Nikola delivered 35 fuel cell trucks in 2023

In 2023, Nikola produced 42 and sold 35 Class 8 Nikola hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks. Of the seven trucks not delivered, three are being used in an extended field test with a fleet partner, while another two are in continued validation and engineering and the final two are being used for service training/customer demos.

The fuel cell trucks are assembled in Coolidge, Arizona, where serial production started on July 31, 2023, with the commercial launch on September 28. Nikola had a very interesting year in 2023; in the summer, the company lost its CEO Michael Lohscheller, followed by founder Trevor Milton being sentenced to jail in December. The summer also brought good news for the startup, as funding was provided by the state of California to set up a hydrogen fuelling network, as well as signing a fuel cell drive supply deal with Bosch in Germany.

This was preceded by a refocusing of Nikola’s business operations in June and then followed by a recall and sales stop for Nikola’s battery-electric truck business. This occurred just after Nikola had reported sales success for the second quarter of 2023.

“What an effort by our dedicated and passionate team, to create — and deliver — what we believe is the only US designed and assembled Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric truck on the road today,” said Nikola CEO Steve Girsky, adding: “Our goal is to introduce a better, cleaner way to deliver goods to the North American market in a reliable package. Our FCEV customer pilot programs have shown strong results, with truck uptime at 98%**—crucial for efficient fleet usage.”

nikolamotor.com