Company that put gas engines in Teslas goes bankrupt owing $37M

Obrist, an Austrian engineering group that spent years converting Teslas into range-extended hybrids, has filed bankruptcy for three units with combined liabilities of about €31.8 million (roughly $37 million). Obrist Powertrain GmbH owes €18.85 million to 34 creditors and was down to nine employees; Obrist Technologies GmbH, holder of methanol and CO2 capture patents, owes €6.08 million to 10 creditors and had no staff; Obrist DE in Germany carries about €6.8 million of debt. Both Austrian firms told the Feldkirch court they could not continue or restructure and agreed to immediate closure. The parent, Obrist Engineering, which makes air-conditioning and thermal management parts, was not part of the filings and retains about 30 employees. Founder Frank Obrist cited high development costs, failed investor talks, and turmoil in Europe’s auto industry; creditors also pointed to automakers’ shift to fully electric vehicles.

The business hinged on the “HyperHybrid” range extender that removed most battery capacity from a Model 3 (down to 17.3 kWh) and installed a 40 kW two‑cylinder generator in the frunk, claiming 1,000 km total range, €4,500 volume cost and production by 2023 - none of which materialized. Later pivots promoted synthetic methanol branded “aFuel” and a “climate‑positive” claim tied to CO2 capture and burial, plus grand investment pitches for global methanol plants. Years of show‑car demos, unfulfilled licensing promises, escalating public claims (including an 85% CO2 reduction vs. BEVs) and improving battery economics left Obrist without customers or manufacture, culminating in the insolvency.