The vehicles that were used to make deliveries on public roads in the Walmart pilot... lacked a critical, legally-required component: airbags. 'They were really early, hand-built prototypes,' says one Canoo employee who test drove the vehicles. 'You got to get airbags... And that hadn't been done.'
The lack of airbags is just one of many missteps over the years at Canoo, a company that generated initial buzz with its promise to shake up the delivery van market by creating an electric-powered alternative.
Canoo has failed to deliver vehicles to customers in large numbers. Some employees using corporate credit cards say they have had their purchases denied and received calls from collection agencies over supplies that were allegedly never paid for.
Walmart had signed a non-binding agreement to buy 4,500 of the sci-fi vans. If Walmart went through with the deal, it would help the fledgling, financially-strapped Canoo become a real competitor in the EV industry.
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