Nikola Tre gets board approval as a ZEV, qualifying for a $120,000 incentive for California customers

American Zero-emission vehicle manufacturer Nikola Motors recently shared news that its Tre BEV semi truck has received eligibility from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to be classified as a Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) in the state, thus qualifying for an incentive of $120,000 per truck.

Nikola Corporation ($NKLA) is an American developer of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) that publicly showcased meteoric rise and motorless tumble down the hill of the automotive world.

The automaker has a colorful and well-documented past of overpromising and underdelivering that was led by former CEO and plaintiff Trevor Milton. Nikola Motors has moved on from previous controversy after agreeing to a $125 million settlement agreement with the SEC at the end of 2021.

The company has also recently dropped its own lawsuit against Tesla over a patented semi truck design and has turned its focus toward its Tre BEV trucks, which began first deliveries this past December. Yes, Nikola Motors delivered an EV. It happened.

Since then, Nikola has shared news of several more letters of intent to purchase hundreds more Tre trucks. With its latest approval in California, customers operating in The Golden State might be more apt to purchase a Tre or two of their own, given the new incentives available to them.

Nikola Tre to cost $120,000 less to customers in California

Nikola Motors shared news of its recent board approval via a press release. The California Air Resources Board has deemed the Nikola Tre eligible for the state’s Hybrid and Zero-Emission Truck and Bus Voucher Incentive Project (HVIP) program, administered by CALSTART on behalf of CARB.

The Tre BEV incentive is now available to any purchaser currently operating in the state of California to help reduce the total cost of ownership for businesses looking to transition to zero-emission fleets. Michael Erickson, Nikola’s Global Head, Battery-Electric Vehicles, spoke to the automaker’s recent eligibility approval:

We applaud CARB’s commitment to a greener future through the HVIP program. Our HVIP approval is anticipated to help dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lowers the total cost of ownership for Nikola’s California-based customers.

Nikola Motors stated it believes its Tre BEV range of 350 miles is expected to be the longest amongst current HVIP eligible Class 8 tractors. The Tre remains the one and only BEV Nikola Motors is manufacturing and selling at this point.