#EV startup Canoo places remaining employees on a ‘mandatory unpaid break’

Struggling electric van startup Canoo has placed its remaining employees on what it’s calling a “mandatory unpaid break” through at least the end of the year, according to an email obtained by TechCrunch.

The company told employees they are being locked out of Canoo’s systems at the end of the day Friday, according to the email. It said benefits would last through the end of December.

The email comes just a few days after the company announced it was furloughing nearly 100 employees and idling an assembly facility in Oklahoma due to lack of funding. It’s unclear how many remained following those cuts. The company and CEO Tony Aquila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Canoo is rounding out a rough year. It recently closed the Los Angeles office that used to serve as its headquarters. It has lost a lot of executives, including its chief technology officer, chief financial officer, and general counsel. The company reported in mid-November that it had just $700,000 in the bank.