Nikola not too long ago introduced that it had secured a $41.9 million grant from the California Transportation Fee (CTC) to assemble six hydrogen refueling stations for heavy-duty vans throughout Southern California. The preliminary stations may turn out to be operational later this yr.

The deliberate hydrogen refueling stations will function below the HYLA model, which Nikola launched this yr in partnership with Voltera. They are going to be strategically situated alongside high-traffic freight routes close to Los Angeles, San Diego, and the Mojave Desert area. As famous in a press launch, the California Division of Transportation (Caltrans) sponsored the applying and can work in partnership with Nikola to deploy the hydrogen refueling stations. 

In a press release, Carey Mendes, President of Nikola Vitality, expressed gratitude for the grant, stating, “This funding will allow us to expedite the implementation of zero-emissions hydrogen refueling infrastructure, which is essential for the profitable launch of our hydrogen gas cell electrical vans in July.” 

As per firm spokesperson Dan Passe, the California funds will cowl about 50% of the overall price of developing the six hydrogen stations, with Nikola and Voltera financing the remaining portion. The stations can be designed to refuel as much as 100 heavy-duty vans per day, with the primary stations anticipated to open later this yr and in early 2024. Nikola has beforehand introduced its purpose of building 50 HYLA stations with Voltera by 2028.

For Nikola, the announcement brings much-needed constructive information. As soon as a darling of the sustainable transport motion that even secured help from Common Motors, Nikola has since confronted notable challenges. Over the previous two years, the corporate has put in a severe effort to overtake its operations by constructing its Tre battery-electric truck and undoing the injury carried out by its founder Trevor Milton, who was convicted of securities and wire fraud final yr.

It needs to be famous that, as of writing, there are nearly no public hydrogen gas stations in the USA which can be designed for heavy-duty vans. California additionally solely has over 50 hydrogen stations for passenger autos just like the Toyota Mirai sedan and the Hyundai NEXO crossover.

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Nikola secures $41.9M award to construct six heavy-duty hydrogen stations in CA