An electric-car maker that went under has reportedly left behind carnage at the building it was renting in California, with the owner now forced to pay the bill and deal with it.
An electric-car maker that went bankrupt has reportedly left its headquarters completely “ransacked”, leaving the building’s owner with a hefty clean-up bill.
US start-up Fisker filed for bankruptcy in June after months of financial struggles and talks to partner with a top global car company fell through.
Court documents seen by Carscoops show the company’s former headquarters in La Palma, California, have been left in shambles following its exit on 27 September.
Site owner Shamrock Properties estimates the cost of sorting it out could run into the “tens of thousands”.
According to the news website, the 7337-square-metre building was leased by Fisker in 2022 at a cost of more than $US80,000 ($AU120,000) per month.
When the owner inspected the property after it was vacated by Fisker, the documents reveal it was left “in complete disarray with substantial debris scattered.”
In addition to the general carnage, the court filings also show Fisker left behind what appeared to be hazardous waste, around 20 electric vehicle batteries, and even clay models of its prototype Ronin convertible and Alaska ute.
Furthermore, Shamrock says a member of staff witnessed people “hurriedly removing property from the building and loading vehicles” at the last minute, though it’s not clear who they were and whether they worked for Fisker.
The only vehicle Fisker managed to sell was its Tesla Model Y-rivalling Ocean SUV. It aimed to deliver about 42,000 examples in 2023, but only managed to build 10,000 – and sell 5000 – amid quality issues and production snags.
In July, Fisker was working to sell off its remaining stock to a large fleet buyer at $US2500 each to pay its debts.
The Wall Street Journal reported the fleet deal was with American Lease, with the firm said to be interested in taking a large number of Oceans due to a new rule that requires all of New York’s ridesharing vehicles to be electric by 2030.
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