Lucid Group announced Friday it had won a bid to buy “select facilities and assets” previously held by hydrogen truck maker Nikola in a bankruptcy auction. The transaction doesn’t include Nikola’s business, customer base or technology related to its vehicles.
Nikola first announced its bankruptcy last month shortly after offloading some of its battery assets to fellow EV manufacturer Mullen Automotive. The auction closed on April 10 as leaders sought a quick asset sale.
Under the agreement, Lucid will take over Nikola’s Coolidge, Arizona, manufacturing plant and Phoenix facility previously used as a headquarters and product development site. While headquartered in Fremont, California, Lucid has a manufacturing plant in Casa Grande, Arizona, roughly one hour from Phoenix. According to a press release, Nikola’s facilities include development equipment for battery testing, a full-size chassis dynamometer and machining equipment.
“[A]cquiring these assets is an opportunity to strategically expand our manufacturing, warehousing, testing and development facilities while supporting our local Arizona community,” said Marc Winterhoff, Interim CEO at Lucid, in a statement.
On top of the existing sale, Winterhoff added that the company plans to extend employment offers to more than 300 former Nikola employees in roles across its Arizona locations. The available jobs span salaried and hourly positions in manufacturing engineering, vehicle testing, software assembly and more. Lucid already employes roughly 2,500 people at its Casa Grande plant.
