In the year 2023, Nikola Corporation reported the production of 42 and the sale of 35 Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks. Out of the seven trucks not delivered, three are undergoing an extended field test with a fleet partner, two are in continued validation and engineering, and the final two are designated for service training and customer demonstrations.
The assembly of the fuel cell trucks takes place in Coolidge, Arizona, with serial production commencing on July 31, 2023, and the commercial launch following on September 28. Nikola’s noteworthy year was marked by significant events, including the departure of CEO Michael Lohscheller during the summer and founder Trevor Milton being sentenced to jail in December.
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In a positive turn, the company secured funding from the state of California to establish a hydrogen fueling network and inked a fuel cell drive supply deal with Bosch in Germany.
The transformative journey for Nikola began in June with a strategic refocusing of its business operations, followed by a recall and sales halt for the battery-electric truck business. Interestingly, this development unfolded shortly after Nikola reported sales success for the second quarter of 2023.
Nikola CEO Steve Girsky acknowledged the remarkable efforts of the dedicated team, expressing pride in delivering what the company believes to be the only US-designed and assembled Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric truck currently on the road.
See also: Nikola Receives 277 Orders for Hydrogen-Fuel Cell Trucks, Defying Recent Setbacks
Girsky emphasized Nikola’s goal to present a cleaner and more efficient means of delivering goods to the North American market, citing promising results from their FCEV (Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle) customer pilot programs, with truck uptime reported at an impressive 98%.
