Nikola Corporation had a significant safety defect in the battery modules used in its electric semi trucks that can result in fires. Yet, the company was quick to claim “foul play” when five trucks caught on fire at its headquarters last week.
Nikola says that it is still investigating the situation.
The Phoenix fire department was still investigating the fire at the time Nikola made that statement. We contacted the fire department to ask for an update on the investigation when it is available, but we haven’t received an update yet.
In the meantime, we received concerning information about the battery modules that Nikola uses in its electric trucks, which company insiders believe could have led to the fire.
Nikola gets its battery modules for its Tre semitruck from Romeo Power, a company that it acquired last year after already being its main client for battery pack design and manufacturing. Romeo designed and produced the Hermes and Legion battery modules for the Nikola Tre.
Last year, engineers working on the battery modules detected a major problem where the cells were corroded and would self-discharge.
Electrek saw an internal report that investigated the issue:
A team inspected a number of modules in production, and many had the same issue.
They eventually tracked the problem down to the laser welding puncturing some of the battery cells in the modules.
The tests in the report were performed on the Hermes module because, unlike the Legion module, it doesn’t have potting on the cells, which can hide the puncture issue, but the problem was first identified in the Legion module, which is the one that was delivered to Nikola during the time it started production of the Tre, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Electrek was shown a video of the problem with the cells corroding within only two cycles in some cases:
The corrosion can create heat generation and increase resistance at the joint.
It can create several problems, including lithium plating and an imbalance in the voltage delta, which was mentioned in Romeo Power’s report on the issue:
These issues could all lead to potential thermal events in the battery packs, according to the insider, especially as they continue to cycle.
According to a former Romeo employee with knowledge of the problem, engineering executives recommended shutting down the production of the modules, but Susan Brennan, who was CEO of Romeo at the time, decided to keep production going and to try to fix the issue in parallel.
Electrek reached out to Brennan for an interview, but we didn’t get a response.
Nikola’s leadership was also made aware of the issue, but they already had millions of dollars worth of battery modules meant for its electric semitrucks, which the company was in a hurry to bring to production as it was hemorrhaging cash.
On top of it, the relationship of buyer-supplier between Romeo and Nikola was blurred now that the latter was acquiring the former.
A company insider told Electrek that Romeo kept producing potentially damaged battery modules for Nikola, and it is possible some of those battery modules could have made it into Nikola trucks.
While we can’t confirm that it led to the trucks catching on fire at its headquarters last week, it is a possibility, as punctured cells can lead to thermal events in batteries.
We contacted Nikola about this issue, and the company acknowledged that they were aware of the problem, but they believe no damaged modules have made their way into Nikola production trucks.
A spokesperson wrote in an email:
For production Nikola vehicles, Nikola requested Romeo not to ship known leaking modules. When weld issues were identified at Romeo’s end-of-line process, a quarantine process was implemented which required performance of a thorough inspection on every module, including end-of-line functionality checks. To our knowledge and based upon assurances made by our supplier Romeo, Nikola did not put any modules with weld issues in our production vehicles.
They claim to know that based on “assurances made by [their] supplier Romeo.” Romeo is now owned by Nikola, and we have seen evidence that the problem was ongoing when Nikola was producing the Tre. A company insider disputed that there was “a quarantine process.”
Also, it’s hard to confirm which modules have punctured cells, as the Legion module has potting hiding the joints of the cells.
A Nikola spokesperson tried to convince Electrek that the problem was only with the Hermes module while the Legion module was the one that ended up in the Tre, but a source familiar with both modules told Electrek that the cell puncture issue was first identified on a Legion module at Romeo Power’s Vernon facility. It was also identified in the production modules at the Cypress facility later on.
On top of the known battery problem, a company insider told Electrek that Nikola’s claim of “foul play” was a stretch. We were shown reports and videos of fire resistance testing showing the battery modules surviving extended exposure to powerful flames:
A company insider familiar with the battery modules told Electrek that “you could literally throw burning fuel on these packs and unless it’s sustained for a long period of time, you wouldn’t even notice.” Therefore, the insider finds it hard to believe that someone was able to light the trucks on fire – leading to battery pack fires.
Obviously, the situation looks better for Nikola if someone had set the trucks on fire rather than the fire potentially originating from the batteries.
When asked by Electrek if the company is still considering “foul play,” Nikola said that it is “not ruling out anything” and it is running “multiple investigations” that “could take weeks.”
The fire comes at a difficult time for Nikola. The company has only a few weeks left to convince its shareholders to let them issue more shares in order to raise more cash to keep the company going.
Issuing more shares would further dilute Nikola’s stock, which is already down almost 94% over the last two years.
Electrek’s Take
Obviously, we need an independent investigation into this issue by experts, but it is not a good look.
As for the foul play claim, I feel like we would already have clear information on this if it were true. I doubt that Nikola wouldn’t have cameras pointed at what was millions of dollars worth of brand-new electric trucks. If there had been any foul play, it would have been identified and made public by now.
On the other side, I saw clear evidence that Nikola had a major defect in its battery modules and solid insider sources that say those modules were shipped to Nikola with no clear evidence that the problem was ever fully solved before it produced the Tre truck.
The question seems to be if Nikola really understood the situation or not and the risk that came with using the modules amid the acquisition of Romeo, but it’s not a good look either way.
Normally, I’d find it hard to believe that a company would knowingly take the risk of putting those modules inside its vehicles, but it’s not impossible, considering the company was under tremendous pressure to deliver the truck.
Nikola has been working hard to distance itself from the era of Trevor Milton, its founder, and all the fraud that happened at the time, but I certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see them cut corners again. But it sounds like there’s also the potential that Nikola thought that the Legion modules were fine when they put them in their trucks.
And before all the NKLA investors jump on me for this report, no, I don’t have and never had a short position on Nikola. I would love for Nikola’s electric truck program to be successful, as I think removing emissions from trucking is an extremely important mission.
With that said, it needs to be made safely and sustainably. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Nikola right now.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Starting at under $35,000 with over 315 miles of range, Chevy’s electric SUV is proving to be a hit. The all-electric Equinox helped propel Chevy past Ford to become the fastest-growing EV brand in the US.
Chevy races past Ford in the US with the Equinox EV
With over 37,000 electric vehicles sold through May, GM’s Chevy is outpacing Ford, which has sold 34,000 EVs in the US.
In the first quarter, Chevy became the fastest-growing EV brand in the US, driven by strong demand for the Equinox EV. The electric Equinox accounted for nearly a third (10,329) of the 31,886 total EVs that GM sold in Q1 2025.
GM is now saying it has “solidified its position as the #2 seller of EVs in the US” with over 62,000 electric models sold through May.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
The automaker took a jab at its crosstown rival ahead of second-quarter sales, claiming its Chevy brand alone is outselling Ford.
With 13 EVs to choose from, GM has nearly an electric model for everyone, including entry-level SUVs (Chevy Equinox EV), electric pickups (Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra, and GMC Hummer EVs), and luxury (Cadillac Lyriq, Optiq, Vistiq, and Escalade IQ).
2025 Chevy Equinox EV LT (Source: GM)
GM is coming off its second-best month ever for EV sales in May. In the first two months of 2025, GM’s share of the US electric vehicle (EV) market was around 15.5%, more than double that of the previous year.
A dealer in California recently reached out to Electrek, claiming Chevy could have sold even more, but they had to wait over 30 days for Equinox EV models.
Chevy Blazer EV (left), Chevy Equinox EV (middle), Chevy Silverado EV (right) (Source: GM)
Last week, GM announced that it had outsold Tesla in Q1 to become the “#1 EV seller” in Canada. Will it continue closing the gap in the US?
It still has a ways to go. According to Cox Automotive, Tesla sold over 128,000 vehicles in the US in the first quarter, which is still more than double the 62,000 GM has sold through May.
Electrek’s Take
Although it remains a substantial lead, GM is narrowing the gap with Tesla not only in the US but also in the North American market.
The Equinox EV has been a hit so far, and with the next-gen Bolt due out later this year, GM’s Chevy will likely see even more growth.
GM’s CEO, Mary Barra, promises the new Chevy Bolt EV offers “an even better driving, charging, and ownership experience. It will be GM’s first Ultium-based EV in North America to use LFP batteries, which will help lower costs.
Although Tesla is likely to maintain its lead for some time, it will be interesting to see which top-selling EVs emerge over the next few years as Chevy ramps up its production.
Chevy is winning over buyers with affordable, long-range electric vehicles. With leases starting as low as $289 per month, the 2025 Chevy Equinox EV remains one of the best deals on the market. Chevy is also offering 0% APR for 60 months on all 2025 EV models. Ready to test one out for yourself? Check out our links below to find deals in your area.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
In Europe, Tesla only briefly opened orders for the third-row option in 2024, but like in the US, it was removed amid the Model Y design changeover in early 2025.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
In China, Tesla originally launched the option in 2021, but it was removed due to a low take-rate. The option was also not popular in the US.
When Tesla launched the new Model Y design in January 2025, it didn’t have the third-row option.
Now, Tesla is teasing the 7-seater option making a comeback in an email to potential buyers:
Ready for anything with long range, seating for up to seven and enough room for everyone’s gear.
Considering this is a marketing email aimed at encouraging people to order the new Model Y, it is reasonable to assume that Tesla will soon add the third-row option.
It is currently still not on the online configurator.
Tesla has previously stated that the Model Y 7-seater option is expected to finally arrive in Europe and China later in 2025 with he new design.
Electrek’s Take
Tesla doesn’t share the take-rate of its options and accessories, but it appears that the Model Y’s third-row option wasn’t particularly popular.
It’s not too surprising considering how small it was. It was suitable for small kids, but that’s about it.
Now, Tesla has significantly redesigned the backseat and trunk inside the new Model Y. Maybe it managed to redesign the third row to be a little more spacious, but even if that’s the case, I doubt it would be significant, as the vehicle is basically the same size.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
While I enjoy covering news and reviews related to new e-bikes and other micromobility vehicles, my favorite part of working in this industry is actually getting to go deeper behind the scenes, often pulling back the curtain to see what lies behind some of the biggest companies in the market. Most only show us their polished front-facing image, but there’s so much more to the story than that. From the people who build and operate these brands to the way new ideas work their way through the design pipeline and into bike boxes headed to our doorsteps, there are countless untold stories just waiting to be revealed. And that’s exactly what I set out to do when I visited the headquarters of EUNORAU, one of the most prolific e-bike makers in the world.
Companies like EUNORAU don’t necessarily have the same flashy marketing or brand awareness as big hitters like Lectric eBikes or Rad Power Bikes, and that’s one of the reasons that their innovations and unique stories often fly under the radar. But when you look a bit deeper, there’s a lot to see!
You may not realize it, but EUNORAU actually makes dozens of models of e-bikes and related micromobility products that are sold all over Europe, North America, and Oceania. They’re one of the biggest recognizable e-bike companies around the world, certainly when measured by the breadth of their catalog. And with operations since 2009, they’ve ridden around the block time and time again, seeing firsthand just about every fad, trend, and update to the e-bike world in the last decade and a half.
I’ve personally reviewed at least half a dozen of their models, from chunky fat tire e-bikes to smaller folders and even electric tricycles. Now I wanted to see where they came from.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
EUNORAU CMO Vic Erdinc (left) helps translate customer desires into real features
I’ve visited e-bike factories before, and to be honest, many of them functionally look the same. So instead of going straight to EUNORAU’s factory, I headed a few hours over and went to their headquarters to meet the team and check out their showroom as well as design/operations center.
There I met Kevin Fang and Vic Erdinc, EUNORAU’s CEO and CMO. The two are like a pair of mad scientists, but for e-bikes, and their skills definitely complement each other. Few in the e-bike industry are better connected than Kevin, who knows just about every bike factory, component maker, supplier, subsupplier, and more. If someone in the e-bike has ever considered making an e-bike part, Kevin has probably had a meal with them.
Combining that network with his in-depth technical knowledge of bicycles and electric drive systems makes for a potent combination that has helped EUNORAU innovate from the early days of the industry.
Vic, as the company’s CMO, should ostensibly be mostly concerned with marketing. But in just the day I was there it was obvious how many hats he wears on a regular basis.
In addition to leading the company’s marketing, Vic is also the main bridge between very divergent groups within the company, facilitating the interdepartmental communication that helps quickly respond to the market.
Vic is constantly the go-between, relaying customer questions and concerns to the product development team, helping to improve designs in real-time and pushing out rolling updates. He interfaces between the technical teams and marketing teams, and has a surprisingly strong influence on the types of bikes that EUNORAU sets out to develop.
With so much focus on customer needs from a marketing perspective, it turns out he’s the perfect guy to inform the designers what needs to come next.
The first part of my tour took me through EUNORAU’s expansive showroom, which is absolutely brimming with e-bike models. Dozens and dozens of e-bikes from every category imaginable are lined up along the walls, with even more on elevated tables and mounted on the walls. And it sounds like Kevin or Vic, or both, had a personal hand in the design of each.
Kevin’s deeper understanding of the componentry and drive systems has resulted in many of these models sporting powerful motors and extremely long all-electric battery ranges.
Vic’s coordination between customers, marketing, and designers has helped further massage the various models into their final forms laid out before us. I was constantly surprised by just how deeply involved in the details he is with these different models.
As we walked past the newest version of EUNORAU’s popular adult e-trike, Vic pointed to the fenders and remarked to me “those are because of you.” Apparently after my otherwise positive review of the trike took a dig or two at the old fenders, he went to the design team and made sure they were updated to improve them.
Vic Erdinc (left) and Kevin Fang (center) share with me new features on a EUNORAU electric bike
But Vic doesn’t only have to think about the bike’s functionality. He also has to consider every other step along the way of producing and delivering the e-bikes. “The only problem with this one is the shipping,” he says as we pour over a slick-looking recumbent electric trike that I want to drop everything and ride immediately.” This one costs a lot to ship.”
I surmised that the bike was also probably pretty expensive too, as recumbent e-trikes seem to be one of the costliest categories. “Not really,” he responds. “It’s not that much more expensive. The other companies just don’t have much competition yet, so they can charge a lot.”
That’s become a hallmark of EUNORAU. The company has an e-bike to match just about any model out there, but at quite competitive prices. They may not have the cachet of the fancy European companies, but they sure do have the connections and team to build competing bikes at much better prices.
Looking around the showroom makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. Or rather, an e-bike fan in an e-bike store full of just about every type of e-bike you can imagine. From gravel bikes to fat tires to kids e-bikes and even trikes. There are cargo bikes and mountain bikes and mopeds and fitness bikes and on and on and on. You wouldn’t think one company could make literally dozens of different models, but they’re all parked here right in front of me. “Designing stuff is what we do best, but sometimes it’s too much. We have too much product, I have to remind myself that I can’t just do everything,” Vic tells me with a smile.
Part of the way they can get away with having so many models is that they don’t market all of them in-house. Instead, EUNORAU and its team have leveraged the huge network they’ve built between parts suppliers and factories to produce numerous models of e-bikes for other brands.
In fact, that network that EUNORAU has built eventually led them to open a new service entirely, one not designed for e-bike companies but rather for individual e-bike riders themselves. We’ve all heard about the many e-bike companies that have gone out of business in the last few years. Unfortunately, that often leaves the riders of those e-bikes without any source for spare parts in the future. If a controller dies or a display breaks, riders may be at a loss to find appropriate spare parts. That’s where BKRE comes in. They can find just about any e-bike part that’s ever been made since they know just about every factory that’s ever made them. They keep many of these parts in stock in their warehouse, but can usually find any part they don’t have in a few days. They simply charge a transparent 30% markup for the part and mail it out to riders in need. Just like that, you’ve got that nearly unobtainable controller or wiring harness that the original long-bankrupt e-bike company isn’t around to sell to you.
As I walked down the long aisles of floor to ceiling shelving, it was like a who’s who of long gone e-bike companies. As I peeked my way through endless blue tubs, my hands landed on a controller for a Zugo Rhino, a bike I had personally enjoyed riding just a couple years ago, but has since become hard to service after the company went bankrupt last year.
This EUNORAU Flash is as fast and powerful as the name implies!
I had a chance to test out several different models, starting with a EUNORAU Meta 20, which looks like an unsuspecting 20″ wheel folding e-bike. But looks can be deceiving, and this little e-bike hides away some big power and interesting technology. First of all, when you put it in the highest power mode, it will throw you back in a way you’d never expect from something that looks like an innocent little commuter bike. And secondly, its got an interesting feature that allows the rider to choose between cadence and torque sensor operation. That lets you leverage the torque sensor for the most intuitive and natural riding experience, where the bike responds instantly to your input and proportionally to your own power. Or you can put it back in cadence sensor mode, where the bike just checks that you’re pedaling and then allows more power to flow without requiring you to actually increase your own power output. That mode is better for folks who still want a powerful ride while pedaling but don’t have the leg strength to push themselves harder. It keeps your own legs active without requiring as much effort.
From there I moved to a hardtail version of the EUNORAU Flash, a moped that could hold its own against a Juiced Scrambler or other popular top-tank-styled moped. Again, the power was palpable as a slight push of the throttle rewarded me with more acceleration than I needed but for which I was more than willing to accept!
The final impressive e-bike I had the chance to test out was a four-wheeled fat tire recumbent electric quad-bike with a mid-drive motor and independent rear suspension. As I climbed into the bike, I felt like I was entering a mech-suit in a sci-fi movie. The massive fat tires surrounded me and the torquey motor was ready, waiting for the press of a pedal to launch me forward. And launch is exactly what it did! As soon as I gave it a little power, I was rolling like a bicycle battle tank, climbing over curbs and basically surmounting anything in my path. With four wheels, the thing was as stable as a car. And with the reclined seating position of the recumbent chair, it felt more like a go-kart than an e-bike. Needless to say, it was absolutely wild!
Screenshot
The chance to visit EUNORAU’s headquarters and meet the dedicated team that brings its designs to life was a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. Having visited so many e-bike factories around the world by now, I find that there are often even more important stories not just where the bikes are built, but also where they’re dreamt up, maintained, and supported.
With folks like Kevin, Vic, and the entire EUNORAU team laser-focused on providing the widest assortment of high-impact, high-value electric bikes that actually fulfill the real needs of commuters and recreational riders alike, it feels like the sky is truly the only limit. After all, they’ve already conquered the roads!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.