Drone footage recently published on YouTube by Oneshot Creative gives us a visual account of the construction progress made on Nikola Corporation’s $600 million production facility in Coolidge, Arizona.
Nikola Corp. broke ground on this project on July 23, 2020. Being built on a 430-acre chunk of land located off U.S Highway 87 on East Houser Road and Vail Road, the completed facility will be able to produce approximately 35,000 units of zero-emission electric vehicles every year.
From what we can see in the drone footage and according to a source on the ground, the bulk of the construction right now consists of soil and drainage work. In addition, contractors are also in the process of paving the way for more construction equipment to be brought into the site.
The production facility will be manufacturing the Nikola Two and the Nikola Tre to start with, creating 1,800+ new jobs by the time it’s completed. The Tesla competitor is currently operating on a ~30-month timeline for construction on the project, with phase one slated to be completed in the latter half of 2021, and phase two in the 12-18 months after.
Nikola Corporation has been in a bit of hot water recently, so seeing construction on its Coolidge facility being on schedule should bring stakeholders and EV enthusiasts alike some solace, but the lack of progress still has people doubting the legitimacy of the company’s bold claims.
Update Sept. 20, 2020: Nikola founder Trevor Milton has reportedly resigned.
