Nikola Electric Trucks Catch Fire, and Company Responds with Recall

• Nikola, the electric truck manufacturer, in June reported a fire around its global headquarters in Phoenix.

• Five electric trucks were burned in the incident, the company confirmed, though no injuries were reported.

• The company took to Twitter to announce that it suspected foul play was involved in starting the fire.

UPDATE 8/14/23: Information from a third-party investigation found that the most likely cause of the June fire was a coolant leak inside a single battery pack. According to Nikola, the findings were further corroborated by a minor thermal incident that impacted one pack on an engineering validation truck parked at the company’s Coolidge, Ariz. plant on Aug. 10. As a result, the manufacturer is issuing a voluntary recall of 209 battery-electric trucks. Following the release of the new information, the company also confirmed that its June 23 statement alluding to foul play as a possible cause of the incident was most likely incorrect.

UPDATE 7/24/23: One of the previously damaged trucks from the June fire described below reignited on Sunday. This occurred at Nikola's headquarters, according to Reuters. In a statement to Car and Driver, Nikola confirmed the event, saying tat there were no injuries and that the fire was quickly extinguished by the Phoenix Fire Department. "This truck was severely damaged in the original incident and was being monitored closely," the company said. "In situations such as this where a battery-electric vehicle has had its system compromised during an incident, it is known to have a higher-than-normal likelihood to reignite, which is why our safety and engineering teams were monitoring as our investigation continues."

Commercial electric truck startup Nikola on Friday reported a fire around its Phoenix, Arizona, headquarters. Multiple electric trucks were burned in the fire, though no injuries have been reported from the scene.

Following the fire, the company took to its official Twitter account to announce that it suspects foul play took place in the starting of the fire. "Foul play is suspected as a vehicle was seen in the area of the affected trucks just prior to the incident and an investigation is underway," the company said on Twitter.