Rheo Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 ABC News: Fisker Automotive, the maker of an exotic electric sports car that is being built with help from a $529 million federal government loan guarantee, has announced layoffs at its Delaware plant as it tries to persuade the Department of Energy to send it more public funds. The company says 26 Fisker employees have been let go from the Delaware factory where renowned automotive engineer Henrik Fisker promised to one day begin producing affordable electric sedans. A Delaware newspaper also reported that subcontractors working on the car venture have been let go. When asked directly by ABC News in October if taxpayers should worry about the more than $500 million in federal funds on the line, Henrik Fisker was emphatic: "No, I don't think they need to worry about it." When asked if Fisker might be the next Solyndra, he said, "Absolutely not." To date, Fisker has received $193 million in government funds, according to a company statement. Back in October, the company acknowledged outsourcing Karma assembly to Finland, but said that the bulk of its government funds would be used to launch a second-generation electric vehicle, still under wraps, that would be assembled in a shuttered General Motors plant in Delaware. Some of those hired to prepare the Delaware plant for that effort were among those let go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pollyannaish Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Suppressing. the. urge. to. snort. Not that this is funny, just that it is well, typical. The greener the job, the shorter its shelf life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestVirginiaRebel Posted February 6, 2012 Share Posted February 6, 2012 Breitbart: DOVER, Del. (AP) - Fisker Automotive, an electric car maker that received a half-billion-dollar loan from the federal government, said Monday that it has laid off workers in Delaware and California. The layoffs include 26 workers at a former General Motors plant in Wilmington that Fisker is retooling to manufacture its Nina plug-in hybrid sedan. Another 40 contractors and employees who were working in design and development of Fisker's Karma luxury car in Anaheim, Calif., also have been cut. The layoffs come as Fisker is seeking to renegotiate its loan agreement with the Department of Energy. Fisker has received $193 million of the $529 million DOE loan, mostly for work on the Karma, which sells for about $100,000. The introduction of the Karma was delayed because of regulatory issues and battery pack problems that prompted a voluntary safety recall by Fisker. The DOE made loan availability for the Nina project contingent on Fisker meeting development and sales milestones for the Karma, which the company missed. Fisker is now negotiating with the DOE to modify the loan agreement so funds for that project can be released. "We hope we can reach a resolution soon," Fisker spokesman Roger Ormisher said Monday. Meanwhile, the company was forced to lay off workers at the former GM Boxwood Road plant. "We are frustrated that Fisker and the DOE have been unable to come to terms on revisions to their loan agreement in time to avoid this," said Brian Selander, a spokesman for Delaware Gov. Jack Markell. Selander added that the governor hopes those laid off can be put back to work as soon as possible. Fisker has said it expects to eventually employ more than 2,000 people at the Delaware plant, where production of the Nina was to begin later this year, with sales starting next year. The company reported in October that more than 100 workers were reconfiguring the plant. "They had not geared up yet because they're still behind schedule on the Karma," said Delaware economic development director Alan Levin. "We knew that this was always a possibility," Levin said of the layoffs. "What they're trying to do is conserve cash." But Levin said he had spoken with Fisker co-founder and chief operating officer Bernhard Koehler last week and believes that the company and the DOE are close to signing an agreement. A DOE spokesman did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment. ________ Subsidized industry at work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyM Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 The only way the Fisker or the Volt can improve their popularity is to install a flux capacitor and feature them in the next Back to the Future sequel. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pollyannaish Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 The only way the Fisker or the Volt can improve their popularity is to install a flux capacitor and feature them in the next Back to the Future sequel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SrWoodchuck Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Uses immense amount of other peoples money. Looks sharp, while doing absolutely nothing. Concepts not realistic. Only results are job losses. Obama metaphor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCTexan Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Fisker Automotive, the maker of an exotic electric sports car that is being built with help from a $529 million federal government loan guarantee... The writer of the article could have stopped there and saved a lot of electronic ink. Anybody with a brain knows what the rest of the article is going to say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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