Previously Damaged EV Truck Catches Fire All Over Again At Nikola Headquarters

The first two zero-emissions electric trucks, from an order of 100 vehicles, delivered from the Nikola Corporation to Total Transportation Services at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro on Friday, December 17, 2021. Photo: Brittany Murray/MediaNews Group/Long Beach Press-Telegram (Getty Images)

An electric semi-truck fire that broke out at Nikola Motor’s headquarters back in June has come around again for Fire 2: Electric Drivetrain Boogaloo over the weekend.

The fire reignited almost exactly a month after the initial blaze at the EV manufacturer’s Phoenix headquarters was extinguished. At least 50 Phoenix firefighters responded to the blaze along with hazmat crews. The company suspects foul play was involved during the original fire but firefighters told news reporters at the scene that the fire was sparked by a chemical reaction in one of the truck’s batteries. Either way, an investigation is ongoing.

The damaged trucks were kept on site for further investigation by the company following the June fire. The reignited fire on Sunday was quickly contained. There were no injuries reported, according to Reuters.

To add insult to injury, news of the fire sent Nikola’s already shaky stock tumbling another four percentage points. The company has been having problems as of late. Last year, founder Trevor Milton was found guilty of fraud. In April, the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to sell off $100 million in stock at bargain prices. In June, the company said it would liquidate a recently acquired battery manufacturer for $144 million payout. In the second quarter of 2023, Nikola received 66 orders for electric semi trucks and only delivered 33 of them.

Nikola isn’t the only company that has a hard time putting out fires for good in their EVs. A new Ford F-150 Lightning caught fire in a holding lot this winter causing the Blue Oval to temporarily halt manufacturing of its wildly successful electric truck. A Tesla models are routinely as extinguished by firefighters only to catch fire again in the tow yard a few hours later. As of right now there is no clear strategy for complete eradicating an EV fire.