Nikola Corp. (Nasdaq: NKLA) has unveiled a new brand, HYLA, to represent its hydrogen business, the company announced on Wednesday.
HYLA encompasses Nikola’s energy products for producing, distributing and dispensing hydrogen to fuel its zero-emissions electric trucks and those of other manufacturers, Nikola said at a brand launch event attended by more than 300 people at its Phoenix headquarters.
“Simply put, the strategic mission of HYLA is to secure supplies of clean hydrogen and then to distribute it to our customers at very competitive prices,” Carey Mendes, president of energy for Nikola, said. “This is going to help every one of our customers to achieve their sustainability goals and dramatically reduce carbon emissions for our planet.”
Under the HYLA brand, Nikola intends to develop more than 300 metric-tons per day of hydrogen, which is expected to be supported by the company’s planned hydrogen hub in Buckeye and its partnerships with Plug Power, Wabash Valley Resources, TC Energy and KeyState to develop additional hydrogen production facilities nationwide.
In December, Nikola agreed to sell 75 of its Tre Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles over the next three years to Plug Power in exchange for purchasing a liquefaction system for its hydrogen production hub in Buckeye.
Nikola’s hydrogen production hub will be built in phases to scale with demand for the company’s Tre FCEVs, which have an expected range of 500 miles and a refueling time of fewer than 20 minutes.
The hydrogen production hub, which is slated to begin operation in 2024, is expected to produce 30 metric tons of hydrogen in its first phase and more than 150 metric tons in future phases – enough to fuel 3,500 trucks a day, according to the company.
Nikola is also manufacturing a mobile fueler, which cools and compresses hydrogen to quickly fill more than 700 FCEVs. When paired with a hydrogen tube trailer, the mobile fueler can fill customer trucks back-to-back, according to the company. Nikola released its first mobile fueler earlier in the month with additional fuelers to hit the market in the first quarter of 2023.
“It’s important because it helps us get hydrogen and these trucks on the road — not five years from now — but right now in 2023,” Mendes said. “And it makes the transition to a zero emissions truck much more seamless.”
Nikola indicated its building 60, heavy-duty hydrogen filling stations by 2026, beginning with California stations in Ontario, Colton and near the Port of Long Beach.
“What this means is that HYLA, our new hydrogen energy brand, can deliver hydrogen to its customers anytime, anywhere,” Mendes said. “It’s perfect for quickly establishing refueling sites anywhere you can imagine.”
Earlier this month, Nikola announced plans to move its battery manufacturing operations from Cypress, California to its Coolidge facility by the third quarter of this year. The move will bring Nikola’s truck and fuel cell power assembly and battery module and pack production under one roof.
“Nikola is the only company that is successfully integrating a revolutionary new product, the hydrogen fuel cell truck, and the full hydrogen energy infrastructure supply chain under one roof,” Michael Lohscheller, Nikola president and CEO, said in a statement. “The unveiling of our Nikola Tre fuel cell truck and flexible mobile fueling trailer demonstrates a real and sustainable competitive advantage for our customers and are significant proof points that we are accomplishing what we set out to achieve.”