Additionally, if our operating results fail to improve, then our financial condition could render us unable to continue as a going concern.
We may need to raise additional financing for the remainder of 2023, and such financing may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all.
Although we believe we have sufficient capital resources and capital availability to meet our needs for the remainder of 2023, we expect that we will not be able to maintain the levels of capital and operating expenditures necessary to perform our current business plan, including launch and ramp of our Gen 4 products unless we generate additional cash from operations or obtain additional financing. In light of our operating history and the expected schedule to bring Gen 4 to market, we expect that it will be necessary to obtain additional financing, either through the existing SEPA equity line to issue registered shares, private placement of un-registered shares, or debt financing. We cannot be certain that additional financing will be available to us on favorable terms when required, or at all. Recent turmoil in the capital markets, including the tightening of credit and rise of interest rates, may cause us to face higher borrowing costs, less available capital, more stringent terms and tighter covenants. In such circumstances, if we cannot raise additional capital, our financial condition, results of operations, business and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, if we raise additional capital through issuances of equity, through the SEPA or otherwise, our stockholders could experience dilution.
The automotive market is highly competitive, and we may not be successful in competing in this industry.
Both the automobile industry generally, and the EV segment in particular, are highly competitive, and we will be competing for customers and sales with both EV manufacturers and traditional automotive companies. Most of our current and potential competitors may have significantly greater financial, technical, manufacturing, marketing, or other resources than we do and may be able to devote greater resources to the design, development, manufacturing, distribution, promotion, sale and support of their products than we may devote to our products. We expect competition for EVs to intensify due to increased demand and a regulatory push for alternative fuel vehicles. In addition, as fleet operators begin transitioning to EVs on a mass scale, we expect that more well-financed competitors will enter the commercial fleet EV market. Further, as a result of new entrants in the commercial fleet EV market, we may experience increased competition for components and other parts of our vehicles, which may have limited or single-source supply.
If we are unable to successfully design, develop, manufacture and sell our Gen 4, Gen 5, EF-1 truck and EF-1 V van, our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected. If we are able to manufacture and market the Gen 4, Gen 5, EF-1 truck and EF-1 V van, factors affecting competition include product performance and quality, technological innovation, customer experience, brand differentiation, product design, pricing and TCO, and manufacturing scale and efficiency. Increased competition will lead to lower vehicle unit sales and increased inventory, which may result in downward price pressure and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows.
Phoenix may face competition from global automotive manufacturers.
We compete with a number of commercial EV manufacturers, including those such as Lightning eMotors and GreenPower Motor Company,. In addition to Tesla & Rivian, a number of traditional global automobile manufacturers, including Ford, General Motors, Mercedes Benz, and Nissan-Renault- Mitsubishi-Toyota, have entered the consumer EV business, and a few, including BYD, Ford, General Motors, Tesla and Daimler have begun entry into the commercial EV market. These companies have far greater resources, brand recognition, and distribution channels than Phoenix or the Company does, which could make it difficult for Phoenix to gain widespread market acceptance. There can be no assurance that Phoenix will be able to compete successfully with other market participants, and, if Phoenix cannot, then its business could fail.
We will continue to require additional capital to fund our operations, and if we fail to obtain necessary financing, we may not be able to complete the development and commercialization of our electric vehicles.
The design, manufacture and sale of electric vehicles is a capital-intensive business. Although we pursue an “asset light strategy” for growth, our business plan to design, produce, sell and service commercial electric buses, vans and trucks, including the Gen 4, Gen 5, EF-1 truck and EF-1 V van, is expected to require continued capital investment and incur substantial costs including research and development expenses, raw material procurement costs, sales and distribution expenses as we build our brand and market our vehicles, and general and administrative expenses as we scale our operations, identify and commit resources to investigate new areas of demand and incur costs as a public company. Our ability to become profitable in the future will not only depend on our ability to complete the design and development of our vehicles but also to control our capital expenditures and costs. As we expand our product portfolio, including the scheduled release of Gen 4 in 2023, we will need to manage costs effectively to sell those products at our expected margins. If we are unable to cost efficiently design, manufacture, market, sell and distribute and service our vehicles and provide our services, our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows would be materially and adversely affected. Unlike