Over £275,000 of Unwanted Electric Cars Dumped on Roadside in Nottingham
Nine brand new electric cars with a total value of between £278,000 and £520,000 have been dumped on a roadside in Nottingham after the Tesla-rival manufacturer went into liquidation last year. The Mail has the story.
American EV brand Fisker filed for bankruptcy in June 2024 after months of rescue talks failed.
The Fisker Group, which operates the EV arm of the Californian business, had failed to meet sales targets for its Ocean SUV and was forced to cease trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after its stock price consistently fell below $1 for more than 30 consecutive days.
Official records show that 419 Ocean EVs were registered in the UK between December 2023 and June 2024 – with nine of these currently sat dormant in the Midlands, having been left outside to rot at the roadside.
Prices for the Ocean – which was launched to challenge the dominance of Elon Musk’s EV brand – ranged from £30,900 to £57,900 in the UK depending on specification, though the trim levels of the nine discarded vehicles are unclear.
The cars have been abandoned by local dealer Premium Central Performance and Prestige Cars, which had been holding them for Fisker having signed a deal to be a UK distributor before Fisker went into liquidation, according to Nottinghamshire Live.
According to local news, multiple members of the public have reported the fleet of unmoved EVs on Colwick Road and Racecourse Road east of the city centre for seven months.
However, the 22 tonnes of dispensed electric cars are yet to be removed.
All nine cars appear to be registered, each fitted with a UK number plate.
They were likely pre-registered by the Nottinghamshire dealership, which was said to have been holding the EVs on behalf of the dissolved car company in case buyers could be found.
The car dealership reportedly contacted the liquidators in October to inform them that they were moving the cars to a public road ready for collection as they were no longer able to legally stock or sell them.
By parking them on the public road, the dealership claimed to have “relinquished itself from responsibility” for the vehicles.
Liquidators have been warned that Nottingham City Council would dispose of the expensive convoy of EVs if they remained at the side of the road for too long.
That threat has yet to see fruition, with all nine cars remaining – some still with import stickers on the windscreen, seat covers in place, and factory documents dumped inside.
The city council issued seven-day removal notices on the vehicles on March 3rd, but they were still in situ at the roadside on April 14th.
For the remaining 400 or so UK owners of Fisker Oceans who took delivery from December 2023, they face the real prospect of being left with unfixable vehicles.
A number of owners said last year that their electric SUVs have been plagued with issues even before the company filed for bankruptcy. This included brake failure, rapid battery draining and the random opening of windows when parked.
But after they reported the issues to Fisker, they found the firm’s UK representatives to be less and less responsive as the company’s financial situation worsened.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Electric cars break down more often than petrol and diesel vehicles, the Automobile Association (AA) has warned. From the Telegraph:
Jakob Pfaudler, boss of the breakdown service, said electric vehicles (EVs) were prone not only to punctures and flat batteries, but also to a host of specific problems such as jammed charging cables and technical glitches.
He said: “There’s a common misconception that electric vehicles break down less frequently than petrol and diesel vehicles.
“Currently, at least, that is not the case. The breakdown rate is, in fact, slightly higher for electric vehicles than for internal combustion-engine vehicles.”
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I know baby empty husks of a very shortlived Ponzi scheme. You will see value systems change in terms of motor sales. Five years from now the most prized vehicles will be those that can run on chip fat. Look at the cars in Cuba.
Typo in headline. Should read, “£0 of unwanted…” Value is what you can sell for, not what you paid for.
Correct, there only worth what someone will pay for them!
So, who picks up the tab for their ‘recycling’
The tax payer, that’s who
‘EVs, built by subsidies, run on subsidies, scrapped on subsidies’
I’ll one up you on that:
‘EVs, built by subsidies, purchased by subsidies, run on subsidies, scrapped on subsidies’
Sold and purchased by grifters and people with more money than sense belong in your list too, I think.
Fisker was financed by $1bn from VC and about $2-3bn from Apollo and Heights with ‘only’ about $140m of US Government money. It collapsed when the Nissan merger negotiations failed.
Nothing has intrinsic value – value is subjective not objective and varies between individuals, and depends what anyone is prepared to pay.
Auctions demonstrate this perfectly.
When the DM writes “sat dormant” did they mean “parked”.
The scallywags will incinerate them. Those lithium fires are very difficult to put out and they burn very hot.
The scallywags haven’t touched them and they have apparently been parked on the road since last October.
They will when we enter what the Scandinavians call vargtimmen or the time of the wolf.
Not even worth a joy ride and then burning!
Their traction batteries are probably flat by now so won’t be able to move under their own power. Still, I’m surprised the local travelling folk haven’t seen if there’s any removable parts on them yet.
Probably just the wheels and tyres but you need a big jack due to the weight.
My home town goes national!
https://www.gbnews.com/politics/reform-uk-local-elections-lee-anderson-nottinghamshire
Selston does have a claim to fame, it’s England’s biggest parish! So there
That used to be Worplesdon. Who changed the boundaries?
The Fisker owners club – there is one – should snap up these vehicles for parts.
They should just advise the council they are willing to take them away.
…for a small fee
It’s very telling that none were stolen.
You’d have to tow them. The batteries are knackered after sitting so long not charging or discharging. Not very stealthy, nor very quick.
Many battery cars can’t be towed so need a hiab truck.
Surprised the middle one in the row didn’t mysteriously catch fire while they were all insured… that would have been an optimal position for the importer I’d have thought?
The great British public have spoken!
The damn things haven’t even been nicked
😀😀😀
Let’s see what happens when Tesla goes under.
Tesla ain’t going under, it’s now a Robotic Co….the Optimus III robot is going to be sold next year and will sell for a $ 3000 down payment and monthly charges of @ $ 2/300 …they are looking to sell 5 or 12,000 next year , then 10 times, that and 10 times that the following year…… it is by far the most advanced robot in the world and can do most domestic jobs….
Can it wipe my wheelchair-bound mother’s arse after lifting her onto the toilet?
No, didn’t think so.
PS I know your comment was sarcasm 🤣🤣🤣
People believe anything, don’t they?!
Optimus should be able to lift someone on to and off of a Japanese wash and dry toilet (effectively a robot toilet).
I wonder why they haven’t been nicked?
Oh, it’s because no-one sensible wants an EV.
Good point.
You could ask for the figures on battery car theft but they might not want you to know that none have ever been stolen so car type is not recorded just like when they catch fire like the hybrid VW did at Gatwick parking the other day.
Tesla rival LOL, in the same way that a garden snail is a Usain Bolt rival. Tesla has made over 7 million vehicles and Fisker made less than 10,000.