Arrival, a British start-up focused on the development of commercial electric vehicles, has revealed it will cut half its workforce as it focuses on incentives to launch in the US.
The company said the job cuts are part of a plan to cut costs sharply and will allow it to employ 800 people globally.
It has not yet detailed where most of the job losses will occur.
Most of its teams are based in the UK and Georgia – the latter destination being the result of the company’s decision to pull out of Russia due to the war in Ukraine.
Arrival has struggled to grow as it continues to struggle to raise funds — startups generally find it harder to secure supply and deal with higher costs.
financial problems accounted for british volt earlier this month.
Arrival has previously revealed it will shift its focus from its UK operations to utilizing the sweetener provided by the US government, which includes a state-of-the-art production and development facility in Oxfordshire.
Incentives available to businesses and the public under the Green Energy Initiative Inflation Reduction Act Western governments and the European Union (EU) are under intense pressure to follow suit or lose green investment.
The EU, for example, argues that a $369bn (£298bn) package of subsidies breaches World Trade Organization rules on the grounds that the bill would discriminate against imports.
While UK public road trials of its first certified and registered vans have begun and continue, Arrival expects production of its US van product to begin in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2024.
However, this still depends on raising additional funds.
Staff arriving at Bicester
Arrival said it had appointed financial adviser Teneo to assist in “evaluating strategic options, including opportunities to raise additional capital, optimize the balance sheet and enhance liquidity.”
The company added: “Combined with other cost reductions in real estate and third-party expenses, the company expects to halve the ongoing cash cost of business operations to approximately $30 million per quarter.
The company also appointed Igor Torgov, who joined in February 2020, as CEO.
He said of the mission ahead: “Arrival has developed a unique technology in a market with huge growth potential that can play a key role in problem solving. climate Change.
“To unlock these opportunities, we need to make difficult decisions and act quickly.
“Following a detailed assessment of Arrival and the wider electric vehicle market over the past two months, the leadership team and board have acted decisively to ensure the most effective use of our available resources and optimize business efficiencies.
“These actions support us as champions of innovative products and new, more efficient methods of vehicle production, especially in the important U.S. commercial electric vehicle market.
“We are acutely aware that these decisions, while necessary, will have a profound impact on many of our colleagues. We are 100% committed to supporting our employees through this difficult process.”