Nikola is several weeks into producing its first hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle in Arizona, the automaker told Transport Dive Thursday.
“Very, very soon, the first one will be will be rolling off the line and going through all the end-of-line testing and the flight checks,” Global Head of Product Development Pedro Garcia said.
Production began July 31 at its Coolidge plant and should have the first customer deliveries in September, former CEO Michael Lohscheller said on a Q2 earnings call.
The first batch of vehicles being produced require more time than will be necessary for mass production, executives said, but the OEM will aim to reduce the turnaround time going forward.
Earlier this year, the company revamped its manufacturing facility to allow its battery electric vehicles and FCEVs to be produced on the same assembly line.
Under the current setup, Nikola has the potential to build 2,400 trucks per year, using three shifts.
“We'll be looking forward to scale as much as we can,” Garcia said.
Commitments for the FCEVs include three for J.B. Hunt Transport Services, 50 for AJR Trucking, and 20 for Biagi Bros. on behalf of Anheuser-Busch, according to Nikola.
The beer company has a contract to lease up to 800 FCEVs, but customers can cancel reservations, Nikola noted in its Q2 earnings report.
Altogether, Nikola and its dealers have 18 customer orders for over 200 trucks as of its Aug. 4 earnings call, Lohscheller said.
The serial production marks a turning point for the company, pursuing alpha, beta and gamma iterations from 2021 through 2023 after prototypes made deliveries before that.
The production comes as Nikola reduced its headcount by over 20% at its headquarters in Phoenix as well as Coolidge, the company reported on its Q2 earnings.
The OEM also shifted its focus away from Europe by selling a joint venture stake with Iveco Group on June 29 for $35 million.
“We're 100% focused in North America,” Garcia said. “We're very proud to show the world what we can do out of there.”
