Nikola's Burning Issue Continues With 3rd Truck Fire This Year: Here's What Happened

Crews at the Arizona Lithium facility discovered a Nikola semi-truck inside the building with a lithium-ion cell battery ablaze.

A Nikola Corp NKLA semi truck reportedly caught fire on Monday, in what could be the beleaguered EV maker’s third such incident this year.

What Happened: The lithium-ion cell battery of the Nikola semi truck inside the Arizona Lithium AZLAF facility in Tempe caught fire around 5 p.m., ABC15 reported.

The fire was contained and the truck was subsequently removed from the building. No injuries were reported, the report added.

“The fire was one thing but bringing the truck outside was also a long process,” ABC15’s TV reporter said.

See Also: How to Buy Nikola Stock (NKLA) Right Now

Crews at the Arizona Lithium facility discovered a Nikola semi-truck inside the building with a lithium-ion cell battery ablaze. The flames were confined to the truck as firefighters worked to cool the battery with water.

Videos captured the precautionary move to take the truck outside, with Tempe Fire stating that the aim was to separate the cell and safely store it away from the vehicle.

Nikola told Benzinga that they are aware of the thermal incident. It "affected one battery pack on one truck resulting in minimal damage," the spokesperson said.

Why It Matters: Last month, Nikola recalled all its battery-powered electric trucks in the market between dealers and customers after a series of fires opened up an investigation.

The investigation pinned the fires down to a coolant leak within the battery packs. Nikola also urged the vehicle owners to take immediate safety measures like parking the trucks outside as the remedy is being developed.

A Nikola truck first caught fire this year on June 23. The fire affected multiple battery electric trucks behind the company's Phoenix headquarters. Later, in July, one of the trucks ignited again. 

Nikola shares are down over 47% so far this year, according to data from Benzinga Pro.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

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