EV startups lose over $40 billion after taking SPAC route public
EV startups lose over $40 billion after taking SPAC route public
BLOOMBERG
The Lordstown Motors Endurance electric pickup.
At their highs, five electric-vehicle startups that went public through mergers with special purpose acquisition companies were worth $60 billion. The corrections that followed have been brutal.
Three of the companies plumbed new lows this week as short-seller attacks, management turmoil and execution issues lead investors to reconsider their prospects. They've lost more than $40 billion of market capitalization combined from their respective peaks.
The sliding valuations of Nikola Corp., Fisker Inc., Lordstown Motors Corp., Canoo Inc. and Arrival Ltd. underscore the risks surrounding the blank-check boom. Unlike in a traditional initial public offering, going public via SPAC allows companies to make forward projections to investors during their listings. This was key to ginning up interest in EV companies — all five are still working on delivering their first vehicles to customers.