PHOENIX, ARIZONA – Nikola was granted a total of $58.2 million from various regulatory agencies to build a series of hydrogen refueling stations for heavy-duty trucks, the company announced last week.
Nikola Corporation is a designer and manufacturer of heavy-duty commercial battery-electric vehicles (BEV), fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), and energy infrastructure solutions. With headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Arizona, the company began serial production of the hydrogen fuel cell electric truck last month. Earlier this year Nikola launched Hyla, a subsidiary with plans to generate 30 metric tons per day at its Phoenix, Ariz. hydrogen hub, with plans to expand to 150 metric tons in further stages. The first phase of construction of the hub is expected to be completed in the second half of 2024, the company reports.
The largest of the grants to Nikola is $41.9 million from the California Transportation Commission, along with California Department of Transportation to build six refueling stations for heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell trucks in Southern California. In addition, the company received $3.3 million from the California Energy Commission, $1.6 million from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee, $7 million from the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District and $4.4 million from the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
“Building an integrated, hydrogen ecosystem to support hydrogen fuel cell electric truck deployment and creating a scalable energy business, is a top priority for us,” said Carey Mendes, president of Nikola Energy.
Hydrogen as a transportation fuel is a relatively nascent market, especially in terms of the market for heavy-duty fuel cell vehicles, like trucks. As of this year, there were 59 retail hydrogen fueling stations in the U.S., largely clustered in California, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. However, only a small number of these are set up to support heavy-duty hydrogen vehicles. The agency anticipates that as more of these vehicles come on to the roads, the country will need to build out much larger stations.
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