Although Nikola announced its Badger electric pickup in February 2020, there probably won’t ever be a Nikola electric truck. The corporation has never produced a vehicle for public sale and likely never will.
The nail in the coffin? Nikola suffered a significant public fallout after a fraud scandal in September 2020. It was revealed that the company was essentially an elaborate scam set up by then-CEO Trevor Milton.
Milton was indicted by a United States federal grand jury on three counts of criminal fraud, accusing him of “lying about ‘nearly all aspects of the business,’” as well as two counts of securities fraud.
That said, there probably won’t ever be a Nikola electric truck for sale. But you can learn more about the Nikola Badger electric truck concept here.
As a bonus, Jerry
, the car insurance
comparison tool and super app
, will fill you in on how to find and insure an electric vehicle (EV) of your own. RECOMMENDEDNo spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms
Is there a Nikola electric truck?
No. But at one point in time, there was supposed to be.
It’s a bit of a long story…
While American truck giants like Ford
and Chevy
were making strides in the electric vehicle realm and Tesla’s electric truck waiting list was filling up, Nikola Corporation (formerly Nikola Motor Company) announced an EV pickup truck of its own in February 2020. Horrible timing in retrospect, we can surely all agree. But it gets worse. Nikola was supposed to make two versions of this car, one powered by hydrogen fuel cells and batteries, and the other a true battery electric vehicle (BEV). GM was supposed to help them release it.
But in November 2020, GM pulled out of the deal, forcing Nikola to cancel its plans for the Badger.
In March 2020—a month after the announcement of the Badger—Nikola revealed its plan for a public merger with VectoIQ Acquisition Corporation, an acquisition company run by a former General Motors exec. It would mark the beginning of NKLA public stock trading.
By September 8, Nikola and GM had cut a deal of their own, through which GM would get an 11% stake in Nikola. GM would then use its facilities to produce Badgers and supply Nikola with materials.
The NKLA stock jumped and continued to do so until September 10, 2020. Just two days after the announcement of the GM deal, Hindenburg Research published a report that accused Nikola of being “an intricate fraud.”
The claims were corroborated by research from other publications, and thus came the beginning of the end for Nikola. In November 2020, GM pulled out of the Nikola deal, and the Badger project was promptly canceled.
It really is a shame, because if Nikola spent its money actually building a good EV and fuel cell infrastructure, it could have changed the world. Instead, the Badger turned out to be nothing more than another get-rich-quick swindle.
What we know about the Nikola Badger
We don’t know much about how the Badger was supposed to work—there’s good evidence that a Nikola drivetrain had never actually been fully developed. In 2020, the company admitted to producing a promotional video of a Nikola One electric truck rolling downhill rather than driving.
Nikola’s electric future
Following the indictment of its founder, former CEO, and executive chairman, Trever Milton, Nikola’s future—electric or not—doesn’t look bright. The company is in legal turmoil and will likely never recover.
But of course, stranger things have happened.
The future of car insurance shopping
If you’re looking to buy an electric car, you may have already noticed that green vehicles
cost more to insure. This is because they often have parts that are rarer, more expensive, and/or difficult to repair. The other reason is that EVs and hybrids are still valued higher than gas vehicles, and pricey cars are more of a risk for insurance companies. That’s why the future of driving calls for great strides in car insurance shopping. No more phone calls, long forms, or gathering quotes one by one. Instead, use the Jerry
app to find competitive car insurance quotes sourced from over 50 name-brand insurers in less than a minute. As a licensed broker
, Jerry can even go as far as setting up your new insurance policy for you and helping to cancel your old insurance. The result is average savings to the tune of over $800 a year! “I was looking for a liability insurance plan for my truck until I can afford more coverage. Jerry
made it simple to shop around for the best deal for me. Thank you!” —Jake L.
4.717k Ratings5M+Drivers Joined
7M+Cars Garaged
