PHOENIX — An internal investigation conducted by Nikola has determined that a coolant leak may have caused the company's trucks to catch fire back in June.
The Phoenix-based company said last Friday that it no longer suspected foul play as being involved in the fire that damaged multiple electric trucks at Nikola's Valley headquarters on June 23. No one was injured in the fire.
A review conducted by a third-party investigator concluded that a coolant leak inside a single battery pack was the likely cause of the fire, the company said.
Video evidence further confirmed that Nikola's earlier suggestions of foul play were likely not relevant to the incident.
"Extensive internal and third party-led hypothesis testing, employee and contractor interviews, and hours of video footage review has since suggested foul play or other external factors were unlikely to have caused the incident," the company wrote in a statement on Aug. 11.
As a result, Nikola is launching a voluntary recall of 209 Class 8 Tre battery-electric vehicles and placing a temporary hold on new vehicle sales until a resolution can be reached. The production of Nikola's hydrogen-fuel cell electric truck is not affected by these actions.
Nikola was founded in 2014 and the company later acquired a piece of property in Coolidge for a facility to manufacture its electric-battery trucks.
Trevor Milton, Nikola's founder, was found guilty last year of fraud for statements he made while he was CEO.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?:
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
