Chanje promised FedEx 1,000 electric vans, delivered few, and folded in 2021

Chanje was founded by Bryan Hansel, formerly of Smith Electric Vehicles, to import nearly finished electric delivery vans from China's Five Dragons Group, assemble them in the US and sell them to fleets. It came out of stealth in 2017 with a 125-van deal with Ryder, which helped broker a lease of around 900 vans to FedEx; FedEx agreed to buy 100 more directly, and Amazon ran a small trial in 2018.

The Verge reports that Chanje began missing payroll in 2017 and cut off deliveries to Ryder after just 22 vans. Five Dragons, its main source of funding, was hit by China's EV subsidy cuts and by losses on a highway its chairman had backed. A US$260 million buyout letter of intent from J. Streicher in early 2020 fell through when the pandemic hit, and Five Dragons was pushed into Bermuda bankruptcy by its creditors in 2020.

Chanje also took FedEx money to build charging depots in California and installed chargers at about half of 42 promised sites. Former employees say some of that money went to keep operations running while subcontractors went unpaid. Hansel fired the remaining staff the Friday before Memorial Day weekend in 2021 and told The Verge he had been too optimistic about the financial and geopolitical challenges.

Ryder sued in March 2021 and is seeking a default judgment for nearly US$4M. FedEx sued in July 2021 to recover nearly US$4M. At least four former employees have sued over back pay, including a former COO owed more than US$300,000.

Ryder got only 22 vans; FedEx's 1,000 never came; Ryder and FedEx each sue for nearly US$4M; staff owed back pay; Chanje closed in May 2021

Chanje relied on Five Dragons for both its vans and its funding, and Five Dragons was losing money and defaulting on loans.

Customers were promised volumes the company could not build: Ryder received 22 vans and FedEx's 1,000 never arrived.

FedEx paid for charging infrastructure that was only about half-built, and former staff say some of the cash went to cover operating costs while subcontractors were not paid.

A US$260 million investor buyout collapsed in 2020 as the pandemic hit, leaving no rescuer for Chanje.

Do not build a business on one supplier-funder that is itself in trouble. Chanje signed up giant fleet customers but could not fund the vans, and the customers were left holding the bill.

Chanje shut down in May 2021. Ryder and FedEx each sought default judgments, and the Verge noted that, as with Ryder, there may be nothing left to collect. FedEx instead ordered electric vans from GM's BrightDrop unit to keep its US$2 billion carbon-neutrality push on track. Hansel launched a personal-development consultancy, Cohd. The allegations about Hansel and the use of FedEx money come from former employees speaking anonymously and from court filings, not rulings.