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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Fisker, Arrival, HiPhi’s parent Human Horizons, Lordstown Motors, Electric Last Mile Solutions, WM Motor, Proterra, Byton, Uniti and Zhidou are the ten EV companies covered in SlashGear’s August 21, 2024 list. Their cases did not all end the same way: some businesses or assets were sold, some proceedings led to a restructured successor, and Zhidou’s brand later returned under new backing. A bankruptcy filing alone does not establish that every related brand, asset or successor stopped operating.
The table gives the reported timing and outcome, with the evidence type identified. The U.S. developments shown as confirmed are based on court or SEC records available through October 4, 2026; the overseas entries rely on SlashGear’s reporting and should be read with that attribution in mind.
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How the ten cases compare
| Company | Reported jurisdiction and timing | Reported outcome | Evidence basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fisker | United States; Chapter 11 petitions filed in June 2024 | Liquidation plan effective October 17, 2024 | Bankruptcy-agent docket; SlashGear for business context |
| Arrival | Luxembourg bankruptcy proceedings reported in May 2024; earlier administration for two UK subsidiaries | Later outcome not established here | SlashGear, August 21, 2024 |
| HiPhi / Human Horizons | China; parent announced bankruptcy in early August 2024 | Final outcome not established here | SlashGear, August 21, 2024 |
| Lordstown Motors | United States; Chapter 11 filed June 27, 2023 | Plan confirmed; successor Nu Ride Inc. emerged March 14, 2024 | SEC records; SlashGear for Endurance asset sale |
| Electric Last Mile Solutions (ELMS) | United States; filing reported in June 2022 | Assets reportedly sold to Mullen Automotive for $105 million in October 2022 | SlashGear, August 21, 2024 |
| WM Motor | China; bankruptcy filing reported in October 2023 | Later outcome not established here | SlashGear, August 21, 2024 |
| Proterra | United States; Chapter 11 plan confirmed March 6, 2024 | Bus and battery businesses sold; reduced charging-equipment operation retained, according to SlashGear | SEC filing; SlashGear for business-line outcomes |
| Byton | China; bankruptcy reported by 2023 | Later outcome not established here | SlashGear, August 21, 2024 |
| Uniti | Sweden; bankruptcy filing reported in April 2022 | Later outcome not established here | SlashGear, August 21, 2024 |
| Zhidou | China; bankruptcy reported by 2019 | Investors later revived the brand and opened orders for a new microcar; current production and sales are not established here | SlashGear, August 21, 2024 |
What each startup set out to build
Fisker: an electric SUV aimed at a mass market
Fisker’s Ocean SUV was the company’s central product. SlashGear described the bankruptcy as following demand shortfalls, vehicle problems and a failed potential automaker deal; it characterized the prospective partner as widely reported to be Nissan, not as a confirmed agreement. Bloomberg Law reported that Fisker produced 10,193 Ocean SUVs in 2023 and delivered 4,929 to customers that year. Those figures show the gap between production and customer deliveries, but do not by themselves establish why the company failed.
Arrival: electric vans, buses and taxis
Arrival’s ambitions included an electric bus, a cargo van and a taxi. SlashGear reported that the bus and taxi projects were canceled while the van remained in development. The legal terms matter: the reported Luxembourg bankruptcy proceedings and the earlier administration proceedings involving two UK subsidiaries are different processes, not interchangeable descriptions of one filing.
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HiPhi: premium models under Human Horizons
HiPhi was the vehicle brand of Chinese parent Human Horizons. SlashGear said the company had planned the X, Y and Z models and reported that slowing domestic sales and rising costs preceded the parent’s bankruptcy announcement in early August 2024. The company had expressed an aim of emerging with new investment or a joint venture, but that stated ambition is not evidence that a restructuring or recovery was completed. A final liquidation outcome is not established here.
Lordstown Motors: the Endurance electric pickup
Lordstown pursued the Endurance, an electric pickup. The SEC’s post-emergence description of Nu Ride Inc. focuses on claims administration and litigation, rather than a resumed vehicle-manufacturing operation. SlashGear reported that the Endurance truck assets were sold. The company’s emergence therefore means its corporate successor survived in a reduced form, not that the former pickup venture returned to production. SlashGear also reported that only six vehicles had been sold by February 2023, with around 40 still at the factory under construction; those are historical figures from its 2024 article.
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Electric Last Mile Solutions: small delivery vans
ELMS sought to make compact electric delivery vans. SlashGear linked its June 2022 filing to an executive investigation and the loss of funding, and reported that Mullen Automotive bought its assets for $105 million in October 2022. The sale figure is SlashGear’s report, not a court-record figure established here.
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WM Motor: a broad Chinese EV lineup
SlashGear described WM Motor as having five models and reported that it filed for bankruptcy in China in October 2023. The article put 2022 sales at just under 30,000 vehicles, or 12% of the company’s stated annual production capacity. Both numbers are reported figures, not independently verified here; production capacity is not the same as actual production or demand.
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Proterra: buses, batteries and charging equipment
Proterra combined electric-bus manufacturing with battery-pack supply and charging equipment. The SEC recorded confirmation of its Chapter 11 plan on March 6, 2024. SlashGear reported that Phoenix Motorcars acquired the bus business and Volvo Group acquired the battery manufacturing division, while a reduced charging-equipment business continued. The plan’s confirmation and the later disposition or continuation of those business lines are separate parts of the story.
Byton: a production-ready concept that never reached production
Byton unveiled a production-ready vehicle concept, but SlashGear reported that it never began production. The company suspended staff in 2020 and was described as having declared bankruptcy by 2023 after unsuccessful rescue discussions. Those are secondary-source descriptions; a specific petition date and court venue are not established here.
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Uniti: a Swedish city-car plan
Uniti developed the One as a small city car, but the model did not reach production, according to SlashGear. The article gave historical announced specifications of up to 186 miles of range and a 67-horsepower motor, plus a UK starting price of £15,100, then about $19,300. It also reported more than 3,000 deposits. These are figures associated with the proposed vehicle and its earlier marketing, not current specifications, a current price or independently validated evidence of sustained demand.
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SlashGear reported that Chinese micro-EV maker Zhidou entered bankruptcy by 2019, amid subsidy changes that disadvantaged short-range electric vehicles. The same article said new investors later revived the brand and opened orders for the Rainbow microcar in March 2024, with Geely among the backers. An order opening and renewed investment do not establish that the car reached sustained production or sales.
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Why “bankrupt” does not always mean “gone”
Bankruptcy describes a legal process, not one universal business outcome. The cases above include a liquidation plan, confirmed Chapter 11 plans, reported asset sales, a reduced successor company, an ongoing-but-limited business line and a brand revival. Outcomes also depend on jurisdiction and the specific proceeding; UK subsidiary administration, for example, is not the same label as a parent company’s bankruptcy proceeding in Luxembourg.
For this group, the clearest post-filing outcomes in court or SEC records are the U.S. Chapter 11 developments involving Fisker, Lordstown and Proterra. The descriptions of the other companies’ filings and subsequent status come from SlashGear’s August 2024 retrospective, and do not establish their present legal or operating position.
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