Posted 10 months ago
Nikola Corporation Reports Second Quarter 2023 Results
Nikola Corporation, via the HYLA brand, today reported financial results and business updates for the quarter ended June 30, 2023.
- Executing on business plan, increasing cash position, and decreasing cash use
- Continuing to build sales momentum with 45 wholesales and 66 retail deliveries in Q2
- Began serial production of the hydrogen fuel cell electric truck July 31; first customer deliveries expected in September
- 18 customer orders to Nikola and dealers for over 200 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks
- Continued hydrogen refueling ecosystem development with partners
- Increased unrestricted cash by $107.1 million in Q2
“Nikola has turned the corner and is well on the way to executing our business plan and achieving profitability,” said Nikola CEO Michael Lohscheller. “We have nearly doubled our unrestricted cash position while also substantially reducing our spending. We continue to drive forward in our mission to decarbonize heavy-duty trucking and ensure Nikola is successful for the long haul.”
Execution of Strategic Priorities
During the second quarter we made substantial progress on the realignment of resources with our strategic priorities:
- Continued building sales momentum delivering 45 wholesale and 66 retail battery-electric trucks, the best retail quarter to date
- Increased our unrestricted cash position by $107.1 million while substantially reducing our adjusted free cash flow to below our $150 million target for the quarter
- Raised $233.2 million through capital raise and asset monetization, and improved visibility into future capital needs to fully fund the business model
- Closed down battery production operations of Romeo Power, Inc. (“Romeo”) and are establishing a battery pack line in Coolidge for our battery-electric trucks
- Completed the sale of European joint venture to Iveco
- Made substantial progress in the development of the hydrogen refueling ecosystem with partners
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Truck
On July 31, 2023, we officially began serial production of the hydrogen fuel cell electric truck. The first customer deliveries are expected to take place in September. To date, 18 customers have placed orders for over 200 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks with Nikola and dealers (1). During the second quarter, the remainder of the 10 gamma trucks were fully built and commissioned. Gamma trucks will be used in final vehicle validation and customer pilot testing.
Battery-Electric Truck
During the second quarter we continued to build sales momentum on the battery-electric trucks, wholesaling 45 to dealers with 66 retail sales. We expect sales momentum to continue building as customers realize the total cost of ownership benefits of zero-emissions trucks and additional government support is introduced to accelerate the transition to zero-emissions.
Energy Infrastructure
Our HYLA team is focused on ensuring there is adequate hydrogen supply to meet truck sales volumes in 2023 and beyond. We continue to move the hydrogen refueling ecosystem forward with well capitalized partners that align with our capital-efficient strategy. Voltera and Nikola are collaborating on the recently announced partnership, and we have begun the station development process for eight (8) initial stations. Our first station in Ontario, California is expected to go into operation by the end of 2023. We have also secured over $50 million in grant funding from various California agencies, reducing the capital costs for hydrogen stations.
Coolidge, Arizona Manufacturing Facility
In Coolidge, the Phase 2 assembly expansion has been completed and the new mixed-model line capable of building both battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks has been installed. The current production capacity of the facility is 2,400 trucks / year on three (3) shifts.
Second Quarter Financial Highlights