[2][3] Canoo's research and development team was based in Michigan, in the Detroit region (Auburn Hills, Livonia), and production operations in Justin, Texas.

[24] In mid-January 2021, The Verge reported that in the first half of 2020 Canoo had been in talks with Apple for a potential role in its secretive Titan car project.

[27][28] Canoo announced plans to offer both single-motor and dual-motor all-wheel drive options for their pickup truck, with the latter being capable of producing 600 hp (450 kW) and 550 foot-pounds (750 J) of torque.

[30] Also in April 2021, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission launched an investigation into Canoo after its merger with Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp. IV due to a string of executive departures, sudden changes to its business model, and class-action lawsuits brought by shareholders.

[35] Following receipt of orders in October 2022, Canoo announced plans for construction of a vehicle battery production facility at the MidAmerica Industrial Park (MAIP) in Pryor, Oklahoma.

[38] In January 2022, Canoo entered into a 10-year US$17.7 million lease for a building in Bentonville, which was planned to be an "advanced industrialization facility" for low-volume manufacturing.

[44] In late November 2022, Canoo announced an agreement to purchase of an existing 630,000 sq ft (59,000 m2) plant in Oklahoma City to start vehicle production by 2023, prior to completion of its micro megafactory in Pryor.

[45] In December 2022, the company sued several former executives for stealing Canoo's trade secrets and poaching talent for their new business,[46][47] competing EV startup Harbinger Motors.

[48] In April 2023, the company announced that battery production would commence at Pryor to fulfill a United States Department of Defense contract; and, while vehicle manufacturing was to start in Oklahoma City before the end of 2023, long range plans still included vehicle assembly at Pryor because the OKC facility would not meet full production needs.

[53] In December 2024, the company announced it was furloughing 82 employees in Oklahoma and idling its factory while in “advanced discussions with various capital sources” to raise emergency funding.

As a result, Canoo ceased operations immediately after the announcement, while the court appoints a trustee to administer asset liquidation and the distribution of remaining proceeds to creditors.

[60] In July 2022, Walmart entered into a definitive agreement to purchase 4,500 all-electric Lifestyle Delivery Vehicles (LDV) from Canoo, with an option to buy up to 10,000 in the future.

Zeeba, a relatively unknown fleet leasing operation, also based in Greater Los Angeles, ordered a combination of 5,450 LDVs and Lifestyle Vehicles (LV), with a binding commitment of 3,000 by 2024.

[63][64][65] Some days later, Canoo announced its biggest sale to date, an order from Kingbee, a Utah-based work-ready van fleet rental company.