Nikola Electric Truck Company gets a boost from General Motors

 

Nikola Badger car model; @nikolamotor.com

General Motors To Take Stake In Nikola Electric Truck Company, an industry-leading disrupter.
Nikola Badger to be Engineered and Manufactured by General Motors.

General Motors receives 11 percent ownership of Nikola cars and right to nominate one director; General Motors seizes growth opportunity with Nikola to boldly move into broader markets with Hydrotec fuel cell and Ultium battery systems. Nikola immediately gets decades of supplier and manufacturing knowledge, validated and tested production-ready EV propulsion, world-class engineering and investor confidence. Most importantly, General Motors has a vested interest to see Nikola succeed.

The strategic partnership begins with the Nikola Badger model and carries cost reductions through Nikola’s programs, including: Nikola Badger, Nikola Tre, Nikola One, Nikola Two and NZT. As part of the agreement, Nikola will utilize General Motors’ Ultium battery system and Hydrotec fuel cell technology, representing a key commercialization milestone for General Motors.

Nikola will exchange $2 billion in newly issued common stock for the in-kind services and access to General Motors’ global safety-tested and validated parts and components. General Motors will be subject to a staged lock-up provision beginning in one year and ending in June 2025.

Nikola Badger car; @nikolamotor.com

General Motors will engineer, homologate, validate and manufacture the Nikola Badger battery electric and fuel cell versions.

“Nikola is one of the most innovative companies in the world. General Motors is one of the top engineering and manufacturing companies in the  world. You couldn’t dream of a better partnership than this,” said Nikola Founder and Executive Chairman Trevor Milton.

The agreement with Nikola extends General Motors’ utilization of its fuel cell technology to the Class 7/8 semi-truck market and represents a high-volume commercialization of its leading Hydrotec fuel cell system and complements the company’s battery-electric propulsion. Fuel cells will become increasingly important to the semi-truck market because they are more efficient than gas or diesel. General Motors sees additional growth opportunities in multiple transportation, stationary and mobile-power end markets.

Nikola will be responsible for the sales and marketing for the Badger and will retain the Nikola Badger brand. The Badger was first announced on Feb. 10, 2020 and will make its public debut Dec. 3-5, at Nikola World 2020 in Arizona. Badger production is expected to start in late 2022 at a location to be announced at a later date.

Nikola Badger to be Engineered and Manufactured by General Motors.;@nikolamotor.com

General Motors reveals its all-new modular platform and battery system, Ultium, Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at the Design Dome on the GM Tech Center campus in Warren, Michigan. (Photo by Steve Fecht for General Motors)