British EV maker collapses after failing to deliver a single car… with all staff made redundant
A BRITISH EV manufacturer has collapsed and made all staff redundant after failing to deliver a single car.
The company was aiming to convert an iconic classic into a new-age electric muscle car.
Charge Cars, headquartered in Hillingdon, West London, hoped to take advantage of demand for electrified versions of older motors as classic car enthusiasts seek out greener ways to drive.
The firm was only going to make one product – an electric conversion of the legendary 1967 Ford Mustang.
Ford had even granted it a licence for the design, allowing it to make their own shell for the car at its West Drayton plant.
A 63kWh battery was to be mounted into the floor to power the vehicle, with a projected 0-60mph time of just 3.9 seconds.
It also hoped to boast a 200-mile range and ultra-rapid 50 kW charging capacity.
We truly believe that this is not the end
Charge Cars
Only 499 we set to be produced, with each tailored to its individual owner and distributed through the firm’s Monaco showroom.
The price tag very much matched the complexity and exclusivity of the design at a whopping £350,000 each.
The project was billed as a “legend reborn” but it now seems that the beloved Mustang will remain firmly in its grave.
Charge Cars collapsed into administration on May 31 without a single one of its cars reaching customers.
One source told Autocar that the cars were nearing production and several orders had been received at the time the firm went under.
All of the company’s staff, totalling around 50 people, are understood to have been let go.
It followed the bankruptcy of Arrival, Charge’s sister company, back in February.
Announcing the administration on social media, the firm said that the collapse was “nobody’s fault” and was due to a “rough patch”.
The statement added: “We truly believe that this is not the end for the ’67, and we are exploring all avenues to get back on track.”
Ford already produces a new electric Mustang under the Mach-E name but the exterior design departs significantly from the much-revered 1967 version.