or at all. If we cannot raise additional funds when we need them, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Failure to successfully finish the modification of the ELMS Facility to support the commercial production of the ELMS Vehicles could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
The modification of the ELMS Facility for production of the ELMS Vehicles is complicated and may present significant challenges. The size of the ELMS Facility is approximately 675,000 square feet, and although the ELMS Facility has been retooled and reconfigured to allow for the production of electric passenger
vehicles, certain areas of the ELMS Facility still need to be tooled to allow for the production of the ELMS Vehicles in particular. We expect to invest an additional approximately $45 million in 2021 to support the start of production of the Urban Delivery vehicle line. As with any capital project, any necessary modifying or tooling could be subject to delays, cost overruns or other complications, as well as the need to make additional changes to the ELMS Facility. A failure to commence commercial production at the ELMS Facility on schedule would lead to additional costs and delay our ability to generate meaningful revenues. In addition, any such delays could diminish the anticipated “first mover” advantage we aim to attain in the Class 1 electric commercial vehicle space in the United States with the Urban Delivery, prevent us from gaining the confidence of potential customers, and open the door to increased competition. All of the foregoing could hinder our ability to successfully launch and grow our business and achieve a competitive position in the electric commercial delivery vehicle market.
We will rely on complex machinery for our operations, and production of the ELMS Vehicles will involve a significant degree of risk and uncertainty in terms of operational performance and costs.
We will rely on complex machinery for our operations, and the production of the ELMS Vehicles will involve a significant degree of risk and uncertainty in terms of operational performance and costs. The ELMS Facility will consist of large-scale machinery combining many components. These components are likely to suffer unexpected malfunctions from time to time and will require repairs and spare parts to resume operations, which may not be available when needed. Unexpected malfunctions of these components may significantly affect the intended operational efficiency of the ELMS Facility. Operational performance and costs can be difficult to predict and will be influenced by factors outside of our control, such as, but not limited to, the scarcity of natural resources, environmental hazards and remediation, costs associated with the decommissioning of machines, labor disputes and strikes, difficulty or delays in obtaining governmental permits, damages or defects in electronic systems, industrial accidents, pandemics, fire, and seismic activity and natural disasters. Should operational risks materialize, they may result in personal injury to or death of workers, the loss of production equipment, damage to manufacturing facilities, monetary losses, delays and unanticipated fluctuations in production, environmental damage, administrative fines, increased insurance costs and potential legal liabilities, all which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
As the ELMS Vehicles are still in the development phase, we do not have any current customers or any pending orders, and there is no assurance that non-binding pre-orders will be converted into binding orders or sales.
Our business model is focused on building relationships with fleet customers, fleet management companies and dealers. To date, we have engaged in limited marketing activities and we have no binding contracts with customers. The non-binding pre-orders that we have signed did not require customer deposits and may not be converted into binding orders or sales. Until the time that the design and development of the ELMS Vehicles are complete, the ELMS Vehicles are commercially available for purchase, and we are able to scale up our marketing function to support sales, there will be uncertainty as to customer demand for the ELMS Vehicles. A long wait time from the time a pre-order is made until the delivery of the ELMS Vehicles is possible, and any delays beyond expected wait times could adversely impact user decisions on whether to ultimately make a purchase. Even if we are able to obtain binding orders, customers may limit their volume of purchases initially as they assess the ELMS Vehicles and whether to make a broader transition to electric vehicles. This may be a long process and will depend on the safety, reliability, efficiency and quality of the ELMS Vehicles, as well as the support and service that we offer. It will also depend on factors outside of our control, such as general market conditions and broader trends in fleet management and vehicle electrification that could impact customer buying decisions. As a result, there is significant uncertainty regarding demand for the ELMS Vehicles and the sales that we will be able to achieve.
Our growth depends upon our ability to develop and maintain relationships with suppliers of critical components, including battery cells, and to develop our supply chain, while effectively managing the risks related to such relationships.
Our success will be dependent upon our ability to enter into supplier agreements and develop and maintain our relationships with suppliers who are critical to the output and production of the ELMS Vehicles, including suppliers of battery cells. Initially, a significant portion of the components used by the Company for the Urban Delivery will be supplied by either Sokon or Wuling, see “Risks Related to Our Business and Industry — The Sokon Supply Agreement and the Wuling Master Purchase Agreement are currently the only agreements for a significant portion of the components that may be used in our currently planned vehicles.” If disputes arise with Sokon related to the Sokon Supply Agreement and with Wuling related to the Wuling Master
Purchase Agreement, we may be unable to timely enter into other supply agreements to obtain components necessary for the ELMS Vehicles. Even if we are successful in entering into such agreements, the suppliers, including suppliers of battery cells, may become unable to provide, or experience delays in providing, components or if the supply agreements with the Company are terminated, we may be unable to find replacement components in a timely manner (or at all). Changes in business conditions, pandemics, governmental changes and other factors beyond our control or that we do not presently anticipate could adversely affect our ability to receive components from our suppliers.
We may be at a disadvantage in negotiating supply agreements for the production of the ELMS Vehicles due to our lack of operating history. Any delays or difficulties encountered by us in finalizing the supply agreements for the components of the ELMS Vehicles will delay our ability to commercially manufacture the ELMS Vehicles, and the cost of components under any such supply agreements could be at prices that make it difficult for us to compete with other vehicle manufacturers or to operate profitably.
In response to the changing global market and increased demand for supplies for electric vehicles as well as geopolitical conditions, our suppliers may extend lead times, limit supplies, place products on allocation or increase prices due to commodity price increases, capacity constraints or other factors. In the event that we cannot timely obtain sufficient quantities of materials at reasonable prices, the quality of the materials deteriorates or we are not able to pass on higher materials costs to our customers, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely impacted.
We may experience delays in realizing our projected timelines and cost and volume targets for the production, launch and ramp up of production of the ELMS Vehicles and the modification of the ELMS Facility, which could adversely impact our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We have no experience in manufacturing the ELMS Vehicles. Our business depends on our ability to develop, manufacture, market and sell the ELMS Vehicles. Any delay in the financing, design, manufacture and launch of the ELMS Vehicles, including in the modification of the ELMS Facility, could materially damage our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. Vehicle manufacturers often experience delays in the design, manufacture and commercial release of new products. To the extent we experience delays in the modification of the ELMS Facility or delays in the launch of the ELMS Vehicles, our growth prospects could be adversely affected. In addition, any such delays could diminish the anticipated “first mover” advantage we aim to attain in the Class 1 electric commercial vehicle space in the United States with the Urban Delivery, prevent us from gaining the confidence of potential customers and result in increased competition. We expect to rely on third-party suppliers to develop and provide many of the key components and materials used in the ELMS Vehicles. To the extent our suppliers experience any delays in providing us with or developing necessary components, whether due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other reasons, we could experience delays in meeting our projected timelines.
We will initially depend on revenue generated from a single vehicle model and in the foreseeable future will be significantly dependent on a limited number of models.
We will initially depend on revenue generated from a single vehicle model (the Urban Delivery) and in the foreseeable future will be significantly dependent on a single or limited number of models (the Urban Delivery and the Urban Utility). Historically, automobile customers have come to expect a variety of vehicle models offered in a manufacturer’s fleet and new and improved vehicle models to be introduced frequently. Given that, for the foreseeable future, our business will depend on a single or limited number of models, to the extent a particular model is not well-received by the market, our sales volume, business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
If we fail to scale our business operations and otherwise manage our growth effectively, we may not be able to produce, market, service and sell the ELMS Vehicles successfully.
Any failure to manage our growth effectively could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. We plan to commence limited commercial production of the Urban Delivery vehicles at the ELMS Facility by the end of the third quarter of 2021. Our future operating results depend to a large extent on our ability to manage our expansion and growth successfully. However, we have no experience in manufacturing the ELMS Vehicles. There can be no assurance that we will be able to develop efficient, automated, low-cost manufacturing capabilities and processes or reliable sources of component supply that will enable us to meet the quality, price, engineering, design and production standards, as well as the production volumes, required to successfully market the ELMS Vehicles. Any failure to develop such manufacturing capabilities and processes within our projected costs and timelines could stunt our growth
and impair our ability to produce, market, service and sell the ELMS Vehicles successfully. Further, as a new company, we will need to hire and train sufficient personnel and develop management, financial, accounting, information and operating systems to support our current operations and our expected growth.
We may not be able to accurately estimate the supply and demand for the ELMS Vehicles, which could result in inefficiencies in our business and hinder our ability to generate revenue. If we fail to accurately predict our manufacturing requirements, we could incur additional costs or experience delays.
It is difficult to predict our future revenues and appropriately budget for our expenses, and we may have limited insight into trends that may emerge and affect our business. We will be required to provide forecasts of our demand to certain of our suppliers in advance of the scheduled delivery of the ELMS Vehicles to our prospective customers. Currently, there is no historical basis for estimating the demand for the ELMS Vehicles, or our ability to develop, manufacture and deliver the ELMS Vehicles. If we overestimate our requirements, we may have excess inventory, which would increase our costs. If we underestimate our requirements, our suppliers may have inadequate inventory, which could interrupt the manufacture of the ELMS Vehicles and result in delays in shipments and revenues. In addition, lead times for materials and components that our suppliers order may vary significantly and depend on factors such as the specific supplier, contract terms and demand for each component at a given time. If we fail to order sufficient quantities of components in a timely manner, the delivery of ELMS Vehicles to customers could be delayed, which would harm our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our growth is dependent upon the willingness of operators of commercial vehicle fleets and fleet management companies to adopt electric vehicles and on our ability to produce, sell and service vehicles that meet their needs. If the market for commercial electric delivery vehicles does not develop as we expect or develops more slowly than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations will be adversely affected.
Our growth is dependent upon the adoption of electric vehicles by operators of commercial vehicle fleets and fleet management companies and on our ability to produce, sell and service vehicles that meet their needs. The entry of commercial electric vehicles into the “last mile” 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. The adoption of electric delivery vehicles has been slow to date. As part of our sales efforts, we must educate fleet managers as to the potential savings during the life of the ELMS Vehicles and the expected lower “total cost of ownership” of the ELMS Vehicles. We believe that operators of commercial vehicle fleets and fleet management companies will consider many factors when deciding whether to purchase the ELMS Vehicles (or commercial electric vehicles generally) or vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, particularly natural gas-fueled vehicles. We believe these factors include:
•the difference between the initial purchase price of commercial electric vehicles and the initial purchase price of comparable vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, both including and excluding the effect of government and other subsidies and incentives designed to promote the purchase of electric vehicles;
•the total cost of ownership of an ELMS Vehicle over its expected life, which includes the initial purchase price and ongoing operating and maintenance costs;
•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 a prolonged period of low gasoline and natural gas costs that could decrease incentives to transition to electric vehicles;
•the cost and availability of other alternatives to gasoline-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 ELMS Vehicles, including the availability of replacement parts;
•the limited range over which the ELMS 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 and fleet management companies determine that there is not a compelling business justification for purchasing commercial electric vehicles, particularly the ELMS Vehicles, then the market for the ELMS Vehicles may not develop as we anticipate or may develop more slowly than we expect, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
There is no assurance that current governmental incentives and subsidies available for purchasers of electric vehicles will remain available. Any reduction, elimination or selective application of tax and other governmental incentives and subsidies because of policy changes, the reduced need for such subsidies and incentives due to the perceived success of the electric vehicle, fiscal tightening or other reasons may result in the diminished competitiveness of the electric commercial vehicle industry generally or the ELMS Vehicles in particular, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
The unavailability, reduction or elimination of government and economic incentives could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Any reduction, elimination, or discriminatory application of government subsidies and economic incentives because of policy changes, or the reduced need for such subsidies and incentives due to the perceived success of the electric vehicle or other reasons, may result in the diminished competitiveness of the alternative fuel and electric vehicle industry generally or the ELMS Vehicles in particular. This could materially and adversely affect the growth of the alternative fuel and electric vehicle markets and our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. There is no guarantee that certain tax credits and other incentives for alternative energy production and/or alternative fuel and electric vehicles that were or are currently available will be available in the future. If current tax incentives are not available in the future, our financial position could be harmed.
If we are unable to address the service requirements of our future customers, our business will be materially and adversely affected.
Demand for the ELMS Vehicles will depend, in part, on the availability of service support options. Servicing electric vehicles is different than servicing internal combustion engine or hybrid vehicles and requires specialized skills, including high voltage training and servicing techniques. As the ELMS Vehicles are not yet in production, we do not have experience servicing the ELMS Vehicles. We plan to provide service for the ELMS Vehicles in various ways, including through third-party service providers. We do not currently have any such arrangements in place with such third-party providers. Some potential customers may choose not to purchase the ELMS Vehicles because of the lack of a more widespread service network. If we are unable to satisfactorily service our future customers, our ability to generate customer loyalty, grow our business and sell the ELMS Vehicles could be impaired.
Increases in costs, disruption of supply or shortage of lithium-ion battery cells could harm our business.
We are exposed to multiple risks relating to the availability of and price fluctuations for battery cells. These risks include:
•the inability or unwillingness of current battery manufacturers to build or operate battery cell production facilities to supply the numbers of battery cells required to support the growth of the electric vehicle industry as demand for such cells increases;
•disruption in the supply of cells due to quality issues or recalls by the battery cell manufacturers;
•the limited number of manufacturers of lithium-ion battery cells;
•an increase in the cost of lithium-ion battery cells; and
•an increase in the cost of raw materials.
Any disruption in the supply of battery cells could temporarily disrupt production of the ELMS Vehicles until a different supplier is fully qualified, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations. Moreover, battery cell manufacturers may refuse to supply electric vehicle manufacturers if they determine that the vehicles are not sufficiently safe.
Increases in costs, disruption of supply or shortage of microchips could harm our business.
We are exposed to multiple risks relating to the availability of and price fluctuations for microchips. These risks include:
•the inability or unwillingness of current microchip manufacturers to build or operate microchip production facilities to supply the numbers of microchips required to support the growth of the electric vehicle industry as demand for such microchips increases;
•disruption in the supply of microchips due to quality issues;
•the limited number of manufacturers of microchips;
•an increase in the cost of microchips; and
•an increase in the cost of raw materials.
Any disruption in the supply of microchips to the suppliers of our subsystems and components could temporarily disrupt production of the ELMS Vehicles until different suppliers are fully qualified, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
We may be unable to adequately control the costs associated with our operations.
We expect to incur significant costs related to procuring the components required to manufacture the ELMS Vehicles. The prices for these components may fluctuate depending on factors beyond our control.
Furthermore, currency fluctuations, tariffs or shortages in petroleum and other economic or political conditions may result in significant increases in freight charges, logistics costs, and raw material costs. Substantial increases in freight charges, logistics costs, and/or raw materials would increase the cost of our components and consequently, our operating costs and the costs of our products. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to recoup increasing costs of our components by increasing prices, which could reduce our margins. Further, substantial increases in freight costs and/or logistics costs may increase the costs of our products and the prices paid by our customers, which may decrease demand for our products and would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations.
We are highly dependent upon the global transportation infrastructure to receive subsystems, components, and parts and/or to ship our products; delays in these shipments could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are highly dependent upon the global transportation systems we use to receive subsystems, components, and parts and to ship our products, including surface, ocean and air freight. Our attempts to closely match our inventory levels to our product demand intensify the need for our transportation systems to function effectively and without delay. The transportation network is subject to disruption or congestion from a variety of causes, including labor disputes or port strikes, acts of war or terrorism, natural disasters and congestion resulting from higher shipping volumes. If surface, ocean, and/or air freight transit times or delivery times increase unexpectedly for any reason, our ability to deliver products and/or receive subsystems, components, and parts on time would be materially adversely affected and result in delayed or lost revenue. In addition, if increases in fuel prices occur, our transportation costs would likely increase. A prolonged transportation disruption or a significant increase in the cost of freight could materially adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We depend upon key personnel and will need to hire and train additional personnel.
Our success depends on the continuing services of key employees. We believe the depth and quality of the experience of our executive team in the automotive and electric vehicle industries is a key to our ability to be successful. 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 retain 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 and retain such individuals or that the presence of such individuals will necessarily translate into profitability for the Company. The challenge will be exacerbated for the Company as we attempt to transition from start-up activities to full-scale commercial vehicle manufacturing and sales in a short period of time, particularly under the unforeseeable business conditions which continue to evolve as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our inability to attract and retain key personnel may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We will also need to hire and train a significant number of hourly employees to engage in full-scale commercial manufacturing operations. There are various risks and challenges associated with hiring, training and managing a large workforce in time for us to commence our planned commercial production and sale of our Urban Delivery vehicle by the end of the third quarter of 2021, including that the workforce will not have experience with electric vehicle manufacturing and therefore will require significant training.
Furthermore, we anticipate that a number of employees to be hired by us will be members of a labor union, and we could be subject to risks as we negotiate with the union, including negotiations regarding the renewal of the labor union contract that is linked with the use of the ELMS Facility and which is set to expire in April 2022. This could be subject to risks including potential work slowdowns or stoppages, delays and increased costs. If we are unsuccessful in hiring and training a workforce in a timely and cost-effective manner, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
We face intense competition, which could prevent us from potentially being the “first to market” in the United States’ Class 1 electric commercial vehicle market with an electric “last mile” urban delivery vehicle. Many of our competitors have significantly greater financial or other resources, longer operating histories and greater name recognition than we do, and one or more of these competitors could use their greater resources and/or name recognition to gain market share at our expense or could make it difficult for us to establish significant market share.
We face intense competition in our industry, which could prevent us from being the potential “first mover” in the United States’ Class 1 electric commercial vehicle market with an electric “last mile” urban delivery vehicle. Established Original Equipment Manufacturers (“OEMs”) and new entrants to the industry have announced their intent to compete in the commercial electric urban delivery and urban utility vehicle market. In addition, certain OEMs intend to offer and/or currently offer alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles to the commercial fleet market. Further, if commercial fleet operators and fleet management companies begin transitioning to electric urban delivery and urban utility vehicles on a mass scale, which will be necessary for us to be successful, we expect that more competitors will enter the electric commercial vehicle market and competition will become intense, whether that be in the Class 1 space or otherwise. Certain potential competitors have more significant financial resources, established market positions, and long-standing relationships with customers and dealers, and have more resources available to develop new products and introduce them into the electric commercial vehicle marketplace than are currently available to us. As a result, our competitors may be able to compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period of time than the Company. This expected competition places significant pressure on our ability to achieve our goals of completing the development of the Urban Delivery, completing the modification of the ELMS Facility and commencing commercial production and sales of the Urban Delivery in the near term. If we are unable to do this successfully and leverage any potential “first mover” advantage to build strong customer relationships, we may not be able to compete successfully. This intense competitive environment may require us to make changes in our products, pricing, licensing, services, distribution or marketing to develop a market position, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our electric vehicles will compete for market share with vehicles powered by other vehicle technologies that may prove to be more attractive than the ELMS Vehicles.
Our target market currently is serviced by manufacturers with existing customers and suppliers using proven and widely accepted 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 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 the ELMS Vehicles or make the ELMS Vehicles uncompetitive or obsolete.
We may be unable to keep up with changes in electric vehicle technology as new entrants and existing, larger manufacturers enter the electric vehicle space.
The ELMS Vehicles are designed for use with, and are dependent upon, existing electric vehicle technology. As new companies and larger, existing vehicle manufacturers enter the electric vehicle space, we may lose any technological advantage we may have had in the marketplace and suffer a decline in our position in the market. 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 to effectively compete. As a result, our potential inability to adapt and develop the necessary technology may harm our competitive position.
Product liability or other claims could have a material adverse effect on our business.
The risk of product liability claims, product recalls and associated adverse publicity is inherent in the manufacturing, marketing and sale of all vehicles, including electric vehicles. Liability insurance policies that we put in place may be inadequate to cover all potential product claims. 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, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. We may not be able to secure additional 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.
The ELMS Vehicles will make use of lithium-ion battery cells, which, if not appropriately managed and controlled, have been observed to catch fire or vent smoke and flames. If such events occur in the ELMS Vehicles, we could face liability for damage or injury, adverse publicity and a potential safety recall, any of which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
The battery packs in the ELMS Vehicles will use lithium-ion cells. 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. We could face liability for damage or injury, adverse publicity and a potential safety recall, any of which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. We carry commercial general liability, commercial automobile liability and umbrella insurance and plan to carry product liability insurance, which may not be adequate to ensure against all losses.
If the ELMS Vehicles fail to perform as expected, our ability to develop, market and sell the ELMS Vehicles could be harmed.
If the ELMS Vehicles were to contain defects in design and/or manufacture that cause them not to perform as expected or that require repair, our ability to manufacture, market and sell the ELMS Vehicles could be harmed. For example, the operation of the ELMS Vehicles is highly dependent on software that will require modification and updates over time. Software products are inherently complex and often contain defects and errors when first introduced. We currently have a limited frame of reference by which to evaluate the long-term quality, reliability and performance characteristics of the ELMS Vehicles, battery packs and other products. There can be no assurance that we will be able to detect and repair any defects in the ELMS Vehicles (or any of their components) before commencing the sale of the ELMS Vehicles. Any product defects or any other failure of the ELMS Vehicles to perform as expected could harm our reputation and result in adverse publicity, lost revenue, delivery delays, product recalls, product liability claims or significant warranty and other expenses, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. As a new entrant to the commercial vehicle industry attempting to build customer relationships and earn trust, these adverse effects could be particularly significant to us.
We may be compelled to undertake product recalls or take other actions, which could adversely affect our reputation, and our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Any product recall in the future may result in adverse publicity, damage our reputation and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. In the future, we may, voluntarily or involuntarily, initiate a recall if any of our electric vehicles or their components (including battery cells) prove to be defective or noncompliant with applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards. Such recalls, whether caused by systems or components engineered or manufactured by us or our suppliers, involve significant expense and diversion of management attention and other resources, which could adversely affect our brand image in our target market and our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Insufficient warranty reserves to cover future warranty claims could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Once the ELMS Vehicles are in production, we will need to maintain warranty reserves to cover any warranty-related claims. If our warranty reserves are inadequate to cover such future warranty claims, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. We may become subject to significant and unexpected warranty expenses. There can be no assurances that then-existing warranty reserves will be sufficient to cover all claims.
Regulatory requirements may have a negative effect upon our business.
All vehicles sold must comply with international, federal and state motor vehicle safety standards. In the United States, vehicles that meet or exceed all federally mandated safety standards are certified under the federal regulations. Rigorous testing and the use of approved materials and equipment are among the requirements for achieving federal certification. The ELMS Vehicles will be subject to substantial regulation under federal, state and local laws and standards. These regulations include those promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (“PHMSA”) and various state boards, and compliance certification is required for each new model year. These laws and standards are subject to change from time to time, and we could become subject to additional regulations in the future. In addition, federal, state and local laws and industrial standards for electric vehicles are still developing. Compliance with these regulations and standards could be challenging, burdensome, time consuming and expensive. If compliance results in delays or substantial expenses, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our success may be dependent on our development and protection of intellectual property rights.
We have licensed some of the technology and intellectual property rights necessary to produce the ELMS Vehicles in the United States from SERES. We may develop our own proprietary technology in the future and, accordingly, will need to rely on confidentiality and trade secret protections for such potential future proprietary technology. All new developments by the Company will be owned by the Company. Our success will, in part, depend on our ability to obtain patents and trademarks and protect our trade secrets and proprietary technology. We are currently maintaining our engineering and intellectual property developments under confidentiality agreements and other agreements to preserve our trade secrets and other proprietary technology.
Our confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants and contractors may not adequately protect our intellectual property, particularly with respect to conflicts of ownership relating to work product generated by our employees, consultants and contractors, and we cannot be certain that others will not gain access to our trade secrets and other proprietary technology. Others may independently develop substantially equivalent proprietary information and techniques or otherwise gain access to our trade secrets.
We may be exposed to liability for infringing other companies’ intellectual property rights.
Our success will, in part, depend on our ability to operate without infringing the proprietary rights of others. We cannot be certain that infringement has not occurred 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.
We have accepted all environmental responsibility for the ELMS Facility.
Under the SERES Asset Purchase Agreement, we have assumed all environmental liabilities related to the ELMS Facility, whether known or unknown. SERES engaged an environmental testing firm to prepare a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Report with respect to the ELMS Facility, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Environmental Management have requested SERES’s voluntary participation regarding possible contaminated groundwater extending under the ELMS Facility. There can be no assurance that there will not be claims, lawsuits, fines or penalties that may arise with respect to these requests or the possible contaminated groundwater or other environmental issues, or that if they do arise, that they will not be material. Our assumption of environmental liabilities related to the ELMS Facility could expose us to potential costs and liabilities that could adversely impact our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
The ELMS Facility could be damaged or adversely affected as a result of disasters or other unpredictable events. Any prolonged disruption in the operations of the ELMS Facility would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We plan to manufacture and assemble the ELMS Vehicles at a single facility initially. Any prolonged disruption of the ELMS Facility, whether due to technical issues, information system issues, communication network issues, strikes, accidents, weather conditions or other natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise, would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may be exposed to delays, limitations and risks related to the environmental permits and other operating permits required to operate the ELMS Facility.
Operation of an automobile manufacturing facility, such as the ELMS Facility, requires land use and environmental permits and other operating permits from federal, state and local government entities for the operation of the facility. We may not have all permits necessary to perform our planned operations at the ELMS Facility. We are in the process of applying for and securing the environmental, wastewater and land-use permits necessary for the commercial operation of the ELMS Facility. Delays, denials or restrictions on any of the applications for, or assignments of, the permits needed to operate the ELMS Facility could adversely affect our ability to execute on our business plans and objectives.
We do not currently have a third-party retail product distribution network.
Third-party dealer networks are the traditional method of vehicle sales distribution. However, we do not currently have a traditional third-party retail product distribution network and may sell directly to commercial fleet operators and fleet management companies. If we do not engage a traditional third-party retail product distribution network, we will have to build an in-house sales and marketing function, which may be expensive and time consuming. In addition, if we do not engage a traditional third-party retail product distribution network, the lack of such network may result in lost opportunities to generate sales and could limit our ability to grow. If we use only an in-house sales and marketing team and such team is not effective, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations could be adversely affected.
If we are unable to establish and maintain confidence in our long-term business prospects among commercial fleet operators and fleet management companies and within our industry, our financial condition, operating results and business prospects may be adversely affected.
Commercial fleet operators and fleet management companies may be less likely to purchase our products now if they are not convinced that our business will succeed or that our operations will continue for many years. Similarly, suppliers and other third parties will be less likely to invest time and resources in developing business relationships with us if they do not believe that our business will ultimately succeed. Accordingly, to build, maintain and grow our business, we must maintain confidence among commercial fleet operators, fleet management companies, suppliers and other parties in our liquidity and long-term business prospects. Maintaining such confidence may be complicated by certain factors, such as our lack of operating history, third party unfamiliarity with our products, competition, and uncertainty regarding the future of electric vehicles generally. Many of these factors are largely outside of our control, and any negative perceptions about our long-term business prospects, even if exaggerated or unfounded, would likely harm our business and make it more difficult to raise additional capital in the future.
We intend to collect and process certain information about our customers and will be subject to various privacy and data protection laws.
We intend to collect and process certain information about our customers in accordance with applicable law and our own privacy policies. Any failure by us to comply with our own privacy policies or any federal, state or international privacy, data protection or security laws or regulations could result in regulatory or litigation-related actions against us, legal liability, fines, damages and other costs. A failure by any of our vendors or business partners to comply with contractual or legal obligations regarding the protection of information about our customers could carry similar consequences. Should we become subject to additional privacy or data protection laws, we may need to undertake compliance efforts that could carry a large cost. We may be required to expend significant resources to comply with data security incident notification requirements if a third party accesses or acquires the personal information of our customers without authorization or we otherwise experience a data security incident or loss of customers’ personal information. A major breach of our network security and systems could have negative effects on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations, including possible fines, penalties and damages, reduced demand for the ELMS Vehicles and harm to our reputation and brand. Such a breach could also compromise or lead to a loss of protection of our intellectual property or trade secrets.
There are complex software and technology systems that must be developed and/or modified in coordination with vendors and suppliers in order to commence full scale production of the ELMS Vehicles, and there can be no assurance such systems will be successfully developed and/or modified.
The ELMS Vehicles will use a substantial amount of third-party and in-house software and complex hardware to operate. The development and/or modification of such advanced technologies are complex, and we
will need to coordinate with our vendors and suppliers in order to commence full scale production of the ELMS Vehicles. Defects and errors may be revealed over time and our control over the performance of third-party services and systems may be limited. Thus, our potential inability to develop and/or modify the necessary software and technology systems may harm our competitive position.
We are relying on third-party suppliers to develop a number of emerging technologies for use in our products. These technologies are not today, and may not ever be, commercially viable. There can be no assurance that our suppliers will be able to meet the technological requirements, production timing and volume requirements to support our business plan. In addition, the technology may not comply with the cost, performance, useful life and warranty characteristics we anticipate in our business plan. As a result, our business plan could be significantly impacted and we may incur significant liabilities under warranty claims which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Interruption or failure of, or unauthorized access to, our or the ELMS Vehicles’ information technology and communications systems could adversely affect our operating results and reputation.
We are currently developing information technology and communications systems to assist us in the management of our business. The production of the ELMS Vehicles will require the development, maintenance and improvement of information technology and communications systems in the United States, which will include product data management, procurement, inventory management, production planning and execution, sales, service and logistics, financial, tax and regulatory compliance systems. Our business will depend on these systems.
In addition, software, information technology and communications systems will be integral to the operation and functionality of the ELMS Vehicles. The ELMS Vehicles will be designed with either hard-wired or built-in data connectivity to accept and install periodic remote updates to improve or update their functionality.
We cannot be certain that such systems will be entirely free from vulnerabilities. All of these systems may be vulnerable to damage or interruption from, among other things, data breaches, cyber-attacks, fire, natural disasters, power loss, telecommunications failures, computer viruses and other attempts to harm our systems or the operation of the ELMS Vehicles. We cannot be certain that these systems or their required functionality will be effectively developed, implemented and maintained, and any disaster recovery planning cannot account for all eventualities. Any compromise of our proprietary information, our systems, or the systems of the ELMS Vehicles could adversely affect our reputation and could result in lengthy interruptions to our ability to operate our business and our customers’ ability to operate the ELMS Vehicles.
We may not succeed in establishing, maintaining and strengthening our brand, which would materially and adversely affect customer acceptance of the ELMS Vehicles and our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business and prospects depend on our ability to establish, maintain and strengthen our brand through our marketing efforts. If we are not able to establish, maintain and strengthen our brand, we may lose the opportunity to build a critical mass of customers. The automobile industry is intensely competitive, and we may not be successful in building, maintaining and strengthening our brand. Our current and potential competitors, particularly automobile manufacturers headquartered in the United States, Japan, the European Union and China, have greater name recognition, broader customer relationships and substantially greater marketing resources than we do. If we do not develop and maintain a strong brand, our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations will be materially and adversely impacted.
Our insurance strategy may not be adequate to protect us from all business risks.
In the ordinary course of business, we may be subject to losses resulting from product liability, accidents, acts of God and other claims against us, for which we may have limited or no insurance coverage. We may not maintain as much insurance coverage as other OEMs do, and in some cases, we may not maintain any at all. Additionally, the policies that we do have may include significant deductibles, and we cannot be certain that our insurance coverage will be sufficient to cover all future claims against us. A loss that is uninsured or exceeds policy limits may require us to pay substantial amounts, which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are or may be subject to risks associated with strategic alliances or acquisitions.
We may from time to time consider entering into strategic alliances, including joint ventures, minority equity investments or other transactions with various third parties to further our business purpose. These alliances could subject us to a number of risks, including risks associated with sharing proprietary information, non-performance by the third party and increased expenses in establishing new strategic alliances, any of which may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. We may have limited ability to monitor or control the actions of these third parties and, to the extent any of these strategic third parties suffers negative publicity or harm to their reputation from events relating to their business, we may also suffer negative publicity or harm to our reputation by virtue of our association with any such third party.
When appropriate opportunities arise, we may acquire additional assets, products, technologies or businesses that are complementary to our existing business. In addition to possible stockholder approval, we may need approvals and licenses from relevant government authorities for the acquisitions and to comply with any applicable laws and regulations, which could result in increased delay and costs, and may disrupt our business strategy if we fail to do so. Furthermore, acquisitions and the subsequent integration of new assets and businesses into the Company require significant attention from our management and could result in a diversion of resources from our existing business, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our operations. Acquired assets or businesses may not generate the financial results we expect. Acquisitions could result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities, the occurrence of significant goodwill impairment charges, amortization expenses for other intangible assets and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired business. Moreover, the costs of identifying and consummating acquisitions may be significant.
Management and the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm have identified internal control deficiencies that constitute material weaknesses. Such deficiencies were initially identified by management of ELM and continue after the closing of the Business Combination. If the Company fails to establish and maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting in the future, our ability to timely and accurately report our financial results could be adversely affected.
Deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting were initially identified by management of ELM prior to the Business Combination. ELM had not been required to document and test its internal controls over financial reporting nor had its management been required to certify the effectiveness of ELM’s internal controls, and ELM’s auditors had not been required to opine on the effectiveness of ELM’s internal control over financial reporting. Following the Business Combination, we are subject to the requirements of Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 and will become subject to the auditor attestation requirement when we lose our “emerging growth company” status and we are deemed to be an accelerated filer, as defined by the SEC rules.
During the course of preparing the financial statements of ELM and in connection with the audit of its financial statements as of December 31, 2020 and for the period then ended, ELM’s management and its independent registered public accounting firm concluded that there were material weaknesses within its internal control over financial reporting as it relates to accounting for complex transactions and information technology general controls. These material weaknesses continue to exist following the Business Combination and have not been remediated. A material weakness is defined as a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of a company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
We do not currently have the necessary business processes and related internal controls formally designed and implemented, or the internal resources with the appropriate level of experience and technical expertise to oversee our business processes and controls surrounding risk assessment, segregation of duties, complex accounting matters and information technology general controls. If such limitations are not corrected with the hiring of additional accounting and information technology professionals, providing enhanced access to accounting literature, research materials and documents, and increased communication among our personnel and third-party professionals with whom we consult regarding complex accounting applications and implementation of internal control (including in the information technology area), the lack of processes, internal control and adequate resources could result in a material misstatement or lack of disclosure within our annual or interim financial statements not being prevented or detected.
If management is unable to certify the effectiveness of our internal controls, or if our internal controls continue to have material weaknesses, we may not timely detect errors, our financial statements could be misstated, and we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny and a loss of confidence by stakeholders, which could harm our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations and adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
Management has limited experience in operating a public company.
Except for Messrs. Luo and Taylor, none of our executive officers have direct experience in the management of a publicly traded company. Our management team may not successfully or effectively manage our transition to a public company that will be subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under federal securities laws. Their lack of experience in dealing with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies could result in an increasing amount of their time that may be devoted to these activities which will result in less time being devoted to the management and growth of the Company. It is possible that we will be required to expand our employee base and hire additional employees to support our operations as a public company which will increase our operating costs in future periods.
Our forecasted operating and financial results rely in large part upon assumptions and analyses developed by us. If these assumptions and analyses prove to be incorrect, our actual operating and financial results may be significantly below our forecasts.
Whether actual operating and financial results and business developments will be consistent with our expectations and assumptions as reflected in our forecast depends on a number of factors, many of which are outside of our control, including, but not limited to:
•whether we can obtain sufficient capital to begin production and grow our business;
•our ability to manage our growth;
•whether we can manage relationships with key suppliers;
•an increase in the cost of raw materials;
•the ability to obtain necessary regulatory approvals;
•demand for our products and services;
•the timing and costs of new and existing marketing and promotional efforts;
•competition, including from established and future competitors;
•our ability to retain existing key management, to integrate recent hires and to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel;
•the overall strength and stability of the economies in the markets in which we operate or intend to operate in the future; and
•regulatory, legislative and political changes.
Unfavorable changes in any of these or other factors, most of which are beyond our control, could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our only significant asset is our ownership interest in ELM and the ownership may not be sufficient to satisfy our other financial obligations.
We have no direct operations and no significant assets other than our ownership interest in ELM. We will depend on ELM for distributions, loans and other payments to generate the funds necessary to meet our financial obligations, including our expenses as a publicly traded company. The financial condition and operating requirements of ELM may limit our ability to obtain cash from ELM. The earnings from, or other available assets of, ELM may not be sufficient to satisfy our other financial obligations.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our stockholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the aggregate worldwide market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of any June 30 before that time, in
which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of the extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the aggregate worldwide market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30th, and (2) our annual revenues equaled or exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the aggregate worldwide market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30th. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Risks Related to Operating as a Public Company
The Company has not been managed as a public company, and our current resources may not be sufficient to fulfill our public company obligations.
Following the completion of the Business Combination, we are subject to various regulatory requirements, including those of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and The Nasdaq Stock Market. These requirements include record keeping, financial reporting and corporate governance rules and regulations. Our current management team does not have experience in managing a public company. We have not historically had the resources typically found in a public company. Our internal infrastructure may not be adequate to support our increased reporting obligations, and we may be unable to hire, train or retain necessary staff and may be reliant on engaging outside consultants or professionals to overcome our lack of experience or employees. Our business could be adversely affected if our internal infrastructure is inadequate, if we are unable to engage outside consultants or if we are otherwise unable to fulfill public company obligations.
We will incur significantly increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to compliance efforts.
We will incur significant legal, accounting, insurance and other expenses as a public company. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), as well as related rules implemented by the SEC, have required changes in corporate governance practices of public companies. In addition, rules that the SEC is implementing or is required to implement pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act are expected to require additional change. We expect that compliance with these and other similar laws, rules and regulations, including compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, will substantially increase our expenses, including legal and accounting costs, and make some activities more time-consuming and costly. We also expect these laws, rules and regulations to make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced policy limits and coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain the same or similar coverage, which may make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) or as officers. Although the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”) may, for a limited period of time, somewhat lessen the cost of complying with these additional regulatory and other requirements, we nonetheless expect a substantial increase in legal,
accounting, insurance and certain other expenses in the future, which will negatively impact our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
Risks Related to Our Securities
There is no guarantee that our stock price will ever be above the warrant exercise price, and the warrants may expire worthless.
The exercise price for our warrants is $11.50 per share of common stock. There is no guarantee that our stock price will ever be above the warrant exercise price prior to the expiration of the warrants, and as such, the warrants may expire worthless.
Our charter includes a forum selection clause, which could discourage claims or limit stockholders’ ability to make a claim against us, our directors, officers, other employees or stockholders.
Our charter includes a forum selection clause. The charter provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery lacks jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware unless said court lacks subject matter jurisdiction in which case the Superior Court of the State of Delaware) shall be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of the Company; (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee of the Company to the Company or its stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim arising under any provision of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), the charter or our bylaws; or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, except for, as to each of (i) through (iv) above, any claim (A) as to which the Court of Chancery determines that there is an indispensable party not subject to the jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery (and the indispensable party does not consent to the personal jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery within ten days following the determination), (B) which is vested in the exclusive jurisdiction of a court or forum other than the Court of Chancery, or (C) for which the Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction. Unless the Company consents in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under federal securities laws, including the Securities Act. Under the Securities Act, federal and state courts have concurrent jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act, and stockholders cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a forum selection provision as written in connection with claims arising under the Securities Act. This forum selection clause may also discourage claims or limit stockholders’ ability to submit claims in a judicial forum that they find favorable and may result in additional costs for a stockholder seeking to bring a claim. If a court were to determine the forum selection clause to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs in conjunction with our efforts to resolve the dispute in an alternative jurisdiction, which could have a negative impact on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the forum selection clause will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.
A market for our securities may not continue, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
The price of our securities may fluctuate significantly due to the market’s reaction to the Business Combination and general market and economic conditions. An active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. In addition, the price of our securities can vary due to general economic conditions and forecasts, our general business condition and the release of our financial reports. Additionally, if our securities become delisted from The Nasdaq Stock Market for any reason and are quoted on the OTC Bulletin Board, an inter-dealer automated quotation system for equity securities that is not a national securities exchange, the liquidity and price of our securities may be more limited than if we were quoted or listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market or another national securities exchange. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established or sustained.
If our business and results of operations do not meet the expectations of investors, stockholders or financial analysts, the market price of our securities may decline.
If our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations do not meet the expectations of investors or securities analysts, the market price of our securities may decline.
Fluctuations in the price of our securities could contribute to the loss of all or part of your investment. Immediately prior to the Business Combination, there was not a public market for ELM’s stock and trading in the shares of Forum’s Class A common stock had not been active. Accordingly, the valuation ascribed to our common stock in the Business Combination may not be indicative of the price that will prevail in the trading market in the future. If an active market for our securities develops and continues, the trading price of our securities could be volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to various factors, some of which are beyond our control. Any of the factors listed below could adversely effect your investment in our securities and our securities may trade at prices significantly below the price you paid for them. In these circumstances, the trading price of our securities may not recover and may experience a further decline.
Factors affecting the trading price of our securities may include:
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly financial results or the quarterly financial results of companies perceived to be similar to us;
•changes in the market’s expectations about our operating results;
•the public’s reaction to our press releases, our other public announcements and our filings with the SEC;
•speculation in the press or investment community;
•success of competitors;
•our operating results failing to meet the expectation of securities analysts or investors in a particular period;
•changes in financial estimates and recommendations by securities analysts concerning the Company or the market in general;
•operating and stock price performance of other companies that investors deem comparable to us;
•our ability to market new and enhanced products on a timely basis;
•changes in laws and regulations affecting our business;
•commencement of, or involvement in, litigation;
•changes in our capital structure, such as future issuances of securities or the incurrence of additional debt;
•the volume of shares of our common stock available for public sale;
•any major change in our Board or management;
•sales of substantial amounts of common stock by our directors, officers or significant stockholders or the perception that such sales could occur; and
•general economic and political conditions such as recessions, interest rates, fuel prices, international currency fluctuations and acts of war or terrorism.
Broad market and industry factors may materially harm the market price of our securities irrespective of our operating performance. The stock market in general and The Nasdaq Stock Market have experienced price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of the particular companies affected. The trading prices and valuations of these stocks, and of our securities, may not be predictable. A loss of investor confidence in the market for the stocks of other companies that investors perceive to be similar to the Company could depress our stock price regardless of our business, prospects, financial condition, or results of operations. A decline in the market price of our securities also could adversely affect our ability to issue additional securities and our ability to obtain additional financing in the future.
In the past, securities class action litigation has often been initiated against companies following periods of volatility in their stock price. This type of litigation could result in substantial costs and divert our management’s attention and resources, and could also require us to make substantial payments to satisfy judgments or to settle litigation.
A significant portion of our total outstanding shares are restricted from immediate resale but may be sold into the market in the near future. This could cause the market price of our common stock to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market could occur at any time. These sales, or the perception in the market that the holders of a large number of shares intend to sell shares, could reduce the market price of our common stock. Forum Investors III LLC (the “Sponsor”) beneficially owns approximately 5.9% of our outstanding common stock (excluding Earnout Shares and Adjustment Escrow Stock, in each case as defined in the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report). At the closing of the Business Combination, which occurred on June 25, 2021 (the “Closing”), the Company entered into the Amended and Restated Registration Rights Agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) with the Sponsor, Jefferies LLC (“Jefferies”), SERES and the other parties thereto (collectively,
the “Investors”), which, among other things, amends and restates the registration rights agreement entered into by and among the Company, the Company’s initial directors and officers, the Sponsor and Jefferies at the time of Forum’s initial public offering (the “IPO”). Pursuant to the terms of the Registration Rights Agreement, we have filed a Registration Statement on Form S-1. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, the Sponsor agreed, subject to certain limited exceptions, including distributions to the members of the Sponsor, who will also be subject to these transfer restrictions, that it will not transfer the Founder Shares held by it (i.e., 6,250,000 shares of common stock of the Company) prior to the earlier of (x) 12 months after the Closing, (y) the date on which the last sales price of the common stock equals or exceeds $12.00, subject to adjustment as provided therein, for any 20 trading days in any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Business Combination and (z) the date on which the Company completes a transaction that results in all of the Company’s stockholders having the right to exchange their shares of common stock for cash, securities or other property. Each of the Sponsor and Jefferies agreed that they will not transfer the units issued to them in the concurrent private placement at the time of the IPO (the “Private Placement Units”) or any securities underlying the Private Placement Units until July 25, 2021 (30 days after the Closing). The ELM stockholders agreed that they will not transfer shares of common stock received as consideration in the Business Combination until December 25, 2021 (6 months after the Closing); provided that, each of Jason Luo, James Taylor, and SERES agreed that they will not transfer (i) any shares of common stock received pursuant to the Merger Agreement until June 25, 2022 (12 months after the Closing) and (ii) 50% of such shares until June 25, 2023 (24 months after the Closing).
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly and could fall below the expectations of securities analysts and investors due to seasonality and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, resulting in a decline in our stock price.
Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly because of several factors, including:
•labor availability and costs for hourly and management personnel;
• profitability of our products, especially in new markets and due to seasonal fluctuations;
•changes in interest rates;
•impairment of long-lived assets;
•macroeconomic conditions, both nationally and locally;
•changes in consumer preferences and competitive conditions;
•expansion to new markets; and
•fluctuations in commodity prices.
If securities or industry analysts cease publishing research or reports about us, our business, or our market, or if they change their recommendations and/or price target regarding our common stock adversely, then the price and trading volume of our common stock could decline.
The trading market for our common stock is influenced by the research and reports that industry or securities analysts publish about us, our business, our market, or our competitors. If any of the analysts who cover the Company change their recommendations and/or price target regarding our stock adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If any analyst who covers the Company were to cease coverage or fail to regularly publish reports on the Company, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
The Sponsor has significant influence over the Company and its interests may be different from or in addition to (or may conflict with) your interests as a stockholder.
The Sponsor beneficially owns approximately 5.9% of our outstanding common stock (excluding Earnout Shares and Adjustment Escrow Stock) and has the right to nominate for election to our Board two individuals to serve as directors. As long as the Sponsor has the right to appoint or nominate for election directors to our Board, it will have the ability to significantly influence our corporate actions.
The Sponsor’s interests may not align with the interests of our other stockholders. The Sponsor is in the business of making investments in companies and may acquire and hold interests in businesses that compete directly or indirectly with us. The Sponsor may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us.
Registration of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants may not be in place when an investor desires to exercise warrants, thus precluding the investor from being able to exercise his, her or its warrants except on a cashless basis and potentially causing such warrants to expire worthless.
We have register the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form S-1, and will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain a current prospectus relating to the common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the Warrant Agreement. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current, complete or correct or the SEC issues a stop order. If the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, under the terms of the Warrant Agreement between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, in its capacity as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agreement”), holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, we will be required to permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. However, no warrant will be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration is available. If holders exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of shares of common stock that a holder will receive upon such cashless exercise will be based on a formula subject to a maximum amount of 0.361 shares of common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment).
Notwithstanding the above, if our shares of common stock are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange and are not “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, if we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the shares underlying the warrants, and we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws to the extent an exemption is not available. Exercising the warrants on a cashless basis could have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our Company because the warrant holder will hold a smaller number of shares of common stock upon a cashless exercise of the warrants they hold than they would have upon a cash exercise. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants if we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws. If the issuance of the shares upon exercise of the warrants is not so registered or qualified or exempt from registration or qualification, the holder of the warrant shall not be entitled to exercise the warrant and the warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In that event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the shares of common stock included in the units. There may be a circumstance where an exemption from registration exists for holders of our Private Placement Warrants (as defined in the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report) to exercise their warrants while a corresponding exemption does not exist for holders of the Public Warrants (as defined in the Notes to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included in this Report) included as part of units sold in the IPO. In such an instance, our initial stockholders and their permitted transferees (which may include our original directors and executive officers) would be able to exercise their warrants and sell the shares of common stock underlying the warrants while holders of our Public Warrants would not be able to exercise their warrants and sell the underlying shares of common stock. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying shares of common stock for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise their warrants.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of Public Warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding Public Warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants have been issued in registered form under the Warrant Agreement. The Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then
outstanding Public Warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of Public Warrants.
Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the Public Warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding Public Warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the Public Warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding Public Warrants is unlimited, examples of these amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the Public Warrants, convert the Public Warrants into cash or stock, and shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of shares of our common stock purchasable upon exercise of a Public Warrant.
We may redeem unexpired Public Warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send notice of redemption to the warrant holders and provided certain other conditions are met. If and when the Public Warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. As a result, we may redeem the Public Warrants as set forth above even if the holders are otherwise unable to exercise the Public Warrants. Redemption of the outstanding Public Warrants could force you to (i) exercise your Public Warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your Public Warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your Public Warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding Public Warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your Public Warrants.
In addition, we have the ability to redeem the outstanding Public Warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.10 per warrant upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption provided that the closing price of our common stock equals or exceeds $10.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to proper notice of such redemption and provided that certain other conditions are met, including that holders will be able to exercise their Public Warrants prior to redemption for a number of shares of common stock determined based on the redemption date and the fair market value of our shares of common stock. The value received upon exercise of the Public Warrants (1) may be less than the value the holders would have received if they had exercised their warrants at a later time where the underlying share price is higher and (2) may not compensate the holders for the value of the warrants, including because the number of shares of common stock received is capped at 0.361 shares of common stock per warrant (subject to adjustment) irrespective of the remaining life of the warrants.
None of the Private Placement Warrants are redeemable by us (except as otherwise set forth herein) so long as they are held by the Sponsor or the IPO underwriter or their permitted transferees.
Warrants will become exercisable for our common stock, which would increase the number of shares eligible for future resale in the public market and result in dilution to our stockholders.
We currently have 124,027,012 shares of common stock issued and outstanding (including the Earnout Shares and the Adjustment Escrow Stock currently held in escrow). We have outstanding warrants to purchase 8,580,375 shares of common stock at a price of $11.50 per share. Shares of our common stock issued upon exercise of our warrants will result in dilution to holders of our common stock and increase the number of shares eligible for resale in the public market. Sales of substantial numbers of shares in the public market could adversely affect the market price of our common stock.
The Private Placement Warrants are identical to the Public Warrants except that, so long as they are held by the Sponsor or the IPO underwriter or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants (i) are not redeemable by us (except as otherwise set forth herein), (ii) may not (including the common stock issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until July 25, 2021 (30 days after the completion of the Business Combination), (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis, (iv) are entitled to registration rights and (v) for so long as they are held by the underwriters, will not be exercisable later than August 18, 2025 (5 years from the effective date of the registration statement related to the IPO) in accordance with FINRA Rule 5110.
Our Warrant Agreement designates the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.
Our Warrant Agreement provides that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the Warrant Agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the Warrant Agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our Warrant Agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the Warrant Agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our Warrant Agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and our Board.
Anti-takeover provisions contained in our charter and bylaws, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could impair a takeover attempt.
Our charter contains provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that stockholders may consider to be in their best interests. We are also subject to anti-takeover provisions under Delaware law, which could delay or prevent a change of control. Together these provisions may make more difficult the removal of management and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Our warrants are accounted for as liabilities and the changes in value of our warrants could have a material effect on our financial results.
Accounting Standards Codification 815, Derivatives and Hedging, provides for the remeasurement of the fair value of our Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants at each balance sheet date, with a resulting non-cash gain or loss related to the change in the fair value being recognized in earnings in the statement of operations. As a result of the recurring fair value measurement, our financial statements and results of operations may fluctuate quarterly based on factors which are outside of our control. Due to the recurring fair value measurement, we expect that we will recognize non-cash gains or losses on our warrants each reporting period and that the amount of such gains or losses could be material.
General Risk Factors
Members of our management team and board of directors have significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result, certain of those persons have been, may be, or may become, involved in proceedings, investigations and litigation relating to the business affairs of the companies with which they were, are, or may in the future be, affiliated. This may have an adverse effect on us.
During the course of their careers, members of our management team and board of directors have had significant experience as founders, board members, officers or executives of other companies. As a result of
their involvement and positions in these companies, certain persons were, are now, or may in the future become, involved in litigation, investigations or other proceedings relating to the business affairs of such companies or transactions entered into by such companies. Any such litigation, investigations or other proceedings may negatively affect our reputation.
We may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could negatively affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, and stock price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
We may be forced to write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses, which may be based on factors outside our control. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. Accordingly, any stockholders or warrant holders could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. These stockholders or warrant holders are unlikely to have a remedy for the reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation materials relating to the Business Combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We are subject to income taxes in the United States, and our domestic tax liabilities are subject to the allocation of expenses in differing jurisdictions. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:
•changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;
•expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances;
•tax effects of stock-based compensation;
•costs related to intercompany restructurings;
•changes in tax laws, regulations or interpretations thereof; and
•lower than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory tax rates.
In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other transaction taxes by U.S. federal and state authorities. Outcomes from these audits could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to fund our operations and growth.
We may require additional financing to fund our operations or growth. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. The failure to secure additional financing could adversely affect our continued development or growth. If we raise additional funds by issuing equity, equity-linked or debt securities, those securities may have rights, preferences or privileges senior to the rights of our currently issued and outstanding equity or debt, and our existing stockholders may experience dilution.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations.