Nikola Badger fuel-cell pickup is almost entirely dependent on GM
According to testimony from a GM executive, the now-cancelled Nikola Badger hydrogen fuel cell pickup will be manufactured by General Motors with Nikola technology, but the latter has little to do with it. to the truck’s engineering.
Follow Automotive News. He testified against Nikola founder Trevor Milton, who is currently on trial for securities fraud, contradicting Milton’s claims in 2020 about Nikola’s contribution to the project.
“None of the ingredients came from Nikola,” says Damman. “They’ve got the innovative design, how the car looks and feels, but all the parts come from General Motors.”
Nikola Badger
That contrasts with Milton’s claim that Badger is “probably 70% Nikola, 30% GM,” given in an interview in September 2020, the same month GM announced it would build the pickup to in exchange for payments and an 11% stake in Nikola.
Original truck was first teased in November 2019 highlights social media talks at Tesla Cybertruck and Elon Musk, and it gets much more attention than what else is attributed to Milton. He took aim at the Cybertruck’s unorthodox design and promised a 600-mile range for the Badger, using a combination of fuel cell and battery.
Nikola only showed Badger’s drawings, and that didn’t change in June 2020 when the company start taking pre-orders $5,000. The noble talk began around that time, with Milton call Nikola a BEV and fuel cell leaderwhen it hasn’t delivered any cars yet.
Nikola Badger
The reveal event for Badger takes place in October 2020 was cancelled, as GM seeks to separate itself from the partnership. Then in July 2021 Milton was accused of securities fraud because investors were accused of misleading the company, including false claims that Badger was more developed than it actually was.
By October 2021, after the scandal with Milton broke, Badger was said to be is likely to fall as part of a “base plan” that brings the company back to its original focus on commercial fuel cell trucks.
And Nikola’s vast network of hydrogen refueling is supposed to support Badger along with its other trucks has yet to materialize anywhere close to what Milton has promised.