103 Hydrogen Trucks from Bankrupt Startup Nikola Are up for Auction
After several rocky years, electric-truck startup Nikola filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February. Founded in 2014, Nikola's vision for electric and hydrogen fuel-cell trucks became mired in controversy after founder Trevor Milton was found guilty of defrauding investors. (Milton was pardoned by President Trump in March.) Now, the company's assets are going up for auction, giving intrepid tinkerers the chance to scoop up 103 completed hydrogen fuel-cell trucks.
The auction, being conducted by Gordon Brothers, includes a vast array of industrial equipment. But the highlight of the listing is 103 Nikola Tre FCEV semi-trucks, which Gordon Brothers lists as "fully operational."
The Tre, a Class 8 truck, was first shown in 2018 with a hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain. In 2019, the company revealed a version of the Tre with a pure battery-electric setup. Nikola managed to get the Tre into production, delivering the first units in 2022. A few hundred trucks, both EVs and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, were built over the next two years, although 209 units had to be recalled in late 2023 after a battery issue caused a fire at Nikola's headquarters in Phoenix. In its financial report for the third quarter of 2024, Nikola said that 78 of those trucks were back on the road. It's unclear how many Nikola trucks remain in private hands.
Still, the 103 units listed in the auction represent a sizable portion of overall Nikola production and a unique opportunity to own an unusual piece of automotive history. According to Nikola's website, which is still up at the time of publishing, the Tre FCEV features a 164-kWh battery and a hydrogen fuel-cell system that provides a range of up to 500 miles. The Tre pushes out 536 continuous horsepower with an instantaneous peak of 773 hp, but the truck is limited to 70 mph.
While Gordon Brothers lists these trucks as operational, we have a feeling that they likely aren't ready for heavy use. We also imagine trucks from such a troubled startup could be rife with issues, and the hydrogen fuel-cell infrastructure in the United States is incredibly limited.
The listing, however, provides potential solutions to those problems, including a wide array of equipment such as batteries, completed fuel-cell stack modules, steering and brake parts, tires, and axles. There's also enough to try setting up your own refueling network, with hydrogen storage systems and refueling pumps included.
We wouldn't be shocked to see these assets snapped up by another startup automaker, since some of Nikola's other properties have already been acquired by a leading EV company. In April, electric-vehicle startup Lucid bought Nikola's former headquarters in Phoenix and manufacturing facility in Coolidge, Arizona. Lucid also said it would offer jobs to over 300 former Nikola workers. Lucid has an existing factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, where it builds the Air sedan and Gravity SUV.