Gardena-based electric vehicle-maker Faraday & Future Inc. fired several employees it had previously placed on unpaid leave in December, citing lack of funds to pay salaries.

The company would not confirm how many employees it laid off, though Fresno’s KFSN (Channel 30) — which first reported the layoffs — said it was close to 40.

“Most of the workers that were placed on furlough left on their own in recent months; we did have to let some of them go, but not all,” Faraday Future spokesman John Schilling said in an email.

Schilling said the remaining Faraday Future employees, active or on leave, will still retain their benefits.

He added that the company “retains over 350 active workers in the U.S. at this time,” a steep decrease from the original 600 employees it reported on its payroll at the time the furloughs were announced in December. Faraday Future has faced funding troubles since shortly after the company launched in 2014 and earlier this year was reportedly close to filing for bankruptcy. In March, Faraday sold its manufacturing plant in Las Vegas and its Gardena headquarters. The latter deal was part of a sale-leaseback agreement.

Faraday also entered a joint venture in March with Chinese game developer The9 Ltd. to produce and distribute electric vehicles in China. As part of that deal, The9 provided Faraday with a $600 million capital infusion.

Tech reporter Samson Amore can be reached at [email protected] or (323) 556-8335. Follow him on Twitter @samsonamore.