Canoo Heads to Texas Amidst CTO Departure and Shifting Company Horizons

Canoo is set to depart from its initial base in California, with the departure of a founding executive member also on the horizon, as indicated by dual reports from TechCrunch.

According to the website's update on Thursday, during a company-wide gathering, Canoo informed employees about the impending shutdown of its Los Angeles office. This location was the initial hub for Canoo when it kicked off as an electric vehicle newcomer in 2017. The company is set to move its main base to Justin, Texas, a location where it has held a business office since Tony Aquila assumed the CEO role several years back.

Delivery van from Canoo adorned with the Walmart emblem

According to TechCrunch, Canoo had made attempts to relocate its main office to Bentonville, Arkansas, during its pursuit of a deal with Walmart. This follows Walmart's commitment to purchasing 4,500 electric vans from the emerging company in 2022. Additionally, Canoo aimed to establish a limited capacity production site in Arkansas while planning for mass production in Oklahoma.

Canoo has not made progress towards increasing its production since revealing its manufacturing intentions in 2021. However, it has proposed that 137 out of 194 staff members at its Los Angeles location consider moving to either Oklahoma or Texas, according to TechCrunch. Those who don't relocate will be facing job termination.

US Postal Service's Canoo LDV 190 vehicle

The closure of the Los Angeles branch was anticipated by staff members for some time, as indicated in the document, particularly following the departure of Canoo's co-founder and main design head, Richard Kim, in 2023. TechCrunch disclosed on Friday, referencing two unnamed insiders, that CTO Sohel Merchant is also exiting the firm. This departure means that only one of the initial leaders who established Canoo, chief engineer Christoph Kuttner, remains with the business.

Originally, Canoo's focus was on offering an attractive electric vehicle through a subscription model, but with CEO Aquila at the helm, they've shifted their attention to the commercial vehicle market. Canoo has managed to supply their vehicles to prestigious clients like NASA, the U.S. Postal Service, and the U.S. Army for trial purposes. Despite this, they've struggled to manufacture their electric vehicles on a large scale. However, earlier in the year, they revealed their purchase of the remnants of the electric vehicle startup, Arrival, which includes production tools that could potentially enable them to increase their manufacturing output.

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