A battery-electric Nikola Tre semitruck. Nikola is recalling all of the battery-electric Tres to restore a flaw of their battery packs that would begin a fire. Five battery-electric Tres have been destroyed in a fire at Nikola’s headquarters in June 2023.
Courtesy: Nikola
Shares of electrical truck maker Nikola opened sharply decrease Monday after the corporate introduced a recall of all the battery-electric semitrucks it has made thus far — 209 in whole — after an investigation into a current fire discovered a flaw.
Shares have been down about 11% in mid-morning buying and selling Monday to roughly $1.75 every.
The recalls don’t have an effect on Nikola’s newest mannequin, a semitruck powered by a hydrogen gasoline cell. Production of the gasoline cell vans began last month.
Nikola said late Friday that a third-party investigation discovered that a coolant leak inside a battery pack was possible chargeable for a fire in a truck parked on the firm’s Phoenix headquarters on June 23. That fire unfold to different close by vans, destroying 5.
Nikola had initially suspected that the vans have been intentionally set on fire in an act of vandalism. It now believes that “foul play or different exterior elements have been unlikely to have triggered the incident,” it mentioned in its Friday night time assertion.
A second truck utilized by the corporate’s engineering crew had a related battery-pack malfunction on Aug. 10, although the issue was caught earlier than it turned a main fire, Nikola mentioned.
Following the third-party report, Nikola’s personal engineers decided that a part within the battery pack, manufactured by an out of doors provider, is the possible wrongdoer. It expects to have a restore obtainable quickly.
The firm is halting gross sales of its battery-electric vans till the restore is offered.
Nikola is remotely monitoring all of its battery-electric vans for indicators of a related defect. Although the corporate mentioned it believes the danger is low — solely two battery packs out of over 3,100 made have had the issue, it famous — it suggested operators that whereas they will proceed to make use of the vans, the vans needs to be parked outdoors till the restore is made.