Nikola recalls 209 battery-EV trucks over fire concerns

San Francisco, Aug 13 (IANS) Trucking company Nikola Motors has announced a voluntary recall of approximately 209 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), after a coolant leak inside a single battery pack was found to be the probable cause of the truck fire at its headquarters.

Internal investigations indicated a single supplier component within the battery pack as the likely source of the coolant leak and "efforts are underway to provide a field remedy in the coming weeks," the automaker said in a statement.

"These actions do not affect the hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) currently in production as the truck’s battery pack has a different design," said the company.

The 'Tre BEV' trucks in concern may remain in operation, but for optimal performance and safety, said Nikola, encouraging all customers and dealers to immediately place the Main Battery Disconnect (MBD) switch into the "ON" position at all times to enable real-time vehicle monitoring and safety systems operation.

It also advised them to consider parking trucks outside to allow for over-the-air updates and better connectivity with Fleet Command, Nikola’s truck monitoring system.

So far, only two (2) battery packs have experienced a thermal event.

"At Nikola we take safety very seriously. We said from the beginning that as soon as our investigations were concluded we would provide an update, and we will continue our transparency as we learn more," said Steve Girsky, Nikola CEO.

The company's initial statement on June 23 "alluded to foul play as a possible cause of the incident, based on video footage showing a vehicle parked next to the impacted trucks and quickly pulling away after a bright flash and the commencement of the fire".

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, it informed.

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