Arrival, a UK-based start-up which hoped to launch electric vans, has called in administrators from EY after it became insolvent.

Its assets, including electric vehicle designs, software, intellectual property and R&D assets, will now be offered for sale by the administrators.

Founded in Banbury, Oxfordshire, in 2015 by Russian billionnaire Denis Sverdlov, Arrival aimed to make electric vans and taxis cheaply and simply, and it floated on America's Nasdaq stock market  in 2021, briefly gaining a valuation of $13bn (£9bn).

But it struggled to turn its designs into production reality, and last year it declared it would switch production from the UK to the United States and slash its workforce.

The administrators said Arrival UK and Arrival Automotive employed 172 people. Nearly 40 have been made redundant, while others are being retained to assist with the sale of the business and assets.

At the end of January, the company said its shares had been suspended from trading on the stock market, and it had been told they would be removed from the Nasdaq index.

At one point Arrival received investment from vehicle manufacturer Hyundai and logistics firm UPS, and UPS publicly placed an order for 10,000 electric vans from Arrival.

While the UK businesses are insolvent, the company said all of Arrival’s other subsidiaries will continue their activities as usual outside of the administration process.