Nikola announced the voluntary recall of 209 battery-electric trucks over a possible issue with the battery pack that may have been the cause of two separate thermal events. The company temporarily halted sales of the Nikola Tre BEV but said that the upcoming FCEV variant remains unaffected by the issue.
Everything started on June 23, when a truck parked outside the company’s Arizona headquarters caught fire. While this was initially believed to be caused by foul play, internal and external investigations proved that the probable cause of the truck’s fire was “a coolant leak inside a single battery pack”. The same component is thought to be responsible for the second thermal incident that took place on July 23, affecting an already damaged engineering prototype that was parked in the company’s Arizona plant. Thankfully there were no reported injuries in none of the cases.
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Nikola said that customer trucks “may remain in service” but asked owners and dealers to immediately take two actions. First, they are instructed to keep the Main Battery Disconnect (MDB) switch in the “ON” position at all times so that the company will have access to real-time vehicle monitoring. Secondly, owners are advised to park the trucks outside, making over-the-air updates easier and improving connectivity with Nikola’s Fleet Command truck monitoring system. According to the latter, only 2 out of the 3,100 battery packs produced have experienced a thermal event, making the probability rate lower than 0.07%.
Stephen Girsky, Nikola’s new CEO, and former GM executive, said they will provide an update on the matter once the investigation is concluded, adding that they intend to stay transparent.
The new recall affects virtually all of the Nikola Tre units that have reached customers and many of those that remain in dealerships. It follows earlier recalls for issues with the seatbelt (September ’22), the brake pedal (March ’23), and the park valve module (April ’23). Nikola is trying to find a quick solution to the problem, promising that repairs will start in the coming weeks.
As a refresher, the Nikola Tre BEV entered production in late 2021 as a rebadged version of the Iveco S-Way. Weak demand for the electric truck caused the company to halt production and make it available to order. The upcoming Nikola Tre FCEV uses a different design for the battery pack, which is why it is unaffected by the issue. The hydrogen truck is already in production and the first deliveries are expected to commence within Q3, 2023.
