In a surprising turn of events, NASA and the United States Postal Service (USPS) have decided to discontinue the use of electric vans manufactured by Canoo, a now-bankrupt EV startup, despite the pledged support from Canoo’s former CEO.
Canoo’s CEO, Tony Aquila, who acquired the company’s assets after its bankruptcy, expressed his commitment to supporting programs involving Canoo’s electric vehicles. However, both NASA and USPS have chosen to halt their utilization of these EVs.
NASA had procured three Canoo EVs in 2023 for transporting astronauts to the launchpad during its Artemis missions. Unfortunately, Canoo failed to meet NASA’s mission requirements, leading the space agency to opt for an Airstream-built ‘Astrovan’ from Boeing instead.
Similarly, the USPS, after purchasing six Canoo vehicles for evaluation in 2024, concluded that these vehicles are no longer operational following the completion of the assessment. The postal service has no plans for further investments in this regard.
Despite Aquila’s intentions to honor Canoo’s commitments, including providing service and support for government programs, neither NASA nor USPS confirmed any engagement from Aquila regarding the continued use of the EVs. Both agencies remained tight-lipped on the matter.
Canoo’s bankruptcy in early 2025 marked the culmination of its financial struggles and inability to establish a market for its electric vans. Aquila’s acquisition of Canoo’s assets aimed to preserve the company’s obligations to government programs, a goal that now seems unfulfilled with the cessation of Canoo EV operations by key agencies.
Source: TechCrunch
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