Connect with us

News

Fisker warns employees of job cuts and facility closure in two months

Credit: Fisker

Published

on

Fisker Inc. has reportedly warned its employees that potential layoffs and facility closure could occur within two months if the company is unable to secure its financial future.

In an email obtained by Insider and reportedly confirmed by several Fisker Inc. employees, the EV startup acknowledged its ongoing efforts to address cash flow issues, including discussions with potential buyers and investors, as well as potential restructuring options. The email, however, also cautioned that “there is a possibility… that these efforts will not be successful.”

The email was reportedly sent by the company’s newly appointed restructuring officer. As per the message, some staff terminations could be rolled out effective June 28, and the company’s “facility will be closed.” In a way, the messages seems to be Fisker’s efforts to comply with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, which requires companies with over 100 employees to provide 60 days’ notice before mass layoffs or plant closures.

A Fisker spokesperson noted that the company is determined to pursue the best path forward. “Every decision is made following thorough analysis and careful consideration of the available options, including the appropriate locations and workforce for the go-forward business, as well as our ability to manage our liquidity and sell our inventory,” the spokesperson stated.

Following is the email in full: 

As you know, Fisker Group Inc. (the “Company” or “Fisker”) has previously communicated that it will provide updates on significant developments that may impact Fisker’s workforce. Over the past few months, Fisker’s leadership team has been pursuing all avenues to preserve the future of the business and its path forward. Fisker is diligently pursuing all options to address our operating cash requirements, including maintaining discussions with prospective buyers and investors and exploring various restructuring alternatives.

Advertisement
-

There is a possibility, however, that these efforts will not be successful. Should this possibility materialize, the Company has an obligation to provide “conditional notice” that employees — including yourself — will be terminated on June 28, 2024. If the Company must terminate your employment in the future, the job loss will be permanent and the facility will be closed. The Company has no policy creating transfer, bumping, or reassignment rights for employees laid off from the business. If needed, we will provide you with additional separation information, including information regarding unemployment, COBRA benefits, and severance pay.

This notification does not mean the Company is shutting down or ceasing operations, and receiving this conditional notice does not necessarily mean you will be let go. Fisker is operating under challenging circumstances and we are making every effort to work towards an outcome that facilitates new investment or other strategic solutions. We appreciate your dedication and support for one another during this challenging time. Thank you for your hard work and contributions to Fisker.

In the meantime, please contact me, John DiDonato, Chief Restructuring Officer at ____________ should you have any questions.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

Advertisement
Comments

Elon Musk

SpaceX’s $24B Starbase supercomputer plan slipped past a key roadblock

SpaceX wants a Starbase tax break for a $24 billion gas plant and supercomputer campus.

Published

on

By

Concept rendering of SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell overlooks the company’s Hawthorne, California headquarters as an American flag flies over the campus at sunset.

SpaceX is asking its own company town for a tax break on a $24 billion natural gas power plant and supercomputing facility at Starbase, Texas, and the land it picked sits just outside the reach of a data center moratorium that took effect in neighboring Brownsville last week.

A City of Starbase public hearing notice says SpaceX “proposes to construct, own, and operate a gas-fired power plant and super-compute facility” on roughly 444 acres between Boca Chica Boulevard and the Port of Brownsville. The $24 billion figure covers only the initial phases, and the notice leaves room for future expansions. The Starbase City Commission will consider a property tax abatement and a related economic development agreement at a 7 p.m. hearing on December 9. The notice does not disclose the size or length of the abatement, or how much computing capacity the site would hold.

The location has a history. Over the summer, SpaceX asked Brownsville to remove the tract from its city limits and offered $220 million for water and wastewater projects in return. Brownsville approved the move in August, and Starbase later annexed the land. Brownsville’s own 90-day pause on data center applications took effect last week, and had the tract stayed inside the city, the project likely would have needed a different home.

The power side is already in front of state regulators. SpaceX has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for air permits covering 35 mobile gas turbines producing roughly 750 megawatts, according to Politico, which also noted that two of the three Starbase commissioners voting on the incentives are SpaceX executives.

Building its own plant lets SpaceX skip the Texas grid. Gov. Greg Abbott paused new data center grid connections in August pending an audit, but a facility that generates its own electricity does not need one. The air permit still has to clear the TCEQ, where Abbott also ordered a halt on data center permits.

Advertisement
-

The bigger test arrives in January. Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa, who unseated Abbott last week, has said she will block data center approvals until the legislature passes new protections, and she has already asked state officials to hold off on any sale of Boca Chica State Park to SpaceX until she is sworn in. Tesla and SpaceX shares both fell the day after the election, and Musk’s first reaction on X was “Data centers in space looking pretty appealing right now.”

That line points to Starmind, SpaceX’s orbital compute constellation. Musk has said terrestrial compute will be “peanuts compared to orbital compute” and expects monthly orbital deployments to pass ground deployments around the end of 2028, as Teslarati reported. Until then, SpaceX still needs gigawatts on the ground. It ended the third quarter with 1.7 GW of nameplate compute, is targeting 2.5 to 3 GW by the end of this year and wants at least 10 GW more in 2027. Its existing Colossus sites around Memphis already run on gas turbines and face a lawsuit from residents over emissions.

Local reaction is split. The South Texas Environmental Justice Network has announced a protest, citing air quality, water use and energy bills, while some Brownsville residents told the Tribune they welcome the jobs. SpaceX did not respond to the Tribune’s questions about the project.

Continue Reading

Elon Musk

Tesla extends Cybertruck production as Musk concedes ‘sentimentality’

Published

on

Credit: diagnosticdennis/Instagram and @smile__no via Tesla Owners of Santa Clarita Valley/X

Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced that the company will extend Cybertruck production slightly to handle its extensive order backlog.

On Wednesday, Musk announced that “In order to work through more of the Cybertruck order backlog, production will be extended through the end of summer 2027.”

Tesla has already attempted to simplify its last months of production for the Cybertruck by eliminating several trim levels and only offering the Cyberbeast, the most expensive trim that starts at $109,990. The other two trim levels, the Cybertruck All-Wheel-Drive and Premium All-Wheel-Drive have both been discontinued.

There has been plenty of backlash against Tesla’s decision to ax the Cybertruck, but the company’s forecast prioritizes Cybercab and autonomy. Factory space at Gigafactory Texas that is not necessary is now being set aside for the Cybercab as the company truly embraces its “transportation-as-a-service” model.

There is still a slim chance the Cybertruck survives. Last evening, Tesla upfitter Unplugged Performance offered to take the Cybertruck line off of Tesla’s hands and continue building it, along with a CyberSUV.

Nevertheless, Tesla seems to be ending the Cybertruck on its terms after what will be a three-and-a-half-year run. It still does not really feel quite real; I think many of us thought the Cybertruck would be around for years to come.

Musk added more detail, stating that while it was not the smartest move, “there must be some room in this world for sentimentality or what’s the point?”

Other EV pickups on the market have experienced a similar fate.

The Ford F-150 Lightning was axed by the Detroit company due to the continued losses the company took from sales. That truck was never profitable, and Ford is still taking a quarterly loss in its EV side. However, things are moving along as it has plans for a mass market EV pickup, which will likely gather some substantial demand if Ford can get it just right.

Perhaps another extension or even a total change of heart might come. Only Musk knows.

Continue Reading

News

Tesla overtakes Waymo in Texas as Robotaxi fleet performs shock flip

Published

on

Credit: Tesla

In a sudden and closely watched milestone, Tesla Robotaxi has edged past Waymo on the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles automated vehicle registry. As of November 10, Tesla lists 1,302 registered vehicles under Tesla Robotaxi, LLC, compared with Waymo’s 1,297.

The flip is narrow, but real, according to the State’s books. Tesla’s Texas fleet, following an expansion on November 10, now consists of 729 Model Ys and 573 purpose-built Cybercab vehicles. Waymo’s roster is dominated by the Jaguar I-PACE and a growing number of Zeekr-based Ojai minivans.

Those figures come from the same public TxDMV automated vehicle listings that independent trackers have monitored since a Texas law required operators to disclose fleet sizes.

The scale of Tesla’s climb is pretty interesting and shows how much the company has grown its autonomous ride-hailing fleet over the past months. When the registry first became public in late May 2026, Tesla listed just 42 vehicles on it. Meanwhile, Waymo had several hundred vehicles registered to it.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk shades Waymo: ‘Never really had a chance’

Since then, Tesla has multiplied its authorized Texas fleet more than thirty times, driven by repeated Model Y additions and a steady build of Cybercabs. Waymo has also expanded, but at a slower pace than Tesla.

It is also important to note that registrations are not necessarily equal to operational fleet. The TxDMV list shows the number of vehicles each company is permitted to run, but it does not report how many are actively carrying riders, which cities they serve, or trip volume. Both companies stage vehicles and run mixed fleets that can include units in testing or temporarily offline.

A lead on the registry therefore signals capacity and regulatory positioning more than immediate ride volume.

Tesla has use the growing authorized fleet to expand its unsupervised service beyond the original Austin geofence area, as now it is flowing into cities like San Antonio and Dallas. The company has highlighted plans for a broader Cybercab deployment, eventually into new states and territories.

Waymo is operating across multiple Texas markets and in other areas of the United States.

Right now, the five-vehicle margin is thin and could reverse with the next large registration from either side. For the moment, however, the public Texas record shows Tesla holding the larger authorized Robotaxi fleet in the state.

Continue Reading