Lucid Opens Facility Previously Owned by Embattled Nikola

Electric vehicle maker Lucid announced the opening of its Phoenix Hub facility in Arizona, following the company’s acquisition of select Nikola Corporation assets in early April. 

In April, Lucid reached an agreement to acquire select facilities and assets in Arizona previously belonging to heavy-duty commercial electric vehicle maker Nikola, including sites in Phoenix and Coolidge. 

READ MORE: Lucid to Acquire Nikola Facilities, Assets 

Nikola had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a jury convicted its founder, Trevor Milton, of fraud for deceiving investors about the company's zero-emission 18-wheel truck technology.

Lucid expects the new facility to advance its manufacturing, product development and warehousing footprint. The company also aims to create up to 500 new jobs in Phoenix over the next three to five years.

READ MORE: Trump Pardons Nikola Founder 

The newly acquired buildings collectively add more than 884,000-square-feet to Lucid’s existing Arizona footprint, totaling nearly 4 million total square feet across the state. The new facilities include development equipment with battery and environmental testing chambers, a full-size chassis dynamometer and machining equipment.

The Phoenix Hub and Coolidge site will support Lucid's primary manufacturing factory in Casa Grande as the company scales Lucid Gravity production and activities and prepares for its upcoming midsize vehicle platform.

"These new facilities provide Lucid with immediate and substantial capacity for advanced manufacturing activities, as well as developing product innovations and testing components and systems" Lucid Senior Vice President of Operations Adrian Price said.