The Phoenix Hearth Division concluded its investigation of the Nikola Tre battery electrical truck fires that occurred final month and there’s no proof of arson, based on Electrek, which obtained a response from Daniel Cheatham, the Metropolis of Phoenix’s Hearth Investigations Job Drive division chief.
In an electronic mail despatched to the web publication, the fireplace division mentioned that the reason for the fireplace at Nikola’s headquarters was formally declared to be “undetermined.”
“It formally is undetermined,” mentioned Cheatham. “However we wouldn’t have any proof in any respect that helps arson.”
When the information broke concerning the Class 8 semi vans catching fireplace outdoors the agency’s Phoenix headquarters, Nikola mentioned in a press release on Twitter that it suspected “foul play,” as a car was seen within the space earlier than the automobiles began smoking and finally flaming.
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On the identical time, the Phoenix Police Division’s investigation continues to be open, with detectives analyzing proof resembling movies and witness ideas.
“Total, the investigation will proceed as detectives work with insurance coverage corporations as they decide any and all outcomes,” a police spokesperson replied to an inquiry from Electrek. “When arson investigators full their investigation they may decide if felony conduct happened or not.”
With this being mentioned, inside paperwork revealed late final month level to a attainable problem with the truck’s battery pack, the place laser welding may puncture some cells of a module, inflicting the cells to corrode after simply two check cycles and probably producing extra warmth.
Nikola instructed InsideEVs in a press release that packs with weld points didn’t make it into the manufacturing semi vans, however that each its inside engineering workforce and a third-party workforce have initiated investigations to find out the basis explanation for the fires, and that the outcomes will come out in a number of weeks.
The Iveco-based Class 8 Nikola Tre semi is made in Coolidge, Arizona, and has an estimated driving vary of 330 miles thanks to an enormous 733-kilowatt-hour battery pack that may cost to 80 % in 90 minutes at 350 kW.