A few days after multiple Nikola electric semi-trucks were engulfed in fire in Phoenix, new information revealed that the trucks’ battery modules had severe defects. The company suspected foul play, but a recent investigation paints a different picture of what may have caused the fires.
The Phoenix fire department responded to the incident, and its Hazardous Materials crew rushed to the spot to douse the flames. A new report reveals that engineers detected corrosion in the cells and that the cells would self-discharge, as per internal documents obtained by Electrek.
Nikola Corporation agreed to acquire battery supplier Romeo Power last year for $144 million. Romeo specializes in the design and manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries for commercial vehicle applications, and the transaction is said to save Nikola $350 million annually on battery-related costs. Romeo produces the Hermes and Legion battery modules for the Nikola Tre Class 8 semi truck.
The team investigating the matter found that several modules faced the same cell corrosion issue. They traced the issue to laser welding, which punctured battery cells in the modules. The cells were corroding within just two test cycles, potentially generating excess heat and increasing the resistance at the joint, which might have led to thermal events within the pack.
Moreover, engineers familiar with the issue suggested halting the production of faulty batteries, but Romeo’s then-CEO Susan Brennan reportedly decided to continue the production while initiating efforts to solve the problem parallelly. Nikola was said to have millions of dollars worth of modules for electric semi trucks, which it was in a rush to install into its trucks.
Gallery: Nikola Tre BEV
Some of the damaged modules might have made their way into customer trucks, an insider told Electrek. Nikola was aware of the issue but claims it did not put any of the damaged modules into its trucks. Further investigations are currently underway to determine the exact cause of the fires, and for now, cell damage is only a possibility.
The Iveco-based Nikola Tre semi truck, made in Coolidge, Arizona, gets an estimated range of 330 miles from a massive 733-kilowatt-hour battery pack. It can charge to 80 percent in just 90 minutes at a rate of 350 kilowatts.
The company halted production of this model last month due to inventory pile-up and disappointing sales. It manufactured 63 units of the BEV in Q1 2023, while the order backlog for the FCEV is 140 units. Its losses have reached almost $170 million, and the fire incident is unlikely to make things any better.
Source: Electrek
Source: Read Full Article