Hyliion

Hyliion was founded by Thomas Healy, a 28-year-old Carnegie Mellon graduate, and merged with Tortoise Acquisition Corp in October 2020 at the peak of EV SPAC mania. The company pitched a compelling idea: retrofit existing semi-trucks with hybrid-electric and eventually fully electric powertrains, offering a faster path to decarbonizing trucking than building entire new vehicles.

The stock surged to nearly $59 before the merger even closed, driven by retail investor enthusiasm for anything EV-related. Hyliion's flagship product, the Hypertruck ERX (Electric Range Extender), was supposed to use natural gas to generate electricity for an electric drivetrain, offering lower emissions and fuel costs.

But development proved far harder than projected. The ERX faced repeated delays, and when prototype reviews finally emerged, performance fell short of promises. The company struggled to attract fleet customers willing to take a chance on unproven technology from a startup. Revenue remained negligible — under $1 million per quarter through most of its public life.

By 2023, with cash dwindling and no path to meaningful revenue, Hyliion effectively wound down operations. The stock had fallen over 99% from its peak, representing one of the most dramatic destructions of speculative value in the SPAC era. Healy's vision was arguably sound but years too early for the market.