Seattle-based clean energy company First Mode on Tuesday confirmed it expects to lay off employees starting the week of Aug. 5.
A First Mode spokesperson said the layoffs could impact up to 50% of its employees. The company has 258 employees globally, including 166 in the state of Washington between Seattle and its testing site in Centralia.
First Mode laid off about 20% of its roughly 240 U.S.-based employees in January. GeekWire first reported the most recent round of layoffs.
First Mode, which focuses on clean energy for heavy industry, in January 2023 closed its $1.5 billion merger with nuGen, Anglo American's clean energy division. Anglo American made a $200 million investment in First Mode as part of the deal and took a majority stake in the company. First Mode is decarbonizing more than 400 mining haul trucks for Anglo American over the next roughly 15 years.
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In February, First Mode opened a 45,000-square-foot factory in Seattle's Sodo area at 3417 First Ave. S. Although the company is starting with decarbonizing mining trucks, it aims to eventually move into other modes of transportation like rail and boats. First Mode has largely avoided legacy infrastructure at its Sodo factory so it can accommodate design changes from engineers and to more easily innovate.
First Mode has an additional roughly 90,000 square feet between facilities in Pioneer Square and Sodo. In addition to the testing site in Centralia, First Mode has a presence in Perth, Australia.
To retrofit its mining trucks, First Mode is targeting multiple engine models, specifically a hybrid engine, a fully electric engine and fuel cell electric engines powered by hydrogen. The company launched with a deep space exploration focus, but after working with Anglo American for years, First Mode put aside its space efforts.
Chris Voorhees, First Mode's co-founder, left the company last year for personal reasons. He led the company as CEO until the nuGen merger, after which he became chief product and technology officer. Julian Soles, previously Anglo American's head of technology development, took over as CEO after the merger. Voorhees, a former NASA mechanical engineer, doesn't have a new role listed on LinkedIn.
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