Nikola has begun commercial production of its hydrogen-fuel-cell-electric trucks at its manufacturing plant in Coolidge, Ariz.

It celebrated the milestone Thursday with an event for customers, dealers and its sales and service network, along with government officials.

“Today, we mark the official commercial launch of our advanced technology hydrogen-fuel-cell-electric trucks into the North American marketplace. It’s a testament to the relentless `can do’ attitude of our team and is a step closer to realizing our vision of sustainable and efficient transportation,” said Steve Girsky, Nikola president and CEO. “As we head into the fourth quarter, we are focused on delivering our trucks at scale and securing our position as pioneers in the hydrogen refueling ecosystem to support our customers.” 

The hydrogen-fueled truck has a range of up to 500 miles (800 km) and can be fueled in as little as 20 minutes. Nikola says that gives it among the greatest range of all zero-tailpipe-emissions Class 8 trucks on the market.

The company says it has received 223 non-binding orders for the fuel cell trucks from 23 customers, including mega-fleets such as J.B. Hunt. Nikola’s Arizona truck plant can produce up to 2,400 vehicles a year.

Nikola is also building a fuel cell power module assembly line in Coolidge, which will be completed in the fourth quarter. Bosch is supplying the modules.