Commercial EV manufacturing Nikola Corporation announced it is moving its battery manufacturing operation from its current site in Cypress, California to its production facility in Coolidge, Arizona. With the move, Nikola will create on holistic EV assembly process all taking place under one roof.
With the start of 2023, Nikola Corporation ($NKLA) continues to make strides forward, furthering its distance from a turbulent past in the public eye. Although we haven’t seen Q4 numbers for 2022 yet, the commercial EV automaker showed signs of progress in Q3, reporting deliveries of 63 of its Tre BEV trucks and $24 million in revenue.
The company announced the acquisition of EV battery developer Romeo Power last August – a process that was made official on October 14, 2022. Nikola’s then CEO Mark Russell spoke at the time:
Romeo has been a valued supplier to Nikola, and we are excited to further leverage their technological capabilities as the landscape for vehicle electrification grows more sophisticated. With control over the essential battery pack technologies and manufacturing process, we believe we will be able to accelerate the development of our electrification platform and better serve our customers. Given our strong relationship with Romeo and ongoing collaboration, we are confident in our ability to successfully integrate and deliver the many expected strategic and financial benefits of this acquisition. We look forward to creating a zero-emissions future together.
In addition to absorbing the company and its proprietary battery technology, Nikola also took over Romeo’s production facility in Cypress, California, which it briefly renamed “Nikola’s Battery Center of Excellence.”
Now, Nikola has decided to relocate its entire EV battery operation of “excellence” to its current footprint in Arizona in order to streamline production processes and improve overall quality.
Nikola battery manufacturing, implementation moves to AZ
The company shared news of its move today, expecting the entire battery operation to function out of its Coolidge, Arizona facility by Q3 of this year. Battery manufacturing will soon join Nikola’s current truck and fuel cell power module assembly in AZ with hopes to increase production efficiencies, bolstered by new assembly line automation.
Nikola’s new president and CEO Michael Lohscheller, who replaced Russell who retired at the end of 2022, spoke to the company’s decision to move the battery production one state over:
This decision reinforces our commitment to finding ways to optimize our cost structure and create a sustainable business model. We remain focused on meeting our 2023 milestones, including pack and module production targets.
Nikola states that it will still maintain a battery engineering presence in the state of California at a separate facility, but it will focus on developing the company’s next generation of battery management system software and modules.
Furthermore, Nikola intends to continue EV battery manufacturing in Cypress through Q2 while it works to implement the proper assembly capabilities in Arizona in order to ensure a smooth transition without any halts to battery production.
We expect to hear more about this move as well how Nikola fared through 2022 during the company’s Q4 earnings call, which we’d expect to see take place before March.
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In his latest crackdown on e-bike riders, New York City Mayor Eric Adams is pushing for a new citywide e-bike speed limit of 15 mph (25 km/h), despite the fact that no one seems to know how it would actually be enforced.
The proposal, introduced last month as part of a broader package aimed at improving safety on city streets, would make it illegal to ride an e-bike over 15 mph. But experts, advocates, and even city officials are scratching their heads about how the rule would work in practice.
Most consumer e-bikes are already sold with speed limits in place: 20 mph (32 km/h) for throttle assist and 28 mph (45 km/) for pedal assist, per classifications used in the majority of states in the US. Yet those limits are controlled by the bike’s electronics, not by any city infrastructure.
According to reporting by Hell Gate NYC, even the Mayor’s own office couldn’t explain what the enforcement mechanism would look like, and no single agency has so far been put in charge of enforcing the speed limit. Will the city mandate software modifications such as those that limit Class 3 e-bikes to 25 mph (40 km/h) in NYC? Would they rely on radar guns like traditional speeding enforcement for cars? Install speed cameras that can identify bikes? So far, there are no answers.
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Citi Bike has already reduced its electric bicycle fleet’s speed limits to 15 mph, but that only impacts shared e-bikes used in the city. Complicating matters further is the fact that most delivery riders – who are clearly the unspoken target of this policy – don’t use mainstream e-bikes from the major manufacturers, or even those that can accept firmware updates to adjust speed and power. Many of them ride inexpensive, sometimes heavily modified throttle bikes purchased online or from bike shops like FLY that cater to these types of riders. Such e-bikes often lack more sophisticated software speed-limiting features, and few, if any, have any form of digital connectivity that could allow for remote speed capping.
City transportation experts note that enforcement of speed limits on e-bikes is nearly impossible without clocking and stopping each rider. Unlike cars, bikes don’t have license plates. And even if a bike is capable of going faster than 15 mph, it doesn’t mean the rider is actually breaking the law – unless caught in the act. Nearly every car in NYC can likely push close to or past 100 mph (160 km/h), despite the city wide’s vehicular speed limit of just 25 mph. Advocates have also questioned the wisdom of focusing on e-bike speed while car crashes continue to injure and kill far more people.
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Range Rover’s first EV was initially scheduled to arrive later this year, but that won’t be the case. JLR has delayed the launch of the Range Rover Electric after telling customers they will have to wait a little longer. However, that may not be the only EV JLR is delaying.
Range Rover Electric and Jaguar EVs are being delayed
Although the electric SUV was originally due to hit showrooms in late 2025, it’s now being pushed back until next year.
The British automaker claimed it needed more time for testing while it waited for stronger demand. However, there’s more to the story. According to The Guardian, Jaguar Land Rover wrote to clients waiting for the Range Rover Electric, telling them deliveries will not start until 2026.
Sources close to the matter said the delay could also impact two Jaguar EV models, including the radical blue-and-pink Type 00 Concept. Jaguar’s electric vehicles are expected to be delayed by several months.
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The news comes after JLR announced plans to cut up to 500 management positions in the UK this week. Britain’s largest carmaker was hit hard by the Trump Administration’s new auto tariffs.
Range Rover Electric SUV prototype testing (Source: JLR)
JLR’s sales plunged over 15% in the previous quarter after the company was forced to temporarily halt shipments to the US.
A company spokesperson confirmed that “By 2030 JLR will sell electric versions of all its luxury brands,” adding “we will launch our new models at the right time for our clients, our business and individual markets.”
Jaguar Type 00 first public debut in Paris (Source: Jaguar)
Range Rover’s first electric SUV has secured over 61,000 customers on the waiting list. JLR claims it’s currently undergoing “the most intensive testing any Range Rover vehicle has ever endured.”
An electric version of the Velar is due for a radical new look. It’s scheduled for production in April 2026, but that could also be delayed. An electric Defender is due out in early 2027.
Meanwhile, production on Jaguar’s new EV, its first since the I-PACE, is set to begin in August 2026. Jaguar’s electric GT is expected to cost over £100,000 ($135,000) as part of its brand revamp. Its second EV may not launch until December 2027 now.
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This week on Electrek’s Wheel-E podcast, we discuss the most popular news stories from the world of electric bikes and other nontraditional electric vehicles. This time, that includes new e-bikes from Aventon and Lectric, a surge in Amish riding e-bikes, a wireless charging kickstand, cheaper electric motorcycles coming from Honda and LiveWire and more.
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