Nikola supplied the preliminary outcomes of third-party and inside investigations right into a beforehand reported battery pack thermal occasion in its Class 8 Tre battery-electric autos (BEVs). As a precautionary measure, the corporate introduced a voluntary recall of roughly 209 Class 8 Tre battery-electric autos (BEVs).
Nikola is at present within the technique of submitting this voluntary recall with the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration (NHTSA) and is putting a brief maintain on new BEV gross sales till a decision is in place.
These actions don’t have an effect on the hydrogen gas cell electrical car (FCEV) at present in manufacturing because the truck’s battery pack has a unique design.
Following a ten August presentation of preliminary findings from Exponent, a good third-party investigator, a coolant leak inside a single battery pack was discovered to be the possible explanation for the truck hearth on the firm’s headquarters in Phoenix, Ariz. on 23 June 2023.
The findings had been additional corroborated by a minor thermal incident that impacted one pack on an engineering validation truck parked on the firm’s Coolidge, Ariz. plant on 10 August. Nobody was injured in both incident.
Inner investigations from Nikola’s security and engineering groups point out a single provider part inside the battery pack because the doubtless supply of the coolant leak and efforts are underway to supply a discipline treatment within the coming weeks.
Tre BEV vans could stay in operation, however for optimum efficiency and security, the Nikola crew encourages all clients and sellers to instantly take the next actions:
Place the Fundamental Battery Disconnect (MBD) swap into the “ON” place always to allow real-time car monitoring and security programs operation
Think about parking vans outdoors to permit for over-the-air updates and higher connectivity with Fleet Command, Nikola’s truck monitoring system
The corporate’s software program programs are being utilized in real-time to watch vans within the discipline carefully and regularly assess dangers. Up to now, solely two battery packs have skilled a thermal occasion, out of greater than 3,100 packs on vans produced to this point (lower than 0.07%).
Extra info, updates and required buyer actions will likely be introduced within the coming weeks.
The corporate’s preliminary assertion on June 23 alluded to foul play as a doable explanation for the incident, based mostly on video footage exhibiting a car parked subsequent to the impacted vans and rapidly pulling away after a vibrant flash and the graduation of the fireplace. In depth inside and third party-led speculation testing, worker and contractor interviews, and hours of video footage evaluation has since recommended foul play or different exterior components had been unlikely to have brought on the incident.
Nikola Truck Security. Previous to placing the Tre BEV into manufacturing, Nikola spent important time validating the truck for the protection of the motive force and their environment. The truck meets and exceeds FMVSS and UN GTR 20 authorities laws; was subjected to entrance, facet, rear, and rollover crash testing; and glad battery security components together with car resistance isolation monitoring, water fording resistance, battery coolant leakage monitoring, battery thermal runaway detection, and high-voltage interlock loop fault detection.
Battery system security was examined and validated, together with single cell passive propagation resistance (PPR), vibration and mechanical integrity, thermal shock and biking, hearth resistance, exterior quick circuit, and battery administration system overcharge, over-discharge, overcurrent, and excessive temperature testing.