Nikola Corporation, via its HYLA brand, achieved a significant milestone as it celebrated the commercial launch of the Nikola hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Coolidge, Ariz.
The ceremony was attended by fleet customers, dealers from Nikola’s sales and service network, government officials, prominent Phoenix business and community leaders and the dedicated Nikola team, all of whom played a pivotal role in making this achievement possible. The event also included remarks from Nikola executives and Sandra Watson, President and CEO of Arizona Commerce Authority, truck and hydrogen demonstrations, sustainability impact overviews, production line tours and informal technology Q&As with Nikola engineers on hydrogen safety, the HYLA ecosystem and the Nikola human machine interface system.
Nikola’s hydrogen fuel cell electric truck features a range of up to 500 miles and an estimated fueling time as low as 20 minutes. This truck is expected to have among the longest ranges of all commercially available zero tailpipe emission Class 8 trucks, with versatile applications ranging from drayage and intermodal to metro-regional truckload and less-than-truckload to certain specialized hauling use cases.
Progressing steadily towards its strategic goals, Nikola and its dealers have received 223 non-binding orders for its hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks from 23 customers. Notable fleet operators such as J.B. Hunt, AJR Trucking, Biagi Bros. and TTSI, are among the growing list of customers committing to the future of sustainable trucking.
The completion of Phase 2 assembly expansion at the Coolidge manufacturing facility sets the stage for a new era in transportation. With a versatile mixed-model production line capable of manufacturing both hydrogen fuel cell and battery-electric trucks, the facility stands ready to achieve an annual production capacity of approximately 2,400 trucks across three shifts.
Progress is also evident on the fuel cell power module assembly line in Coolidge, scheduled for completion in Q4 of this year, with Bosch supplying these critical modules.
In addition to production milestones, the latest state and federal incentives nationwide make it even more economically viable to be a Nikola customer. Nikola trucks are eligible for the California Air Resources Board Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project, opening up access to incentives starting at $120,000 and ranging up to $288,000 per truck. Additionally, the recently reopened Innovative Small e-Fleet program in Calif. offers incentives to small fleets starting at $240,000 and ranging up to $408,000 per vehicle.
Furthermore, the New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program, the federal Incentives for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Zero-Emission Vehicles Program (iMHZEV) in Canada and the Clean BC Go Electric Rebates in the province of British Columbia, which is stackable with the iMHZEV federal incentive, all offer additional incentives for Nikola Class 8 zero-emission vehicles.
Nikola customers will also benefit from a $40,000 clean commercial vehicle tax credit per vehicle from the federal government due to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
