EV startup Canoo puts remaining workers on ‘unpaid leave’

The struggling auto startup Canoo has put its remaining employees on what it calls “unpaid time off” until the end of the year, according to an email obtained by TechCrunch.

The company told employees they were locked out of Canoo machines at the end of the day Friday, according to the email. It said benefits would expire at the end of December.

An email arrives a few days later the company announced that it is adding about 100 employees and closing the convention center in Oklahoma due to lack of funds. It is not known how many remained following those wounds. The company and CEO Tony Aquila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Canoo is coming off a tough year. It recently closed its Los Angeles office which was its headquarters. It has lost many directorsincluding its chief technology officer, chief financial officer, and chief counsel. The the company said by mid-November that it had only $700,000 in the bank.