Nikola recalls 209 trucks following June fire

Nikola in JuneBatteryFollowing an investigation into the battery fire, 209 units of the 8 Tre battery are currently being recalled.electric lorryThe company has also temporarily suspended newlorrySales. 

According to Nikola, a third-party investigation identified coolant leakage within a single battery pack as the probable cause of the truck fire. On 10 August, a minor thermal incident occurred on an engineering validation truck at the company's Coolidge, Arizona facility, affecting one of the packs and further corroborating this finding. Neither incident resulted in any injuries.

An internal investigation by the Nikola Safety and Engineering team indicates that a supplier component within the battery pack may be the source of the coolant leak, and efforts are underway to provide an on-site remedy within the coming weeks.

The Tre BEV trucks may continue to operate, but to ensure optimum performance and safety, the Nikola team strongly encourages all customers and dealers to take the following immediate actions:

• The Main Battery Disconnect (MBD) switch must remain in the “ON” position at all times to ensure real-time vehicle monitoring and the operation of safety systems.
• Consider parking the lorry outdoors to facilitate wireless updates and improve connectivity with Nikola's Fleet Command lorry monitoring system.

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

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

The company's preliminary statement on 23 June suggested murder might have been the cause of the incident, with video footage showing a vehicle stopping beside the affected lorry before speeding away following a bright flash and ignition. Subsequent extensive internal and third-party-led hypothesis testing, interviews with staff and contractors, and hours of video footage review indicate murder or other external factors are highly unlikely to have caused the event.

Source: Nikolai