Hydrogen early adopter faces big problems amid Nikola challenges
Nikola stock sinks to a 52-week low, a NHTSA complaint claiming the fuel cell shuts down unpredictably, and one of hydrogen’s early adopters remains unconvinced. Is it time for Nikola to throw in the towel on hydrogen?
William Hall’s Coyote Container company made headlines earlier this year, when it became the first company to successfully complete a 400-mile delivery in a Nikola Tre semi truck powered by a hydrogen fuel cell.
Hall, Managing Member and Founder of Coyote Container, drove the hydrogen Nikola over the hilly, 400-mile route that took the truck and its 17.7 ton trailer through California’s Altamont Pass and Grapevine Canyon on the I-5 interstate between the Port of Oakland and the Port of Los Angeles in Long Beach. The trip seemed like a ringing endorsement for the hydrogen-powered trucks. Nearly a year later, though, William seems to have soured on the early adopter experience, specifically citing higher-than-anticipated operating costs, fuel costs, weight limitations, and warranty concerns.
Coyote Container’s Nikola
“The truck costs five to ten times that of a standard Class 8 drayage [truck],” Hall told Clean Trucking. “On top of that, you pay five to ten times the Federal Excise Tax (FET) and local sales tax, [which comes to] roughly 22%. If you add the 10% reserve not covered by any voucher program, you are at 32%. Thirty-two percent of $500,000 is $160,000 for the trucker to somehow pay [out of pocket].”
Coyote Container isn’t alone in expressing concerns about the practicality of hydrogen trucks in general, but there are concerns about Nikola’s hydrogen semi truck, in particular.
In an official NHTSA complaint made against one Nikola HFCEV, the truck experienced five roadside propulsion outages resulting in three towings and two instances where the truck had to limp home on battery power. The failure was unpredictable, cutting off power while the vehicle showed between 20 and 140 miles left of FC range.
The first such incident happened with about 900 miles on the truck’s odometer, while the most recent occurred at 28,340 miles. You can read more about the Nikola NHTSA complaint, below – or just read Hall’s summary of the situation, in his own words: I have dealt with more tow trucks in the last 10 months than in my entire 62 years on this Earth.
NHTSA ID Nu. 11621826
While no recall has been issued for the above issue yet, the company has been no stranger to recalls in the past, and may be sensitive about issuing another one as its stock reaches a new 52-week low (more on that in a minute).
Regardless, the company issued a technical service bulletin (TSB) on October 29th, just 13 days after the official NHTSA complaint was filed.
The TSB itself mentions that, “a coolant fitting may come loose due to excess tension on a coolant line. Extension of the hose returns the tension to an appropriate level,” but while it’s unclear whether or not the TSB is intended to address the propulsion system, what is clear is that the TSB impacts VINs 001-266 – effectively all of the Nikola hydrogen semis currently on the road (as of September 30, Nikola reported selling 235 hydrogen semis).
And as for what it costs to fill up one of those 266 hydrogen semis? Hall says it’s impossible to tell. “No one will tell you what the H2 fuel costs,” he said. “This is because it’s being subsidized by the truck manufacturers by artificially raising truck pricing. This is a severe market distortion.”
Hall also said the added weight of the truck’s hydrogen system, compared to a conventional semi, was also hurting his ability to operate the trucks. “A Nikola Tre FCEV weighs 27,000 pounds versus my heaviest [diesel] sleeper weighing 19,400 pounds,” he told Clean Trucking, in that same interview. “Most drayage trucks weigh between 16,000 to 18,000 pounds. Shippers max out cargo whenever they can, so I have to constantly switch to a diesel in order to be road legal.”
A higher GVWR rating for ZEV trucks, especially on drayage facilities and on off-highway routes with lower relative speeds, could help mitigate that issue without adding excessive risk at highway speeds.
That won’t happen overnight, however, and Hall is losing patience.
The Coyote Container founder took to LinkedIn to vent. There, he shared some thoughts on a Seeking Alpha article calling Nikola a, “strong sell.” Hall wrote, “I have experienced an amazing amount of warranty repair down time in the last 14 weeks only making five of my weekly trips from Oakland to Long Beach. Dealing with battery failures and fuel cell shutdowns.”
Dave Baiocchi, General Manager of ETHERO Truck + Energy (the selling dealer), chose to respond to Hall publicly, writing in defense of Nikola, “I think it’s fair to say that as an extremely early adopter of this technology, and with one of the first units off the assembly line this truck has served you well.”
Nikola recently celebrated the production of its 300th hydrogen semi truck at the company’s Coolidge, Arizona facility. Nikola’s third-quarter net revenue reached $25.2 million, falling short of Wall Street estimates of $37.2 million. The miss was blamed on the unexpected costs associated with the repurchasing of 20 battery-electric Nikola Tre trucks in October.
Electrek’s Take
Despite what might be perceived as the negative tone of this article, I want Nikola to succeed. I want to see a new American truck company figure out a way to succeed, and a way to continue to grow. That said, having proxy arguments with your customers about very real, very concerning issues on social media – and through your dealers – isn’t the way to do that.
We (I) reached out to Nikola staff through both email and LinkedIn on Tuesday regarding these facts and other (as yet) unsubstantiated rumors about its 2025 FCHEV production plans, but received no response as of EOD, Friday, when this story went live.
SOURCES | IMAGES: Fuel Cell Works, NHTSA, Clean Trucking, Investing, Electric-Vehicles.com, Seeking Alpha, and Coyote Container, via William Hall (links throughout the article).
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From February 2025, US Mercedes-Benz EV drivers will be able to charge their cars at over 20,000 Tesla Superchargers in the US and Canada.
Drivers based in Canada will gain access to the Tesla Supercharger network later in 2025.
Authorized Mercedes-Benz dealerships will provide a free software update for compatible vehicles to ensure smooth and easy Plug & Charge operation at Tesla Superchargers. Customers with vehicles in scope
will be contacted directly to schedule their software update.
The Mercedes me Charge service will integrate drivers into the Tesla Supercharger network, enabling easy Plug & Charge functionality when they charge at Superchargers. Mercedes me Charge also offers public charging at Mercedes-Benz High-Power Charging, IONNA, Electrify America, EVGo, ChargePoint, and more.
Mercedes me Charge gives drivers charger locations, real-time charger availability, status, and pricing for all in-network charging points through both the Mercedes-Benz app and the MBUX infotainment system. Charging can also be initiated via the Mercedes-Benz app or the MBUX infotainment system.
Tesla Superchargers will be integrated into Mercedes-Benz’s “Navigation with Electric Intelligence”. This feature automatically navigates drivers to the most efficient, time-saving route, including transparent charging stops and charging times.
“The fast-growing network of charging points available in Mercedes me Charge will now expand to over 110,000 public charging points across the United States and Canada, providing Mercedes-Benz drivers with an industry-leading charging experience whenever and wherever they choose to charge,” said Franz Reiner, chairman of the board of management at Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG.
Mercedes says a North American Charging Standard NACS to CCS1 adapter for current CCS1-compatible EVs will be available at authorized Mercedes-Benz dealerships for purchase in the US for $185 in Q1 2025. Customers will be notified when adapters are available to purchase. They’ll be available from Canadian dealerships in Q2 2025, with pricing to be confirmed closer to market introduction.
The German automaker says it will introduce NACS ports in its EV lineup beginning in 2025.
Read more: The latest US EV sales and charger growth – in numbers
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Tesla’s Model Y “Juniper” refresh has been spotted for the first time undergoing winter testing in China, in anticipation of an imminent reveal.
The refreshed Model Y has been expected for some time, and is expected to include many of the improvements of the 2023 Model 3 refresh. The headline features of that vehicle are a new front-end, more efficiency, and a quieter cabin. But there were a lot of other interior improvements as well (and one big de-provement, the deletion of steering column stalks).
And we know that it’s coming soon, because there have been plenty of sightings and leaks lately, though all have been camouflaged to hide front and rear end design changes.
In October, Chinese social media said the refresh was about to enter trial production, and just days later we saw a photo of the refreshed Model Y outside the Shanghai factory. Then last month, we heard that mass production would start in Shanghai in January, so we can expect that very soon as well.
And while Tesla said in 2024 that there’s no Model Y refresh coming “this year”, 2024 is over now, and there have been plenty of recent indications that the refresh is imminent.
Well, now that time has apparently come, and photos were posted today of the vehicle undergoing uncamouflaged winter testing in Northeast China.
As expected, the refresh gets rid of the “duck lips” of the previous Model Y, just as Tesla did with the Model 3 refresh, and as camouflaged photos have suggested. The rear end also matches previous leaks we’ve seen, with a sleeker rear end and use of the “TESLA” text badging rather than the Tesla logo (which is also not present on the rear of the Model 3 refresh).
The front end is a more dramatic redesign than the Model 3, though, which gained a lower nose but still retained traditional headlights. The Model Y goes further with a Cybertruck-like light bar across the whole front end, rather than the distinct headlights of the Model 3.
Social media rumors also suggested that an official unveil is imminent, so we may find out more within days. Stay tuned.
What do you think of the look of the Model Y Juniper?
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A judge has officially approved a settlement in a case brought by Tesla shareholders against board members who will now have to return stock, cash, and give up on stock options worth a total of nearly $1 billion.
Let me start this article with a quote from Tesla CEO Elon Musk:
Tesla will never settle a case where we’re in the right, and never contest a case where we’re in the wrong.
Today, Chancellor Kathaleen McCormick approved a settlement agreement between Tesla and all its board members from 2017 to 2020 and the Police and Fire Retirement System of the City of Detroit on behalf of Tesla shareholders over what the shareholders believed to be excessive compensation.
The agreement was first reported in July 2023, but it is only now being officially approved and we learn a few more details.
Shareholders believed that members of Tesla’s board were compensating themselves excessively with hundreds of millions of dollars between 2017 and 2020 when the average compensation of a board member of a S&P500 company is just north of $300,000.
Under the settlement, the board members agree to return to Tesla $277 million in cash, $459 million in stock options and to forgo $184 million worth of stock options awarded for 2021-2023.
That adds up to nearly $1 billion.
The board members include Kimbal Musk, Elon’s brother, Brad Buss, Ira Ehrenpreis, Antonio Gracias, Stephen Jurvetson, all close friends of Elon Musk and people who have financial dealings with Musk outside of Tesla, Linda Johnson Rice, Kathleen Wilson-Thompson, Hiromichi Mizuno and Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle Corp and also a close friend of Musk.
As part of the settlement, Tesla or the board does not admit to any wrongdoing.
Musk didn’t take compensation as part of the board, but he is embroiled in a similar case over his own $55 billion CEO compensation package, which was rescinded by the same judge after she found that it wasn’t negotiated or presented to shareholders in good faith.
The board members who received this “excessive compensation” also happened to be the one who “negotiated” Musk’s CEO compensation package.
The case is heading to the Delaware Supreme Court, as reported earlier today.
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