A battery-electric Nikola Tre semitruck. Nikola is recalling the entire battery-electric Tres to restore a flaw of their battery packs that might begin a hearth. 5 battery-electric Tres have been destroyed in a hearth 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 of the battery-electric semitrucks it has made so far — 209 in complete — after an investigation right into a latest fireplace discovered a flaw.
Shares have been down about 11% in mid-morning buying and selling Monday to roughly $1.75 every.
The recollects don’t have an effect on Nikola’s newest mannequin, a semitruck powered by a hydrogen gasoline cell. Manufacturing of the gasoline cell vehicles began last month.
Nikola said late Friday {that a} third-party investigation discovered {that a} coolant leak inside a battery pack was probably chargeable for a hearth in a truck parked on the firm’s Phoenix headquarters on June 23. That fireplace unfold to different close by vehicles, destroying 5.
Nikola had initially suspected that the vehicles have been intentionally set on fireplace in an act of vandalism. It now believes that “foul play or different exterior components have been unlikely to have triggered the incident,” it mentioned in its Friday evening assertion.
A second truck utilized by the corporate’s engineering group had the same battery-pack malfunction on Aug. 10, although the issue was caught earlier than it grew to become a serious fireplace, Nikola mentioned.
Following the third-party report, Nikola’s personal engineers decided {that a} part within the battery pack, manufactured by an outdoor provider, is the probably perpetrator. It expects to have a restore out there quickly.
The corporate is halting gross sales of its battery-electric vehicles till the restore is out there.
Nikola is remotely monitoring all of its battery-electric vehicles for indicators of the same defect. Though 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’ll proceed to make use of the vehicles, the vehicles needs to be parked outdoors till the restore is made.
