Embattled Nikola has announced that its partnership with battery-electric refuse trucks with Republic Services has come to an end. Originally, the deal was announced in August 2020 and the deployment was supposed to happen for over 2,500 and up to 5,000 chassis and body units. "The goal of the collaboration was to design and build an industry-first fully integrated refuse truck based on a zero-emissions battery-electric drive platform and body while also integrating multiple new systems into a new state-of-the-art vehicle.
Nikola's fuel cell technology at work
After considerable collaboration and review, both companies determined that the combination of the various new technologies and design concepts would result in longer than expected development time and unexpected costs. As a result, the program is being terminated resulting in the cancellation of the previously announced vehicle order."
Nikola Refuse had targeted spec that included a range 240 km and a 720 kWh battery will have around 1,000 bhp for power and will support up to 1,200 cans/charge.
Nikola Badger was based on a partnership with GM which has now gone south
"This was the right decision for both companies given the resources and investments required. We support and respect Republic Services' commitment to achieving environmentally responsible, sustainable solutions for their customers. Nikola remains laser-focused on delivering on our battery-electric and fuel-cell electric commercial truck programs, and the energy infrastructure to support them," said Nikola's CEO Mark Russell at the announcement of the closure of the deal.
