Nikola Cuts Jobs, Wins Grant as it Launches Hydrogen Truck

Pinal ‘Pothole Tax’ Vote Expected Next Year

Nikola Corporation began taking orders in July for its Coolidge-produced hydrogen fuel-cell semi-truck after cutting jobs and winning a major grant the preceding quarter.

The Tre FCEV is the Phoenixbased company’s first hydrogen cell-fueled vehicle to reach the open market, its stated goal since it was founded in 2014. Nikola began producing its electriconly Tre BEV trucks last year, and announced in July it had made 271 wholesale, retail and production BEV vehicles during the first two quarters of 2023.

In June, Nikola announced it was refocusing its efforts on the North American market and laying off about 270 employees to reduce spending. This included 120 workers at the Phoenix and Coolidge sites and 150 who had been supporting its European market activities, leaving about 900 on its payroll. “Transition assistance” is being offered to those affected.

In other news, Nikola and the California Department of Transportation were awarded a $41.9 million grant to build six heavy-duty hydrogen refueling stations across the southern part of the state by the California Transportation Commission. Also this summer, the company sold its Phoenix Hydrogen Hub project in Buckeye to Fortescue Future Industries to finance its development as a partnership.

It also reached an agreement with BayoTech Inc. to sell 50 hydrogen-fueled trucks and purchase hydrogen from its supply at low-carbon hubs.

Another election year and another transportation-related sales tax vote loom for Pinal County in 2024. Officials want residents to start thinking about it as they drive over some of the area’s rough roads, whether they’re paved roads that need repairs or unpaved roads that should be paved.

The county’s Transportation Improvement and Maintenance Program is funded by a half-cent sales tax sometimes known as the “pothole tax,” approved by voters in 1986 and 2005. It pays for paving, pavement preservation, dust control and safety improvements on roads in cities and towns along with unincorporated areas.

Projects are prioritized and scheduled by a transportation advisory committee and residents are encouraged to submit improvement requests for consideration at www.pinal.gov/848/ProjectRequest-Form.

The tax, which the county says raises $10 million to $15 million annually for work on existing roads, is due to expire in 2026. A measure to extend it another 20 years is expected to be on the November 2024 ballot. This is a different levy than that for Proposition 469, which would have collected another half-cent sales tax to build and expand major roads and highways. It was rejected by county voters in November 2022.

The county’s other major funding sources for road maintenance and repair are state-shared revenue from the Highway Users Revenue Fund and vehicle license taxes.

Stories by Blake Herzog