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LIQUIDITY AND OTHER UNCERTAINTIES

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

NOTE 2. LIQUIDITY AND OTHER UNCERTAINTIES

Liquidity and Other Uncertainties

The unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“GAAP”), which contemplates continuation of the Company as a going concern. The Company is subject to a number of risks similar to those of earlier stage commercial companies, including dependence on key individuals and products, the difficulties inherent in the development of a commercial market, the potential need to obtain additional capital, competition from larger companies, other technology companies and other technologies. The Company has a limited operating history and the sales and income potential of its business and market are unproven. The Company incurred net losses of $24,068,576 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023, and negative cash flows from operations of $21,302,119 for the nine months ended September 30, 2023. On September 30, 2023, the Company had cash and cash equivalents totaling $3,287,902 marketable securities of $34,627,782 and restricted cash of $10,000,000. In addition, overall working capital increased by $3,812,783 during the nine months ended September 30, 2023. Management believes that the existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities as of September 30, 2023, will be sufficient to fund operations for at least the next twelve months following the issuance of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

On August 7, 2023, the Company entered into a Securities Purchase Agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”), pursuant to which it agreed to sell to certain existing investors (the “Investors”) in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) (i) an aggregate of 22,000 shares of the Company’s newly designated Series H-7 convertible preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, with a stated value of $1,000 per share (“Series H-7 Preferred Shares”), and (ii) warrants (the “Warrants”) initially exercisable for up to an aggregate of 2,750,000 shares of common stock. The Company raised gross proceeds of $22 million from the sale, which closed on August 10, 2023.

The certificate of designations for the Series H-7 Preferred Shares (the “Certificate of Designations”) contains certain restrictive provisions, including (i) a requirement to maintain unencumbered, unrestricted cash and cash equivalents on hand in an amount equal to (a) until December 31, 2023, at least $20,000,000 plus the net proceeds from the sale of the Series H-7 Preferred Shares pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, and (b) from January 1, 2024 and until an aggregate of eighty percent (80%) of the Series H-7 Preferred Shares have been converted into shares of common stock, at least $21,000,000, and (ii) a requirement to deposit an amount equal to $10,000,000 from the Private Placement proceeds into a newly established segregated deposit account of the Company (“Segregated Cash”), and to use such Segregated Cash solely for the purpose of performing the Company’s monetary obligations to the holders of the Series H-7 Preferred Shares, provided, however, that the Company may use the Segregated Cash for any purpose, including general corporate purposes, with the prior written consent of holders of at least 75% of the outstanding Series H-7 Preferred Shares. As of September 30, 2023, the Company was not in compliance with the restrictive provisions discussed above. The Company has regained compliance subsequent to September 30, 2023.

The Purchase Agreement contains certain representations and warranties, covenants, and indemnities customary for similar transactions. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Purchase Agreement were made solely for the benefit of the parties to the Purchase Agreement and may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties. Among other covenants, the Purchase Agreement requires the Company to hold a meeting of its stockholders no later than November 5, 2023, to seek approval under Nasdaq Stock Market Rule 5635(d) (the “Stockholder Approval”) for the issuance of shares of common stock at prices below the “Minimum Price” (as defined in Rule 5635 of the Rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market) on the date of the Purchase Agreement pursuant to the terms of the Preferred Stock and the Warrants. Such Stockholder Approval was obtained at a Special Meeting held on September 14, 2023.

The Company may experience increases in the cost or a sustained interruption in the supply or shortage of raw materials, including lithium-ion battery cells, semiconductors, and integrated circuits. Any such increase or supply interruption could materially and negatively impact the Company’s business, prospects, financial condition, and operating results. Currently, the Company is experiencing supply chain shortages, including with respect to lithium-ion battery cells, integrated circuits, vehicle control chips, and displays. Certain production-ready components may be delayed in shipment to Company facilities which has and may continue to cause delays in validation and testing for these components, which would in turn create a delay in the availability of saleable vehicles.

The Company uses various raw materials, including aluminum, steel, carbon fiber, non-ferrous metals (such as copper), and cobalt. The prices for these raw materials fluctuate depending on market conditions, and global demand and could adversely affect business and operating results. For instance, the Company is exposed to multiple risks relating to price fluctuations for lithium-ion cells. These risks include:

	●	the inability or unwillingness of current battery manufacturers to build or operate battery cell manufacturing plants to supply the numbers of lithium-ion cells required to support the growth of the electric vehicle industry as demand for such cells increases;

	●	disruption in the supply of cells due to quality issues or recalls by the battery cell manufacturers; and

	●	an increase in the cost of raw materials, such as cobalt, used in lithium-ion cells.

Any disruption in the supply of lithium-ion battery cells, semiconductors, or integrated circuits could temporarily disrupt production of the Company’s vehicles until a different supplier is fully qualified. Moreover, battery cell manufacturers may refuse to supply electric vehicle manufacturers if they determine that the vehicles are not sufficiently safe. Furthermore, fluctuations or shortages in petroleum and other economic conditions may cause the Company to experience significant increases in freight charges and raw material costs. Substantial increases in the prices for our raw materials would increase operating costs and could reduce our margins if the increased costs cannot be recouped through increased electric vehicle prices. There can be no assurance that the Company will be able to recoup the increasing costs of raw materials by increasing vehicle prices.

We have made certain indemnities, under which we may be required to make payments to an indemnified party, in relation to certain transactions. We indemnify our directors and officers to the maximum extent permitted under the laws of the State of Delaware. In connection with our facility leases, we have indemnified our lessors for certain claims arising from the use of the facilities. The duration of the indemnities vary and, in many cases, are indefinite. These indemnities do not provide for any limitation of the maximum potential future payments we could be obligated to make. Historically, we have not been obligated to make any payments for these obligations and no liabilities have been recorded for these indemnities.