Beam Me Up, Scotty... But Not in a Canoo! NASA & USPS Drop Futuristic EVs!

TL;DR: Canoo's quirky electric vans are getting the cold shoulder from NASA and the USPS, who are both ditching their pilot programs. With Canoo having filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, it seems these futuristic rides might just be sitting pretty, but going nowhere.

Meta: NASA and the USPS drop Canoo's electric vans from pilot programs, citing unmet mission requirements and completed evaluations following the startup's bankruptcy.

Well, that's just a damn shame, ain't it? Remember Canoo, the startup with those wild-looking electric vans that looked like they rolled straight out of a sci-fi movie? They had big dreams, including shuttling astronauts for NASA and delivering mail for the USPS. But it seems those dreams are getting grounded, because both agencies are giving Canoo's futuristic EVs the cold shoulder. It's like getting dumped by two of the coolest kids in school, back to back!

Mission Aborted for Canoo

NASA, who had scooped up three of Canoo's vans in 2023 to ferry astronauts to the launchpad for the Artemis missions to the moon, just announced that Canoo is "no longer able to meet our mission requirements." Ouch! Instead, they're leasing an Airstream-built Astrovan from Boeing, which is basically a combustion-powered Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. Talk about a downgrade in style, but hey, you gotta get those astronauts to the rocket on time, right? Apparently, Canoo's space-age aesthetic couldn't quite deliver on the mission-critical reliability.

Meanwhile, the United States Postal Service, who bought six Canoo EVs for "evaluation purposes" last year, confirmed that those vans are now sitting unused. "Evaluation has been completed," they said, with "no further investments anticipated." So, the mail won't be delivered in those sleek, unique vans after all. Even the UK's Royal Mail, which had been testing Canoo EVs and reportedly planned to buy 2,000 units, is now radio silent on the matter. It's a full-on ghosting!

From High Hopes to Hard Times

Canoo, founded in 2017, had a pretty solid game plan on paper: a modular skateboard chassis that could become anything from a minivan to a rugged pickup. Even Hyundai was interested at one point. At its peak, they had 800 employees and visions of electric grandeur. But, like many startups, the money eventually dried up, and profits never materialized. The company filed for bankruptcy in January 2025, and by April, its assets were bought by its own former CEO, Tony Aquila. It's a sad tale, but one all too common in the cutthroat world of automotive startups.

So, what's going to happen to these unused Canoo EVs? Will they pop up at a government auction, collecting dust? Or will they simply vanish, crushed into oblivion? It's a mystery worthy of its own sci-fi plot. One thing's for sure, the dream of astronauts rolling up in a Canoo is officially on hold.

What's Next

Canoo's story is a stark reminder of the incredible challenges facing EV startups, even with innovative designs and big-name partnerships. Scaling production, securing funding, and meeting rigorous operational demands are no small feat. For NASA and the USPS, it's back to more conventional, albeit less stylish, transportation solutions. The broader industry will continue to watch closely to see which startups can truly deliver on their promises, and which ones will end up in the great vehicle graveyard in the sky.

Some dreams just ain't meant to fly, or even shuttle astronauts. Whoopi!