Nikola Corp. has confirmed it will no longer be developing an electric garbage truck with waste management firm Republic Services. The cancellation was further explained in a statement released by Nikola:
“[B]oth companies determined that the combination of the various new technologies and design concepts would result in longer than expected development time, and unexpected costs.” Republican had placed a preliminary order for at least 2,500 vehicles in August.
The announcement comes from the company just weeks after new broke that General Motors backed out of its plans to produce Nikola’s Badger in exchange an equity stake in the company
Although GM will no longer be production the Nikola Badger, it will still supply the company’s semi trucks with fuel cell hydrogen technology. GM’s vetoed plans were most likely a result of the hot water Nikola found itself in after allegations over misleading or inaccurate statements surfaced. The legal issues Nikola faced after the allegations arose ultimately led to Founder and executive chairman Trevor Milton resigning from his role at the company in September.
Although Nikola will no longer be developing electric garbage trucks with Republic Services, they emphasized in the announcement that it will continue moving forward with its plans for semi-trucks with a target to begin U.S. deliveries of its Tre model next year. CEO Mark Russell said in a statement: ”Nikola remains laser-focused on delivering on our battery-electric and fuel-cell electric commercial truck programs, and the energy infrastructure to support them.”