Workhorse Group Inc. - Quarter Report: 2017 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2017

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from __________ to __________

Commission file number: 000-53704

WORKHORSE GROUP INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

100 Commerce Drive, Loveland, Ohio 45140

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

844-937-9547

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the Registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes ☒  No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ☐  No ☒

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward-Looking Statements

The discussions in this Quarterly Report contain forward-looking statements reflecting our current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. When used in this Report, the words “anticipate”, expect”, “plan”, “believe”, “seek”, “estimate” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These are statements that relate to future periods and include, but are not limited to, statements about the features, benefits and performance of our products, our ability to introduce new product offerings and increase revenue from existing products, expected expenses including those related to selling and marketing, product development and general and administrative, our beliefs regarding the health and growth of the market for our products, anticipated increase in our customer base, expansion of our products functionalities, expected revenue levels and sources of revenue, expected impact, if any, of legal proceedings, the adequacy of liquidity and capital resource, and expected growth in business. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, market acceptance for our products, our ability to attract and retain customers for existing and new products, our ability to control our expenses, our ability to recruit and retain employees, legislation and government regulation, shifts in technology, global and local business conditions, our ability to effectively maintain and update our product and service portfolio, the strength of competitive offerings, the prices being charged by those competitors and the risks discussed elsewhere herein. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

All references in this Form 10-K that refer to the “Company”, “Workhorse Group”, “Workhorse”, “we,” “us” or “our” are to Workhorse Group Inc. and unless otherwise differentiated, its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Workhorse Technologies Inc., Workhorse Motor Works Inc. and Workhorse Properties Inc.

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 

Workhorse Group, Inc.

Consolidated Balance Sheets

March 31, 2017 Unaudited and December 31, 2016

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

Workhorse Group, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Operations

For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 and 2016

(Unaudited)

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

Workhorse Group, Inc.

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

For the Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 and 2016

(Unaudited)

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash activities:

During the three months ended March 31, 2017, the Company converted Shareholder advances of $229,772 and accrued interests of $26,727 to common stock of $172 and additional paid-in capital of $256,327.

During the three months ended March 31, 2016, notes payable of $13,534,426 and accounts payable of $112,487, net of $2,271,637 in prepaid expenses related to the 2015 PPM offering, were converted to equity.

See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.

Workhorse Group Inc.

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

(Unaudited)

The following accounting principles and practices are set forth to facilitate the understanding of data presented in the financial statements:

Nature of operations and principles of consolidation

Workhorse Group Inc. (Workhorse, the Company, we, us or our) is a technology company focused on providing sustainable and cost-effective solutions to the commercial transportation sector. As an American manufacturer, we design and build high performance battery-electric electric vehicles and aircraft that make movement of people and goods more efficient and less harmful to the environment. As part of the Company’s solution, it also develops cloud-based, real-time telematics performance monitoring systems that enable fleet operators to optimize energy and route efficiency. Although the Company operates as a single unit through its subsidiaries, it approaches its development through two divisions, Automotive and Aviation. The Company’s core products, under development and/or in manufacture, are the medium duty step van, the light duty pickup, the delivery drone and the manned multicopter.

Workhorse, formerly known as Title Starts Online, Inc. and AMP Holding Inc., was incorporated in the State of Nevada in 2007 with $3,100 of capital from the issuance of common shares to the founding shareholder. On August 11, 2008, the Company received a Notice of Effectiveness from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and on September 18, 2008, the Company closed a public offering in which it accepted subscriptions for an aggregate of 200,000 shares of its common stock, raising $50,000 less offering costs of $46,234. With this limited capital, the Company did not commence operations and remained a “shell company” (as defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended).

On December 28, 2009, the Company entered into and closed a Share Exchange Agreement with the Shareholders of Advanced Mechanical Products, Inc. (n/k/a Workhorse Technologies, Inc.) (AMP or Workhorse Technologies) pursuant to which the Company acquired 100% of the outstanding securities of AMP in exchange for 14,890,904 shares of the Company’s common stock. Considering that, following the merger, the AMP Shareholders control the majority of the outstanding voting common stock of the Company, and effectively succeeded the Company’s otherwise minimal operations to those that are AMP. AMP is considered the accounting acquirer in this reverse-merger transaction. A reverse-merger transaction is considered and accounted for as a capital transaction in substance; it is equivalent to the issuance of AMP securities for net monetary assets of the Company, which are de minimis, accompanied by a recapitalization. Accordingly, goodwill or other intangible assets have not been recognized in connection with this reverse merger transaction. AMP is the surviving entity and the historical financials following the reverse merger transaction will be those of AMP. The Company was a shell company immediately prior to the acquisition of AMP pursuant to the terms of the Share Exchange Agreement. As a result of such acquisition, the Company operations are now focused on the design, marketing and sale of vehicles with an all-electric power train and battery systems. Consequently, we believe that acquisition has caused the Company to cease to be a shell company as it now has operations. The Company formally changed its name to AMP Holding Inc. on May 24, 2010.

Since the acquisition, the Company has devoted the majority of its resources to the development of an all-electric drive system capable of moving heavy large vehicles ranging from full size SUV’s up to and including Medium Duty Commercial trucks. Additionally, in February 2013, the Company formed a new wholly owned subsidiary, Workhorse Motor Works Inc. (f/k/a AMP Trucks Inc.), an Indiana corporation. On March 13, 2013, Workhorse Motor Works Inc. closed on the acquisition of an asset purchase of assets from Workhorse Custom Chassis, LLC. The assets included in this transaction included: The Workhorse brand, access to the dealer network of 440 dealers nationwide, intellectual property, and all physical assets which included the approximately 250,000 sq. ft. of facilities on 48 acres of land in Union City, Indiana. This acquisition allows the Company to position itself as a medium duty OEM capable of producing new chassis with electric, propane, compressed natural gas, and hybrid configurations, as well as gasoline drive systems.

On April 16, 2015, the Company filed Articles of Merger with the Secretary of State of the State of Nevada to change the name from “AMP Holding Inc.” to “Workhorse Group Inc.”. The Company believed that this change will allow investors, customers and suppliers to better associate the Company with the Workhorse brand, which is well known in the market.

The consolidated financial statements include Workhorse Group Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries, together referred as “The Company”. Intercompany transactions and balances are eliminated in consolidation.

The Company’s wholly owned subsidiaries include Workhorse Technologies Inc., Workhorse Motor Works Inc. and Workhorse Properties Inc

Basis of presentation

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and liquidation of liabilities in the normal course of business. However, the Company has limited revenues and a history of negative working capital and stockholders’ deficits. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the ability of the Company to continue as a going concern.

In view of these matters, continuation as a going concern is dependent upon the continued operations of the Company, which, in turn, is dependent upon the Company’s ability to meet its financial requirements, raise additional capital, and successfully carry out its future operations. The financial statements do not include any adjustments to the amount and classification of assets and liabilities that may be necessary, should the Company not continue as a going concern.

The Company has continued to raise capital. Management believes the proceeds from these offerings, future offerings, and the Company’s anticipated revenue, provides an opportunity to continue as a going concern. If additional funding is required, the Company plans to obtain working capital from either debt or equity financing from the sale of common stock, preferred stock, and/or convertible debentures. Obtaining such working capital is not assured. The Company is currently starting production and is switching focus from R&D to manufacturing.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

Certain reclassifications were made to the prior year financial statements to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on previously reported results of operation or stockholders’ equity.

Financial instruments

The carrying amounts of financial instruments including cash, inventory, accounts payable and short-term debt approximate fair value because of the relatively short maturity of these instruments.

Accounts receivable

Accounts receivable consist of collectible amounts for products and services rendered. The Company carries its accounts receivable at invoice amount less an allowance for doubtful accounts. On a periodic basis, the Company evaluates its accounts receivable and establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts based on a history of past write-offs and collections and current credit conditions. The Company generally does not require collateral for accounts receivable.

Lease receivable

The Company’s leasing activities consist of the leasing of trucks which are classified as direct financing leases.  Revenue is recognized at the inception of the lease.  The leases have a term of 8 years.  Future payments to be received on the leases are as follows:

Inventory

Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or market under the average method, and consists of parts and work in process.

Property, plant and equipment, net

Property and equipment is recorded at cost. Major renewals and improvements are capitalized while replacements, maintenance and repairs, which do not improve or extend the lives of the respective assets, are expensed. When property and equipment is retired or otherwise disposed of, a gain or loss is realized for the difference between the net book value of the asset and the proceeds realized thereon. Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method, based upon the following estimated useful lives:

Buildings: 15 - 30 years

Leasehold improvements: 7 years

Software: 3 - 6 years

Equipment: 5 years

Vehicles and prototypes: 3 - 5 years

Common stock

On April 22, 2010, the directors of the Company approved a forward stock split of the common stock of the Company on a 14:1 basis. On May 12, 2010, the stockholders of the Company voted to approve the amendment of the certificate of incorporation resulting in a decrease of the number of shares of common stock. Management filed the certificate of amendment decreasing the authorized shares of common stock with the State of Nevada on September 8, 2010. On February 11, 2015, the Company filed a certificate of amendment to its articles of incorporation to increase the authorized shares of common stock to 50,000,000.

On December 9, 2015, the Company filed a Certificate of Amendment to its Certificate of Incorporation to implement a one-for-ten reverse split of the Corporation’s issued and outstanding common stock (the “Reverse Stock Split”), as authorized by the stockholders of the Company. The Reverse Stock Split became effective at the open of trading on December 11, 2015 (the “Effective Date”). As of the Effective Date, every ten shares of issued and outstanding common stock were combined into one newly issued share of common stock. No fractional shares were issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. Total cash payments made by the Company to stockholders in lieu of fractional shares was not material.

All references in the financial statements and MD&A to number of common shares, price per share and weighted average shares of common stock have been adjusted to reflect the Reverse Stock Split on a retroactive basis for all prior periods presented, unless otherwise noted, including reclassifying an amount equal to the reduction in par value of common stock to additional paid in capital.

The capital stock of the Company is as follows:

Preferred Stock - The Company has authorized 75,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $.001 per share. These shares may be issued in series with such rights and preferences as may be determined by the Board of Directors. There are no shares of preferred stock outstanding.

Common Stock - The Company has authorized 50,000,000 shares of common stock with a par value of $0.001 per share.

Revenue recognition / customer deposits

It is the Company’s policy that revenues will be recognized in accordance with SEC Staff Bulletin (SAB) No. 104, “Revenue Recognition”. Under SAB 104, product revenues (or service revenues) are recognized when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred (or service has been performed), the sales price is fixed and determinable, and collectability is reasonably assured.

Income taxes

With the consent of its shareholders, at the date of inception, the Company elected under the Internal Revenue Code to be taxed as an S corporation. Since shareholders of an S corporation are taxed on their proportionate share of the Company’s taxable income, an S corporation is generally not subject to either federal or state income taxes at the corporate level. On December 28, 2009, pursuant to the merger transaction the Company revoked its election to be taxed as an S-corporation.

As no taxable income has occurred from the date of this merger to March 31, 2017 cumulative deferred tax assets of approximately $20.5 million are fully reserved, and no provision or liability for federal or state income taxes has been included in the financial statements. Carryover amounts are:

Research and development costs

The Company expenses research and development costs as they are incurred. Research and Development costs were approximately $3.2 million and $2.9 million for the three-months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 respectively, consisting primarily of personnel costs for our teams in engineering and research, prototyping expense, and contract and professional services. Union City plant expenses prior to the start of production are also included in research and development expenses.

Basic and diluted loss per share

Basic loss per share is computed by dividing net loss available to common shareholders (numerator) by the weighted average number of shares outstanding (denominator) during the period. For all periods, all of the Company’s common stock equivalents were excluded from the calculation of diluted loss per common share because they were anti-dilutive, due to the Company’s net losses.

Stock based compensation

The Company accounts for its stock based compensation in accordance with “Share-Based Payments” (codified in FASB ASC Topic 718 and 505). The Company recognizes in its consolidated statement of operations the grant-date fair value of stock options and warrants issued to employees and non-employees. The fair value is estimated on the date of grant using a lattice-based valuation model that uses assumptions concerning expected volatility, expected term, and the expected risk-free rate of return. For the awards granted, the expected volatility was estimated by management as 50% based on a range of forecasted results. The expected term of the awards granted was assumed to be the contract life of the option or warrant (one, two, three, five or ten years as determined in the specific arrangement). The risk-free rate of return was based on market yields in effect on the date of each grant for United States Treasury debt securities with a maturity equal to the expected term of the award.

Related party transactions

Certain stockholders and stockholder family members have advanced funds or performed services for the Company. These services are believed to be at market rates for similar services from non-related parties. Related party accounts payable are segregated in the balance sheet.

Subsequent events

The Company evaluates events and transactions occurring subsequent to the date of the consolidated financial statements for matters requiring recognition or disclosure in the consolidated financial statements. The accompanying consolidated financial statements consider events through May 10, 2017, the date on which the consolidated financial statements were available to be issued.

As of March 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016, our inventory consisted of the following:

As of March 31, 2017, and December 31, 2016, our property, plant and equipment, net, consisted of the following:

Long-term debt consists of the following:

Aggregate maturities of debt are as follows:

The note payable to the City of Loveland contains job creation incentives whereby each annual payment may be forgiven by the City upon the Company meeting minimum job creation benchmarks. This loan agreement amended the incentives to 30 full time employees within the City of Loveland with payroll totaling $135,000 by October 31, 2013 and 40 employees with payroll totaling $175,000 by July 31, 2014, continuing with an average of 40 employees with payroll totaling $175,000 thereafter. The proceeds from this loan were to be used for qualified disbursements only, and the Company has been notified it did not meet the requirements for qualified disbursements and for forgiveness of the 2012 principal and interest payment, which is past due. In 2013, the Company made payments to an escrow account totaling $22,900.

As of March 31, 2017, the balance of Shareholders’ advances was converted to equity.

On October 1, 2011, the Company began leasing operating facilities under an agreement expiring on September 30, 2018. The lease expense for the first quarter of 2016 was $38,928. The building subject to the lease was purchased in December 2016.

Options to directors, officers and employees

The Company maintains, as adopted by the board of directors, the 2014 Stock Incentive Plan, the 2014 Stock Compensation Plan, 2013 Incentive Stock Plan, the 2012 Incentive Stock Plan, the 2011 Incentive Stock Plan and the 2010 Stock Incentive Plan (the plans) providing for the issuance of up to 1,100,000 options to employees, officers, directors or consultants of the Company. Incentive stock options granted under the plans may only be granted with an exercise price of not less than fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant (110% of fair market value for incentive stock options granted to principal stockholders). Non-qualified stock options granted under the plans may only be granted with an exercise price of not less than 85% of the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Awards under the plans may be either vested or unvested options. The unvested options vest ratably over two years for options with a five or three-year term and after one year for options with a two-year term.

In addition to the plans, the Company has granted, on various dates, stock options to directors, officers and employees to purchase common stock of the Company. The terms, exercise prices and vesting of these awards vary.

The following table summarizes option activity for directors, officers and employees:

The Company recorded $324,633 and $217,262 compensation expense for stock options to directors, officers and employees for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 respectively. As of March 31, 2017, unrecognized compensation expense of $885,849 is related to non-vested options granted to directors, officers and employees which is anticipated to be recognized over the next 11 months, commensurate with the vesting schedules.

Options to consultants

The Company has also granted, on various dates, stock options to purchase common stock of the Company to consultants for services previously provided to the Company. The terms, exercise prices and vesting of these awards vary.

The following table summarizes option activity for consultants:

The Company recorded $2,629 and $15,795 compensation expense for stock options to consultants for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 respectively. As of March 31, 2017, unrecognized compensation expense of $2,629 is related to non-vested options granted to consultants which is anticipated to be recognized over the next 5 months, commensurate with the vesting schedules.

Warrants to placement agent and consultants

The Company has compensated the placement agents for assisting in the sale of the Company’s securities by paying the placement agent commissions and issuing the placement agent common stock purchase warrants to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock. The warrants have a five-year term and various exercise prices.

The Company has also granted, on various dates, stock warrants to purchase common stock of the Company to consultants for services previously provided to the Company. The terms, exercise prices and vesting of these awards vary.

The following table summarizes warrant activity for the placement agent and consultants: 

The Company recorded no compensation expense for stock warrants to the placement agent and consultants for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 respectively. There is no unrecognized compensation expense for the placement agent warrants because they are fully vested at date of grant. 

Warrants to directors and officers 

In December 2010 and May 2011, the Company issued to certain directors’ and officers’ common stock purchase warrants to acquire shares of common stock at an exercise price of $20.00 per share for a period of five years. In November 2011, under the terms of a Promissory Note issued to a director and officer, common stock purchase warrants were issued to acquire 100,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $5.00 per share for a period of one year. In May 2012, a director and officer received common stock purchase warrants to acquire common stock of the Company at an exercise price of $5.00 for a period of three years. In June 2012, a director and officer converted secured and unsecured loans provided to the Company from September 2011 to June 2012 in the aggregate amount of $389,250 into Promissory Notes and common stock purchase warrants. In November 2012, the Company entered into a Note and Warrant Amendment and Conversion Agreement whereby the holders converted all principal and interest under such Promissory Notes into shares of common stock. Further, the exercise price of the common stock purchase warrants was reduced to $2.50 per share. The $7,388 cost of the reduction in the exercise price is included in stock based compensation expense for the year ended December 31, 2012. 

The following table summarizes warrant activity for directors and officers: 

The Company recorded no compensation expense for stock warrants to directors and officers for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016. There is no unrecognized compensation expense for these warrants because they are fully vested at date of grant.

In April 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2016-10, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Identifying Performance Obligations and Licensing, and affects the guidance in ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which is not yet effective. ASU No. 2016-10 clarifies the following two aspects of Topic 606: evaluating whether promised goods and services are separately identifiable, and determining whether an entity’s promise to grant a license provides a customer with either a right to use the entity’s intellectual property, which is satisfied at a point in time, or a right to access the entity’s intellectual property, which is satisfied over time. ASU No. 2016-10 is effective for public companies for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Transitional guidance is included in the update. Earlier adoption is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. Adoption of ASU No. 2016-10 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.  

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation—Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, and affects all entities that issue share-based payment awards to their employees. The new guidance involves several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. Under ASU No. 2016-09, any excess tax benefits or tax deficiencies should be recognized as income tax expense or benefit in the income statement. Excess tax benefits are to be classified as an operating activity in the statement of cash flows. In accruing compensation cost, an entity can make an entity-wide accounting policy election to either estimate the number of awards that are expected to vest, as required under current guidance, or account for forfeitures when they occur. For an award to qualify for equity classification, an entity cannot partially settle the award in excess of the employer’s maximum statutory withholding requirements. Such cash paid by an employer when directly withholding shares for tax withholding purposes should be classified as a financing activity in the statement of cash flows. The amendments in ASU No. 2016-09 are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2016. Early adoption is permitted. Adoption of ASU No. 2016-07 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-08, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Principal versus Agent Considerations (Reporting Revenue Gross versus Net), and affects the guidance in ASU No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606),” which is not yet effective. When another party is involved in providing goods or services to a customer, ASU No. 2014-09 requires an entity to determine whether the nature of its promise is to provide the specified good or service itself (that is, the entity is a principal) or to arrange for that good or service to be provided by the other party (that is, the entity is an agent). The amendments in ASU No. 2016-08 are intended to improve the operability and understandability of the implementation guidance in ASU No. 2014-09 on principal versus agent considerations by offering additional guidance to be considered in making the determination. ASU No. 2016-08 is effective for public companies for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017, including interim periods within that reporting period. Transitional guidance is included in the update. Earlier adoption is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. Adoption of ASU No. 2016-08 is not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.  

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), and requires a lessee to recognize in the statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (“the lease liability”) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term, initially measured at the present value of the lease payments. When measuring assets and liabilities arising from a lease, the lessee should include payments to be made in optional periods only if the lessee is reasonably certain, as defined, to exercise an option to the lease or not to exercise an option to terminate the lease. Optional payments to purchase the underlying asset should be included if the lessee is reasonably certain it will exercise the purchase option. Most variable lease payments should be excluded except for those that depend on an index or a rate or are in substance fixed payments. A lessee shall classify a lease as a finance lease if it meets any of five listed criteria: 1) The lease transfers ownership of the underlying asset to the lessee by the end of the lease term. 2) The lease grants the lessee and option to purchase the underlying asset that the lessee is reasonably certain to exercise. 3) The lease term is for the major part of the remaining economic life of the underlying asset. 4) The present value of the sum of the lease payments and any residual value guaranteed by the lessee equals or exceeds substantially all of the fair value of the underlying asset. 5) The underlying asset is of such a specialized nature that it is expected to have no alternative use to the lessor at the end of the lease term. For finance leases, a lessee shall recognize in the statement of comprehensive income interest on the lease liability separately from amortization of the right-of-use asset. Amortization of the right-of-use asset shall be on a straight-line basis, unless another basis is more representative of the pattern in which the lessee expects to consume the right-of-use asset’s future economic benefits. If the lease does not meet any of the five criteria, the lessee shall classify it as an operating lease and shall recognize a single lease cost on a straight-line basis over the lease term. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset not to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities. If a lessee makes this election, it should recognize lease expense for such leases generally on a straight-line basis over the lease term. The amendments in this update are to be applied using a modified retrospective approach, as defined, and are effective for public business entities for fiscal years, and for interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2018. Early application is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the financial statement impact of adopting the new guidance.

In August 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2015-14, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Deferral of the Effective Date. The amendments in this update defer the effective date of Update 2014-09 for all entities by one year. Public companies should apply the guidance in Update 2014-09 to annual reporting periods beginning after December 31, 2017, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. Early adoption is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period.

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Overview and Quarter Highlights 

We are a technology company focused on providing sustainable and cost-effective solutions to the commercial transportation sector. As an American manufacturer, we design and build high performance battery-electric electric vehicles and aircraft that make movement of people and goods more efficient and less harmful to the environment. As part of our solution, we also develop cloud-based, real-time telematics performance monitoring systems that enable fleet operators to optimize energy and route efficiency. Although we operate as a single unit through our subsidiaries, we approach our development through two divisions, Automotive and Aviation.

Automotive

Medium-Duty Delivery Vehicles

Medium-duty electric delivery vans are currently in production and are in use by our customers on U.S. roads. Our delivery customers include companies such as UPS, FedEx Express and Alpha Baking. Data from our in-house developed telematics system demonstrates our vehicles on the road are averaging approximately a 500% increase in fuel economy as compared to conventional gasoline-based trucks of the same size and duty cycle.

In addition to improved fuel economy, we are anticipating that the performance of our vehicles on-route will reduce long-term vehicle maintenance expense by approximately 50% as compared to fossil-fueled trucks.

We estimate that our E-GEN Range-Extended Electric delivery vans will save over $150,000 in fuel and maintenance savings over the 20-year life of the vehicle. Due to the positive return-on-investment we believe can command a premium price for our vehicles from major fleet buyers. Fleet buyers are able to achieve a four-year or better return-on-investment (without government incentives), which justifies the higher acquisition cost of our vehicles.

We believe we are the only medium-duty battery-electric OEM in the U.S. Our goal is to continue to increase sales and production to a point that will allow us to achieve gross margin profitability of the delivery van platform. Additionally, to increase our margins, we have started to re-engineer several sections of the EGen medium duty lineup to incorporate components from the higher volume W-15 Pickup truck.

Our battery-electric delivery vans provide customers with additional benefits, including:

In March of 2013, we purchased the former Workhorse Custom Chassis assembly plant in Union City, Indiana from Navistar International (NAV: NYSE). With this acquisition, we acquired the capability to be an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) of Class 3-6 commercial-grade, medium-duty truck chassis, to be marketed under the Workhorse® brand.

The Workhorse Custom Chassis acquisition includes other important assets including the Workhorse brand and logo, intellectual property, schematics, logistical support from Up-Time Parts (a Navistar subsidiary) and access to a network of 400-plus sales and service outlets across North America. We believe the combination of our assembly capability, coupled with our battery-electric product development expertise gives Workhorse a unique opportunity to manufacture at scale in the U.S.

W-15 Pickup Truck

The success of our value selling equation to fleet buyers of medium-duty vehicles encouraged us to bring this same philosophy to the much higher volume segment of light-duty trucks. Our first product offering in the light-duty truck environment is our W-15 Range-Extended Electric Pickup Truck, which is presently under development.

To date, we have received letters of intent for 4,650 W-15 pickup trucks from fleets with an average price of about $50,000. We unveiled a working concept version of the W-15 at the Advanced Clean Transportation conference in Long Beach, CA on May 1, 2017, which garnered significant public interest.

To capture further efficiencies and economies-of-scale, we are designing our light-duty vehicles to take advantage of our existing supply chain repurposing the use of the critical components such as Panasonic Li-ion cells, the BMW engines as our range extender, our in-house developed vehicle control system software and our Metron Telematics performance monitoring system. In addition, we are also using composite carbon fiber body panels on the W-15 which are completely rustproof and dramatically reduce our tooling costs and vehicle weight.

To realize further efficiencies, we intend to assemble the W-15 at our existing 250,000 square foot facility in Union City, Indiana. This plant has the capability to produce 60,000 vehicles per year. The battery packs for the W-15 will be built in our Loveland, Ohio battery pack plant which also makes the packs for our EGen medium duty trucks. 

Now that we have completed the concept vehicle and have entered letters of intent from major fleets, the next goal in our march to production is to have prototype vehicles available for road validation and crash testing  At some point, we expect to begin the process whereby we will attempt to turn the letters of intent into binding purchase agreements.

Ryder Systems Agreement

On April 27, 2017, we entered into a Services Partner Agreement (the “Ryder Agreement”) with Ryder Truck Rental, Inc. (“Ryder”). The Ryder Agreement provides that Ryder shall in the United States, Mexico and Canada, (i) serve as the primary distributor, except with respect to certain exclusive accounts, (ii) serve as the sole and exclusive provider of certain repair services and (iii) serve the sole and exclusive distributor of certain vehicle parts.

Post Office Replenishment Program

Workhorse, with our partner VT Hackney, is one of five awardees that the United States Postal Service selected to build prototype vehicles for USPS Next Generation Delivery Vehicle project. The Post Office has stated that the number of vehicles to be replaced in the project is approximately 180,000. We are on track to deliver our prototypes to the USPS by the September 2017 deadline. The Post Office has stated that they intend to test the prototypes for six months and select a winning bid(s) following the testing process. We have designed our Post Office truck such that it can be built on the same line as the W-15 in Union City, Indiana and to incorporate as many common parts from the W-15 as possible.

Aviation

Delivery Drones

Our Horsefly Delivery Drone is a custom designed, purpose-built drone that is fully integrated in our electric trucks. We have a patent pending on this architecture and we believe we are the only company in the world with a working drone/truck system. The Horsefly delivery drone and truck system is designed to work within the FAA Rule 107 that permits the use of commercial drones in U.S. airspace under certain conditions.

UPS conducted a successful real world test with us in February 2017 and it received worldwide news coverage. The knowledge we have gained in building electric delivery trucks for last-mile delivery has led us to believe that a drone/truck delivery system can have significant cost savings in the parcel delivery ecosphere.

As stated in UPS’s press release issued on February 21, 2017, a reduction of just one mile per driver per day over one year can save UPS up to $50 million. Rural delivery routes are the most expensive to serve due to the time and vehicle expenses required to complete each delivery. In this test, the drone made one delivery while the driver continued down the road to make another. We believe that this truck/drone architecture represents significant cost savings for delivery fleets and that we are first to market with such a system.  We continue to work closely with the FAA as we strive to bring the system to the point of daily drone deliveries across rural America in the near future.

Manned Multicopter

We are leveraging our knowledge of high-voltage battery packs, electric motor controls, range extending generators and lightweight carbon fiber chassis to design a multi-copter that can carry a pilot and passenger, or heavier commercial loads.  The product is called SureFly, and it is meant to be a short haul, vertical takeoff and landing aircraft that is less expensive to buy and operate, much safer and easier to fly when compared to a conventional helicopter. We believe that the typical application would be agriculture, package delivery and logistics in remote areas, emergency responders, military and commuters in highly congested larger cities.

Several companies are now developing similar aircraft.  Additionally, Uber recently invited us to their first Uber Elevate Summit in Dallas.  We believe that our range-extended truck experience combined with our Horsefly delivery drone aviation development experience will give us competitive advantages and speed-to-market with such an aircraft.  We will be unveiling the concept SureFly machine at the Paris Airshow on June 19, 2017.

Results of Operations

Our condensed consolidated statement of operations data for the period presented follows:

Sales

Sales for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were $1.8 million and $236 thousand respectively and were related to delivery of the production vehicles for UPS and other customers.

Cost of Sales

Cost of sales includes cost of materials, labor and overhead for the vehicles delivered during the period.

Cost of Sales for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were $4.3 million and $464 thousand respectively. Materials and components for the manufacturing of the initial units were acquired at low volume pricing. We are in the process of negotiating high volume pricing and credit terms with vendors as production volume is increasing.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses consist primarily of personnel and facilities costs related to our development, including marketing, sales, executive, finance, human resources, information technology and professional, legal and contract services.

SG&A expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were $2.1 million and 1.2 million respectively. The increase consisted primarily in employee salaries and benefits, consulting and investor relations, due to increased activity in the period.

Research and Development Expenses

Research and development (“R&D”) expenses consist primarily of personnel costs for our teams in engineering and research, prototyping expense, and contract and professional services. Union City plant expenses prior to the start of production are also included in research and development expenses.

R&D expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2017 were $3.2 million, an increase from $2.9 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016. The increase in R&D expenses consisted primarily in employee salaries and benefits, consulting and materials related to the start of the Next Generation Delivery Vehicles (NGDVs) project, the pickup truck and aerospace drone and multicopter prototyping.

Interest Expenses

Our interest expense is incurred primarily from our long-term loans for financing Property, Plant and Equipment.

Interest expenses during the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were $35.6 and $39.7 thousand respectively. Interest expense for 2017 was related to the Long-Term loan on the Loveland Headquarters R&D building. Interest expense for the first quarter of 2016 was related to the Navistar loan which was paid off during the second quarter of 2016.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Requirements

From inception, we have financed our operations primarily through sales of equity securities. We have consumed substantial amounts of capital to date as we continue our research and development activities and manufacturing our vehicles.

As of March 31, 2017, we had approximately $10.2 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, as compared to approximately $469 thousand as of December 31, 2016, an increase of approximately $9.7 million. The increase was primarily attributable to the closing of our underwritten public offering in February 2017 and collection of accounts receivable from customers.

We believe that our existing capital resources will be sufficient to support our current and projected funding requirements, through October 2017. We have based this estimate on assumptions that may prove to be wrong, and we could utilize our available capital resources sooner than we currently expect. Because of the numerous risks and uncertainties associated with the development of our business and research and development activities, including risks and uncertainties that could impact the rate of progress of our development activities, we are unable to estimate with certainty the amounts of increased capital outlays and operating expenditures.

Our operations will require significant additional funding for the foreseeable future. Unless and until we are able to generate a sufficient amount of revenue and reduce our costs, we expect to finance future cash needs through public and/or private offerings of equity securities and/or debt financings. With the exception of contingent and royalty payments that we may receive under our existing collaborations, we do not currently have any committed future funding. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders could at that time experience substantial dilution. Any debt financing that we are able to obtain may involve operating covenants that restrict our business.

Our future funding requirements will depend upon many factors, including, but not limited to:

Insufficient funds may require us to delay, scale back or eliminate some or all of our research or development programs, limit our sales activities, limit or cease production or negatively impact our operations.

For the three months ended March 31, 2017, we maintained an investment portfolio primarily in money market funds, U. S. treasury bills, government-sponsored enterprise securities, and corporate bonds and commercial paper. Cash in excess of immediate requirements is invested with regard to liquidity and capital preservation. Wherever possible, we seek to minimize the potential effects of concentration and degrees of risk. We will continue to monitor the impact of the changes in the conditions of the credit and financial markets to our investment portfolio and assess if future changes in our investment strategy are necessary

Summary of Cash Flows

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

Our cash flows from operating activities are affected by our cash investments to support the business in research and development, manufacturing, selling, general and administration. Our operating cash flows are also affected by our working capital needs to support fluctuations in inventory, personnel expenses, accounts payable and other current assets and liabilities.

During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, cash used in operating activities was $13.0 million and $3.4 million respectively. The decrease in operating cash flows in 2017 as compared to 2016 was mainly due to an increase in operating losses, inventory purchases, payment of accounts payable and an increase in accounts receivable.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

Cash flow from investing activities primarily relates to capital expenditures to support our future growth in operations.

During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, net cash provided in investing activities was $75 thousand and used $29 thousand respectively. For the quarter ended March 31, 2017 we spent on new equipment and software used mainly for R&D and manufacturing activities, offset by leasing of vehicles to customers. For the quarter ended March 31, 2016 we used funds for the purchase of new equipment and software used mainly for R&D and manufacturing activities. 

Cash Flows from Financing Activities

During the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, net cash provided by financing activities was $22.8 million and $963 thousand respectively. Cash flows from financing activities during the three months ended March 31, 2017 consisted primarily of a net of $20.5 million from a stock public offering.

The Company may seek to raise additional capital through public or private debt or equity financings in order to fund its operations. 

 
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

The Company does not have any off-balance sheet arrangements that have or are reasonably likely to have a current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources that are material to investors.

Critical Accounting Policies

We consider accounting policies involving significant judgments and assumptions by management that have, or could have, a material impact on the carrying value of certain assets or on income (loss) to be critical accounting policies. We consider the following to be our critical accounting policies: basis of presentation, revenue recognition, and income taxes.

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

The primary objective of our investment activities is to preserve principal while at the same time maximizing the income we receive from our investments without significantly increasing risk. Some of the securities in which we invest may have market risk. This means that a change in prevailing interest rates may cause the fair value amount of the investment to fluctuate. For example, if we hold a security that was issued with a fixed interest rate at the then-prevailing rate and the prevailing interest rate later rises, the market value amount of our investment will decline. To minimize this risk, we maintain our portfolio of cash equivalents and short-term investments in a variety of securities, including money market funds and government and non-government debt securities and the maturities of each of these instruments is less than one year. In quarter ended March 31, 2017, we maintained an investment portfolio primarily in money market funds. Due to the primarily short-term nature and low interest rate yields of these investments, we believe we do not have a material exposure to interest rate risk and market risk arising from our investments. Therefore, no quantitative tabular disclosure is provided.

We have operated primarily in the United States. Accordingly, we have not had any significant exposure to foreign currency rate fluctuations.

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Pursuant to Rules 13a-15(b) and 15-d-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), the Company carried out an evaluation, with the participation of the Company’s management, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. The term “disclosure controls and procedures”, as defined under Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Based upon the evaluation of the disclosure controls and procedures at the end of the period covered by this report, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended March 31, 2017 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II – OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

We are currently not a party to any material legal or administrative proceedings and are not aware of any pending or threatened material legal or administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of business. We may from time to time become a party to various legal or administrative proceedings arising in the ordinary course of our business.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Our results of operations have not resulted in profitability and we may not be able to achieve profitability going forward.

We have incurred net losses amounting to $71.0 million for the period from inception (February 20, 2007) through March 31, 2017. We have had net losses in each quarter since our inception. We expect that we will continue to incur net losses for the foreseeable future. We may incur significant losses in the future for several reasons, including the other risks described in this report, and we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other unknown events. Accordingly, we may not be able to achieve or maintain profitability. Our management is developing plans to alleviate the negative trends and conditions described above and there is no guarantee that such plans will be successfully implemented.   There is no assurance that even if we successfully implement our business plan, that we will be able to curtail our losses. If we incur additional significant operating losses, our stock price may decline, perhaps significantly.

We have yet to achieve positive cash flow and, given our projected funding needs, our ability to generate positive cash flow is uncertain.

We have had negative cash flow from operating activities of $13 million and $3.4 million for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 respectively. We anticipate that we will continue to have negative cash flow from operating and investing activities for the foreseeable future as we expect to incur increased research and development, sales and marketing, and general and administrative expenses and make significant capital expenditures in our efforts to increase sales and commence operations at our Union City facility. Our business also will at times require significant amounts of working capital to support our growth, particularly as we acquire inventory to support our anticipated increase in production. An inability to generate positive cash flow for the foreseeable future may adversely affect our ability to raise needed capital for our business on reasonable terms, diminish supplier or customer willingness to enter into transactions with us, and have other adverse effects that may decrease our long-term viability. There can be no assurance we will achieve positive cash flow in the foreseeable future. 

We need access to additional financing in 2017 and beyond, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If we cannot access additional financing when we need it and on acceptable terms, our business may fail.

Our business plan to design, produce, sell and service commercial electric vehicles through our Union City facility will require substantial continued capital investment. Our research and development activities will also require substantial continued investment. For the year ended December 31, 2016, our independent registered public accounting firm issued a report on our 2016 financial statements that contained an explanatory paragraph stating that the lack of sales, negative working capital and stockholders’ deficit, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. For example, our existing capital resources, will be insufficient to fund our operations beyond the end of the fourth quarter of 2017. Accordingly, we will need additional financing. We will also need additional financing beyond 2017. If we are not able to obtain additional financing and/or substantially increase revenue from sales, we will be unable to continue as a going concern. As a result, we may have to liquidate our assets and may receive less than the value at which those assets are carried on our consolidated financial statements, and investors will likely lose a substantial part or all of their investment. We cannot be certain that additional financing will be available to us on favorable terms when required, or at all, particularly given we do not now have a committed credit facility with any government or financial institution. Further, if there remains doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, investors or other financing sources may be unwilling to provide additional funding on acceptable terms or at all. If we cannot obtain additional financing when we need it and on terms acceptable to us, we will not be able to continue as a going concern.

The development of our business in the near future is contingent upon the implementation of orders from UPS and other key customers for the purchase of E-GENs and if we are unable to perform under these orders, our business may fail.

On June 4, 2014, the Company entered into a Vehicle Purchase Agreement with United Parcel Service Inc. (“UPS”) which outlined the relationship by which the Company would sell vehicles to UPS. To date, we have received orders to purchase 343 E-GENs from UPS. We have entered into various purchase orders with UPS relating to the delivery of the vehicles ordered. Currently, the schedule agreed to with UPS requires that we deliver specified numbers of vehicles per month. However, these deadlines are expected to evolve as the individual UPS operations personnel from the seven states are involved in the scheduling. There is no guarantee that the Company will be able to perform under these orders and if it does perform, that UPS will purchase additional vehicles from the Company. Also, there is no assurance that UPS will not terminate its agreement with the Company pursuant to the termination provisions therein. Further, if the Company is not able to raise the required capital to purchase required parts and pay certain vendors, the Company may not be able to comply with UPS’s deadlines. Accordingly, despite the receipt of the orders from UPS, there is no assurance, due to the Company’s financial constraints and status as a development stage company, that the Company will be able to deliver such vehicles or that it will receive additional orders whether from UPS or other potential customers.

If we are unable to perform under our orders with UPS, the Company business will be significantly negatively impacted.

Our limited operating history makes it difficult for us to evaluate our future business prospects and make decisions based on those estimates of our future performance.

We have basically been a research and development company since beginning operations in February 2007. We have a limited operating history and have generated limited revenue. As we move more toward a manufacturing environment, it is difficult, if not impossible, to forecast our future results based upon our historical data. Because of the uncertainties related to our lack of historical operations, we may be hindered in our ability to anticipate and timely adapt to increases or decreases in revenues or expenses. If we make poor budgetary decisions as a result of unreliable historical data, we could be less profitable or incur losses, which may result in a decline in our stock price.

We offer no financing on our vehicles. As such, our business is dependent on cash sales, which may adversely affect our growth prospects.

While most of our current customers are well-established companies with significant purchasing power, many of our potential smaller and medium-sized customers may need to rely on credit or leasing arrangements to gain access to our vehicles. Unlike some of our competitors who provide credit or leasing services for the purchase of their vehicles, we do not provide, and currently do not have commercial arrangements with a third party that provides, such financial services. We believe the current limited availability of credit or leasing solutions for our vehicles could adversely affect our revenues and market share in the commercial electric vehicle market.

Our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be adversely affected if we cannot reduce and adequately control the costs and expenses associated with operating our business, including our material and production costs.

We incur significant costs and expenses related to procuring the materials, components and services required to develop and produce our electric vehicles. We have secured supply agreements for our critical components including our batteries. However, these are dependent on volume to ensure that they are available at a competitive price. Thus, our current cost projections are considerably higher than the projected revenue stream that such vehicles will produce. As a result, we are continually working on initiatives to reduce our cost structure so that we may effectively compete. If we do not properly manage our costs and expenses our net losses will continue which will negatively impact our stock price.

Increases in costs, disruption of supply or shortage of lithium-ion cells could harm our business.

We may experience increases in the cost or a sustained interruption in the supply or shortage of lithium-ion cells. Any such increase, supply interruption or shortage could materially and negatively impact our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. The prices for these lithium-ion cells can fluctuate depending on market conditions and global demand for these materials and could adversely affect our business and operating results. We are exposed to multiple risks relating to lithium-ion cells including:

Our business is dependent on the continued supply of battery cells for the battery packs used in our vehicles. While we believe several sources of the battery cells are available for such battery cells, we have fully qualified only Panasonic for the supply of the cells used in such battery packs and have very limited flexibility in changing cell suppliers. Any disruption in the supply of battery cells could disrupt production of our vehicles until such time as a different supplier is fully qualified. Furthermore, fluctuations or shortages in petroleum, tariff or trade issues and other economic or tax conditions may cause us to experience significant increases in freight charges. Substantial increases in the prices for the battery cells or prices charged to us, would increase our operating costs, and could reduce our margins if we cannot recoup the increased costs through increased vehicle prices. Any attempts to increase vehicle prices in response to increased costs in our battery cells could result in cancellations of vehicle orders and therefore materially and adversely affect our brand, image, business, prospects and operating results.

The demand for commercial electric vehicles depends, in part, on the continuation of current trends resulting from dependence on fossil fuels. Extended periods of low diesel or other petroleum-based fuel prices could adversely affect demand for our vehicles, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

We believe that much of the present and projected demand for commercial electric vehicles results from concerns about volatility in the cost of petroleum-based fuel, the dependency of the United States on oil from unstable or hostile countries, government regulations and economic incentives promoting fuel efficiency and alternative forms of energy, as well as the belief that climate change results in part from the burning of fossil fuels. If the cost of petroleum-based fuel decreased significantly, the outlook for the long-term supply of oil to the United States improved, the government eliminated or modified its regulations or economic incentives related to fuel efficiency and alternative forms of energy, or if there is a change in the perception that the burning of fossil fuels negatively impacts the environment, the demand for commercial electric vehicles could be reduced, and our business and revenue may be harmed.

Diesel and other petroleum-based fuel prices have been extremely volatile, and we believe this continuing volatility will persist. Lower diesel or other petroleum-based fuel prices over extended periods of time may lower the perception in government and the private sector that cheaper, more readily available energy alternatives should be developed and produced. If diesel or other petroleum-based fuel prices remain at deflated levels for extended periods of time, the demand for commercial electric vehicles may decrease, which would have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

Our future growth is dependent upon the willingness of operators of commercial vehicle fleets to adopt electric vehicles and on our ability to produce, sell and service vehicles that meet their needs. This often depends upon the cost for an operator adopting electric vehicle technology as compared to the cost of traditional internal combustion technology. When the price of oil is low, as it recently has been, it is difficult to convince commercial fleet operations to change to more expensive electric vehicles.

Our growth is dependent upon the adoption of electric vehicles by operators of commercial vehicle fleets and on our ability to produce, sell and service vehicles that meet their needs. The entry of commercial electric vehicles into the medium-duty commercial vehicle market is a relatively new development, particularly in the United States, and is characterized by rapidly changing technologies and evolving government regulation, industry standards and customer views of the merits of using electric vehicles in their businesses. This process has been slow as without including the impact of government or other subsidies and incentives, the purchase prices for our commercial electric vehicles currently is higher than the purchase prices for diesel-fueled vehicles. Our growth has also been negatively impacted by the relatively low price of oil over the last few years.

If the market for commercial electric vehicles does not develop as we expect or develops more slowly than we expect, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be adversely affected.

As part of our sales efforts, we must educate fleet managers as to the economical savings we believe they will benefit from during the life of the vehicle. As such, we believe that operators of commercial vehicle fleets should consider a number of factors when deciding whether to purchase our commercial electric vehicles (or commercial electric vehicles generally) or vehicles powered by internal combustion engines, particularly diesel-fueled or natural gas-fueled vehicles. We believe these factors include:

If, in weighing these factors, operators of commercial vehicle fleets determine that there is not a compelling business justification for purchasing commercial electric vehicles, particularly those that we produce and sell, then the market for commercial electric vehicles may not develop as we expect or may develop more slowly than we expect, which would adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

If our customers are unable to efficiently and effectively integrate our electric vehicles into their existing commercial fleets our sales may suffer and our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results may be adversely affected.

Our sales strategy involves a comprehensive plan for the pilot and roll-out of our electric vehicles, as well as the ongoing replacement of existing commercial vehicles with our electric vehicles, that is tailored to the individual needs of our customers. If we are unable to develop and execute fleet integration strategies or fleet management support services that meet our customers’ unique circumstances with minimal disruption to their businesses, our customers may not realize the economic benefits they expect from our electric vehicles. If this were to occur, our customers may not order additional vehicles from us, which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

We currently do not have long-term supply contracts with guaranteed pricing which exposes us to fluctuations in component, materials and equipment prices. Substantial increases in these prices would increase our operating costs and could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

Because we currently do not have long-term supply contracts with guaranteed pricing, we are subject to fluctuations in the prices of the raw materials, parts and components and equipment we use in the production of our vehicles. Substantial increases in the prices for such raw materials, components and equipment would increase our operating costs and could reduce our margins if we cannot recoup the increased costs through increased vehicle prices. Any attempts to increase the announced or expected prices of our vehicles in response to increased costs could be viewed negatively by our customers and could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

If we are unable to scale our operations at our Union City facility in an expedited manner from our limited low volume production to high volume production, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected.

We are currently assembling our orders at our Union City facility which is acceptable for our existing orders. To satisfy increased demand, we will need to quickly scale operations in our Union City facility as well as scale our supply chain including access to batteries. Our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected if we experience disruptions in our supply chain, if we cannot obtain materials of sufficient quality at reasonable prices or if we are unable to scale our Union City facility.

Failure to successfully integrate the Workhorse® brand, logo, intellectual property, patents and assembly plant in Union City, Indiana into our operations could adversely affect our business and results of operations.

As part of our strategy to become an OEM, in March 2013, we acquired Workhorse and the Workhorse Assets including the Workhorse ® brand, logo, intellectual property, patents and assembly plant in Union City, Indiana.  The Workhorse acquisition may expose us to operational challenges and risks, including the diversion of management’s attention from our existing business, the failure to retain key Workhorse dealers and our ability to commence operations at the plant in Union City, Indiana.  Our ability to sustain our growth and maintain our competitive position may be affected by our ability to successfully integrate the Workhorse Assets.

We depend upon key personnel and need additional personnel. The loss of key personnel or the inability to attract additional personnel may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Our success depends on the continuing services of Stephen Burns, CEO, and top management. On December 8, 2010, we entered into an employment agreement with Mr. Burns for a term of two years which automatically renews for one year periods unless either of the parties elects to not renew for such period. The loss of any of these individuals could have a material and adverse effect on our business operations. Additionally, the success of our operations will largely depend upon our ability to successfully attract and maintain competent and qualified key management personnel. As with any company with limited resources, there can be no guarantee that we will be able to attract such individuals or that the presence of such individuals will necessarily translate into profitability for our company. Our inability to attract and retain key personnel may materially and adversely affect our business operations. Any failure by our management to effectively anticipate, implement, and manage the changes required to sustain our growth would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We face competition. A few of our competitors have greater financial or other resources, longer operating histories and greater name recognition than we do and one or more of these competitors could use their greater resources and/or name recognition to gain market share at our expense or could make it very difficult for us to establish market share.

Companies currently competing in the fleet logistics market offering alternative fuel medium-duty trucks include Ford Motor Company and Freightliner. Ford and Freightliner are currently selling alternative fuel fleet vehicles including hybrids. In the electric medium duty truck market in the United States, we compete with a few other manufacturers, including Electric Vehicles International and Smith Electric Vehicles. Ford and Freightliner have more significant financial resources, established market positions, long-standing relationships with customers and dealers, and who have more significant name recognition, technical, marketing, sales, financial and other resources than we do. Although we believe that Horsefly™, our unmanned aerial system (UAS), is unique in the marketplace in that it currently does not have any competitors when it comes to a UAS that works in combination with a truck, there are better financed competitors in this emerging industry, including Google and Amazon. While we are seeking to partner with existing delivery companies to improve their efficiencies in the last mile of delivery, our competitors are seeking to redefine the delivery model using drones from a central location requiring extended flight patterns. Our competitors’ new aerial delivery model would essentially eliminate traditional package delivery companies. Our model is focused on coupling our delivery drone with delivery trucks supplementing the existing model and providing shorter term flight patterns. Google and Amazon have more significant financial resources, established market positions, long-standing relationships with customers, more significant name recognition and a larger scope of resources including technical, marketing and sales than we do. The resources available to our competitors to develop new products and introduce them into the marketplace exceed the resources currently available to us. As a result, our competitors may be able to compete more aggressively and sustain that competition over a longer period that we can. This intense competitive environment may require us to make changes in our products, pricing, licensing, services, distribution, or marketing to develop a market position. Each of these competitors has the potential to capture market share in our target markets which could have an adverse effect on our position in our industry and on our business and operating results.

If we are unable to keep up with advances in electric vehicle technology, we may suffer a decline in our competitive position.

There are companies in the electric vehicle industry that have developed or are developing vehicles and technologies that compete or will compete with our vehicles. We cannot assure that our competitors will not be able to duplicate our technology or provide products and services similar to ours more efficiently. If for any reason we are unable to keep pace with changes in electric vehicle technology, particularly battery technology, our competitive position may be adversely affected. We plan to upgrade or adapt our vehicles and introduce new models to continue to provide electric vehicles that incorporate the latest technology. However, there is no assurance that our research and development efforts will keep pace with those of our competitors.

Our electric vehicles compete for market share with vehicles powered by other vehicle technologies that may prove to be more attractive than ours.

Our target market currently is serviced by manufacturers with existing customers and suppliers using proven and widely accepted fuel technologies. Additionally, our competitors are working on developing technologies that may be introduced in our target market. If any of these alternative technology vehicles can provide lower fuel costs, greater efficiencies, greater reliability or otherwise benefit from other factors resulting in an overall lower total cost of ownership, this may negatively affect the commercial success of our vehicles or make our vehicles uncompetitive or obsolete.

We currently have a limited number of customers, with whom we do not have long-term agreements, and expect that a significant portion of our future sales will be from a limited number of customers and the loss of any of these high-volume customers could materially harm our business.

A significant portion of our projected future revenue, if any, is generated from a limited number of vehicle customers. Additionally, much of our business model is focused on building relationships with large customers. Currently we have no contracts with customers that include long-term commitments or minimum volumes that ensure future sales of vehicles. As such, a customer may take actions that affect us for reasons that we cannot anticipate or control, such as reasons related to the customer’s financial condition, changes in the customer’s business strategy or operations or as the result of the perceived performance or cost-effectiveness of our vehicles. The loss of or a reduction in sales or anticipated sales to our most significant customers could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

Changes in the market for electric vehicles could cause our products to become obsolete or lose popularity.

The modern electric vehicle industry is in its infancy and has experienced substantial change in the last few years. To date, demand for and interest in electric vehicles has been slower than forecasted by industry experts. As a result, growth in the electric vehicle industry depends on many factors, including, but not limited to:

We cannot assume that growth in the electric vehicle industry will continue. Our business may suffer if the electric vehicle industry does not grow or grows more slowly than it has in recent years or if we are unable to maintain the pace of industry demands.

The results of the 2016 United States presidential and congressional elections may create regulatory uncertainty for the alternative energy sector and may materially harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election, as well as the Republican Party maintaining control of both the House of Representatives and Senate of the United States in the congressional election, may create regulatory uncertainty in the alternative energy sector. During the election campaign, President Trump made comments suggesting that he was not supportive of various clean energy programs and initiatives designed to curtail global warming. It remains unclear what specifically President Trump would or would not do with respect to these programs and initiatives, and what support he would have for any potential changes to such legislative programs and initiatives in the Unites States Congress, even if both the House of Representatives and Senate are controlled by the Republican Party. If President Trump and/or the United States Congress take action or publicly speak out about the need to eliminate or further reduce legislation, regulations and incentives supporting alternative energy, such actions may result in a decrease in demand for alternative energy in the United States and may materially harm our business, financial condition and operating results.

The unavailability, reduction, elimination or adverse application of government subsidies, incentives and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

We believe that, currently, the availability of government subsidies and incentives including those available in New York, California and Chicago is an important factor considered by our customers when purchasing our vehicles, and that our growth depends in part on the availability and amounts of these subsidies and incentives. Any reduction, elimination or discriminatory application of government subsidies and incentives because of budgetary challenges, policy changes, the reduced need for such subsidies and incentives due to the perceived success of electric vehicles or other reasons may result in the diminished price competitiveness of the alternative fuel vehicle industry.