Nikola had major defect in its Romeo battery, may have caused truck fire
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.
Last week, we reported on the Phoenix fire department confirming that five Nikola semitrucks caught on fire at their headquarters. The company was quick to tell the public it believed “foul play” was involved in the fire, but it didn’t have a lot of evidence to back the claim. It only mentioned that a vehicle was seen on the scene prior to the fire.
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.
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Capable of delivering up to 1,200 kW of power to get electric commercial trucks back on the road in minutes, the new ABB MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System is part of an ecosystem of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) that ABB’s bringing to this year’s ACT Expo.
ABB E-mobility is using the annual clean trucking conference to showcase the expansion of its EVSE portfolio with three all-new charger families: the field-upgradable A200/300 All-in-One chargers, the MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System for heavy-duty vehicles shown (above), and the ChargeDock Dispenser for flexible depot charging.
The company said its new product platform was built by applying a computer system-style domain separation to charger design, fundamentally improving subsystem development and creating a clear path forward for site and system expansion. In other words, ABB is selling a system with both future-proofing and enhanced dependability baked in.
“We have built a system by logically separating a charger into four distinct subsystems … each functioning as an independent subsystem,” explains Michael Halbherr, CEO of ABB E-mobility. “Unlike conventional chargers, where a user interface failure can disable the entire system, our architecture ensures charging continues even if the screen or payment system encounters issues. Moreover, we can improve each subsystem at its own pace without having to change the entire system.”
The parts of ABB’s new EVSE portfolio that have been made public so far have already been recognized for design excellence, with the A400 winning the iF Gold Award and both the A400 and C50 receiving Red Dot Design Awards.
New ABB chargers seem pretty, good
ABB says the systemic separation of its EVSE enhances both reliability and quality, while making deployed chargers easier to diagnose and repair, in less time. Each of the chargers’ subsystems can be tested, diagnosed, and replaced independently, allowing for quick on-site repairs and update cycles tailored to the speed of each systems’ innovation. The result is 99% uptime and a more future-proof product.
“The EV charging landscape is evolving beyond point products for specific use cases,” continued Halbherr. “By implementing this modular approach with the majority of our R&D focused on modular platforms rather than one-off products … it reduces supply chain risks, while accelerating development cycles and enabling deeper collaboration with critical suppliers.”
Key markets ABB is chasing
- PUBLIC CHARGING – with the award winning A400 being the optimal fit for high power charging from highway corridors to urban locations, the latest additions to the A-Series All-in-One chargers offer a field-upgradable architecture allowing operators to start with the A200 (200kW) with the option to upgrade to 300kW or 400kW as demand grows. This approach offers scalability and protects customer investment, leading to Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings over 10 years.
- PUBLIC TRANSIT AND FLEET – the new Charge Dock Dispenser – in combination with the already in market available HVC 360 – simplifies depot charging with a versatile solution that supports pantograph-, roof-, and pedestal charging options with up to 360kW of shared power and 150m/490 ft installation flexibility between cabinet and dispensers. The dispenser maintains up to 500A output.
- HEAVY TRUCKS – building the matching charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles and fleets represents a critical innovation frontier on our journey to electrify transportation. Following extensive collaboration with industry-leading truck OEMs, the MCS1200 Megawatt Charging System delivers up to 1,200kW of continuous power — 20% more energy transfer than 1MW systems — providing heavy-duty vehicles with purpose-built single-outlet design for the energy they need during mandatory driver breaks. To support other use cases, such as CCS truck charging, a dual CCS and MCS option will also be available.
- RETAIL – the award winning C50 Compact Charger complements the family as the slimmest charger in its category at just 9.3 inches depth, optimized for convenient charging during typical one-hour retail experiences. With its large touch display, the C50 takes the award-winning A400 experience even further — setting a new standard for consumer experience and very neatly echoing our own take on that “Goldilocks” timing zone for commercial charging.
ABB says that the result of its new approach are chargers that offer 99% plus uptime — a crucial statistic for commercial charging operations and a key factor to ensuring customer satisfaction. The new ABB E-mobility EVSE product family will be on display for the first time at the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo (ACT Expo) in Anaheim, California next week, then again at Power2Drive in Munich, Germany, from May 7-9.
Electrek’s Take
The ACT Expo is one of – if not the most important sustainable trucking event in North America, featuring all the big names in heavy trucks, construction equipment, material handling, infrastructure – even Tier 1 suppliers. Mostly, though, it’s many fleet buyers’ only chance to test drive these zero emission trucks before writing a big PO (which just makes it even more important).
Electrek will be there again this year, and we’ll be bringing you all the latest news from press events and product reveals as it happens.
SOURCE | IMAGES: ABB E-mobility.
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Along with Tennessee Tech, Tennessee-based ultralight aircraft company Whisper Aero has secured a $500,000 grant to help advance the company’s innovative electric jet motor concept off the drawing board and onto the testing phase.
Earlier this month, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD) announced plans to award $500,000 to Tennessee Tech and Whisper Aero through the Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative.
“We look forward to using these award dollars to place students in internships working directly with Whisper Aero leaders,” said Tennessee Tech President Phil Oldham. “By learning from an electric propulsion innovator like Whisper Aero, our students will gain invaluable perspective and can take what they have learned in the classroom and apply it right here in Tennessee.”
The grant will see a Whisper Aero glider fitted with a pair of the company’s eQ250 electric-powered jet “propulsors” for UltraQuiet flight. Tennessee Tech faculty and students will carry out copper-bird ground testing to ensure the safe integration of engines, batteries, and controllers, and kickstart Tennessee Tech’s new Crossville Mobility Incubator.
Those propulsors, by the way, are super cool.
Whisper Aero’s main claim to fame is its innovative UltraQuiet WhisperDrive (above). It’s effectively an electrically spun ducted fan jet engine that uses a large number of stiff composite fan blades inside a lightweight, acoustically treated duct. With so many blades, the Whisper Aero propulsor can push more air than a conventional prop while spinning much more slowly. As such, the “blade passage frequency” moves up to more than 16,000 Hz – outside the range of most human hearing but not, supposedly, high enough to freak out the beagles.
The Whisper Aero ultralight is effectively an Aériane Swift3 glider fitted with a pair of Whisper’s eQ250 propulsors, each capable of up to 80 lbs. of thrust. The Ultralight has a wingspan of over 40 ft with a maximum L/D of 35:1 and can be stressed to a design loading of +6/-4g, making it capable of some pretty impressive acrobatic feats.
The Swift3 glider is designed for a low speed, low power cruising speed of 45–55 knots with “just” 6.5 hp. Power-off glides from a few hundred feet showed a low sink rate, and a climb rate of 1,250 ft/min with full self-launching power (in other words: the Whisper glider doesn’t have to be towed by a launch vehicle, like a conventional ultralight glider).
Quiet cool
Range under full power is about 109 miles with current battery tech, but it’s expected that range under the latest EPiC 2.0 energy batteries would rise to nearly 170 miles.
Nathan Millecam, CEO of Electric Power System, said, “EPiC 2.0’s leap in energy density and thermal performance has enabled a significant increase in range, a clear validation of our next-gen cell technology. We are impressed by what the Whisper team continues to achieve in advancing electric aviation.”
The press release concludes explaining that flight tests are expected to show that the Whisper Aero glider can be flown, “a few hundred feet away from neighborhoods without any disturbances, while carrying a 220 lbs. payload with full range,” which is all kind of ominous in today’s political climate, but still pretty neat from a purely tech perspective.
The TNGO grant follows a separate grant from NASA awarded last year, though that grant aims to develop the eQ250s – not as a propulsion system, but as a key component in future spacecraft ventilation systems.
Tennessee Tech announces TNGO grant
With support from TNECD’s Transportation Network Growth Opportunity (TNGO) initiative, Tennessee Tech University and Whisper Aero are partnering to advance next-generation propulsion technology in the aerospace industry. This collaboration will enhance aerospace research and workforce development, ensuring Tennessee remains a leader in cutting-edge mobility solutions.
SOURCE | IMAGES: TNECD; via eVTOL Insights, New Atlas.
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A Tesla Cybertruck owner believed Elon Musk’s claims that the Cybertruck would be able to “act as a boat” and “cross rivers”, and he got his $100,000 stuck because of it.
Elon Musk has often made claims about how Tesla vehicles could float and briefly serve as a boat in the past.
We have never been taken too seriously because Tesla’s warranty states something different about taking the vehicle into water.
However, the CEO doubled down on the claim specifically for the Cybertruck.
Ahead of launching the production version of the Cybertruck, Musk claimed the vehicle would be “waterproof enough” to serve as a boat and cross rivers:
Cybertruck will be waterproof enough to serve briefly as a boat, so it can cross rivers, lakes and even seas that aren’t too choppy.
The CEO added that the goal is for a Cybertruck to be able to cross the water between SpaceX’s Starbase and South Padre Island in Texas, which is about 360 meters (1,100 feet).
We have been taking the Cybertruck more seriously with water because we learned that Tesla built a ‘wade mode’ for the truck to be able to go into the water. Tesla says the mode increases the ride height to the max and temporarily “pressurizes the battery pack.”
The problem is that it is activated through the off-roading mode, which is not covered under Tesla’s warranty – so we are taking everything with a grain of salt.
Whenever Tesla’s warranty contradicts what Musk says, it is better to follow to the warranty.
A Tesla Cybertruck owner in Truckee, California, appears not to have received this sage advice since they activated the wade mode and attempted to get into the water.
The Cybertruck owner quickly got stuck. The local California Highway Patrol (CHP) shared some pictures of the aftermath (via Facebook):
CHP Truckee helped with the recovery and commented on the incident:
Cybertruck activated “Wade Mode”… and waded a bit too far… We’re all for testing boundaries… but maybe not the waterline. Remember folks, “Wade Mode” isn’t “Submarine Mode.” If your plans include exploring the great outdoors, make sure to know your limits and the terrain.
There’s no detail on the damage to the Cybertruck, if any.
As we recently reported, repair costs for the stainless steel electric pickup truck can increase rapidly.
This Cybertruck owner is also not the first one to get stuck in water. We previously reported on a Tesla Cybertruck sinking into the water when launching a jet ski.
Electrek’s Take
At the risk of stating the obvious, this is clearly more of a user error than a Cybertruck problem.
I think the verdict is clear: Cybertruck is far from the best electric pickup truck for off-roading.
However, in general, you shouldn’t expect a truck to get out of water on a muddy bank.
I think a lot of Cybertruck owners are new to trucking and off-roading, and they are making the truck look worse than it is at off-roading.
If you want to take your Cybertruck off-road, I recommend to first go with an off-roading guide that can help avoid some simple mistakes like this.
Also, in general, don’t take Elon Musk’s claims at face value when he says that Tesla vehicles can do something that sounds like an exaggeration. It probably is an exaggeration.
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