What happened
The stocks of many speculative, start-up clean energy companies are moving down today. Electric-vehicle (EV) companies are no exception. Shares of several U.S.-based EV companies are trading down as of 3 p.m. EST:
- Fisker (FSR +0.00%) down 8.9%;
- Workhorse Group (WKHS +0.00%) down 11.4%;
- Hyliion (HYLN +1.66%) down 9%; and
- Lordstown Motors (RIDE 5.56%) down 7.3%.
So what
The sharp moves come on a day when another U.S. competitor announced plans to enter the public markets through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) merger. Luxury EV sedan maker Lucid Motors is expected to begin trading publicly by the end of the second quarter 2021.
Having Lucid available on the public markets may steer some capital from other public EV makers, as its SPAC deal with Churchill Capital IV (CCIV +0.00%) puts the current market valuation of Lucid around $60 billion. But its luxury Air sedan won't directly compete with the likes of the above names.
Fisker Ocean SUV. Image source: Fisker.
Now what
Fisker plans to begin delivering its all-electric Ocean SUV by the end of 2022. The company is in an agreement with automotive supplier Magna (MGA +0.14%), which will begin manufacturing the initial Ocean vehicles in Europe. Workhorse Group produces trucks that serve the last-mile segment in short-distance deliveries. Its two C-Series electric trucks offer 650 or 1,000 cubic feet of cargo space and have 100 miles of range.
Lordstown's plans are for electric light-duty trucks focused on the commercial fleet market. The company plans to have its first Endurance pickup truck prototypes produced next month. Hyliion isn't a vehicle maker itself. It is working toward commercializing its Hypertruck ERX and hybrid electrification systems to convert Class 8 semi trucks from diesel power.
Today's news that a new, popular name like Lucid will join the public markets isn't the only reason these stocks are dropping today. There is also a market rotation ongoing away from high-growth or speculative tech names toward industrial and pandemic recovery stocks.
And while all of these EV names are focused on different end markets, there are likely limited investor funds available for the entire basket. Today's moves are due to a combination of factors, but investors should expect volatile moves for a long time to come if invested in the EV sector.
