Nikola recalls 209 trucks after June fire

Nikola made an announcement in June about itsbatteries209 8 Tre Batteries Being Recalled Following Investigation of Group FireElectric trucks. The company is also temporarily suspending newtrucksThe sale. 

According to Nicola, a third-party investigation found that coolant leakage within individual battery packs was the probable cause of the truck fire, a finding that was further substantiated by a small thermal incident on August 10 that affected one of the packs on an engineering validation truck at the company's Coolidge, Arizona, facility. Neither accident resulted in injuries.

An internal investigation by Nikola's safety and engineering team has indicated that a supplier component within the battery pack may have been the source of the coolant leak, and efforts are underway to provide an on-site remedy in the coming weeks.

Tre BEV trucks may continue to operate, but for optimal performance and safety, the Nikola team encourages all customers and dealers to take the following actions immediately:

• Main Battery Disconnect (MBD) switch always in the “ON” position for real-time vehicle monitoring and safety system operation
• Consider parking trucks outside for wireless updates and better connectivity with Nicola's truck monitoring system, Fleet Command

The company's software system is used to closely monitor trucks in the field in real time and continuously assess risks. According to the company, only two of the more than 3,100 battery packs produced in trucks have experienced thermal events to date.

More information, updates and required customer actions will be announced in the coming weeks.

The company's initial statement on June 23 implied that murder may have been the cause of the accident, with video footage showing a car pulling up next to the affected truck and driving away quickly after a bright flash of light and a fire. Since then, extensive internal and third-party-led hypothesis testing, employee and contractor interviews, and hours of video footage review have indicated that murder or other external factors were unlikely to have contributed to the incident.

Source: Nicola