Lucid to buy Nikola's Arizona EV facilities after the latter's bankruptcy

Lucid Motors has announced that it's acquiring certain facilities in Arizona owned by Nikola, an EV truck maker that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection back in February. It will also offer more than 300 former Nikola employees jobs across its facilities in the state, including roles in engineering, software, assembly, vehicle testing and warehouse support. Lucid says that most of the space it's buying is comprised of state-of-the-art manufacturing and warehousing buildings. It's also getting the equipment inside those buildings, such as Nikola's battery and environmental testing chambers, machining equipment and a full-size chassis dynamometer, among others. 

Nikola, which was founded in 2015, used those facilities as its factory, headquarters and development center for zero-emission heavy trucks. When it announced its bankruptcy in February, the company also said that it was going to sell off its assets. Lucid didn't say how much it's paying for the purchase, but the deal is valued at $30 million in cash and non-cash considerations, according to Electrek. The acquisition is part of Lucid's planned expansion in Arizona, but it still has to be approved by the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. 

"As we continue our production ramp of Lucid Gravity and prepare for our upcoming midsize platform vehicles, acquiring these assets is an opportunity to strategically expand our manufacturing, warehousing, testing, and development facilities while supporting our local Arizona community," said Marc Winterhoff, Interim CEO at Lucid. The company launched its electric SUV, Gravity, 2024. At the moment, only the $94,000 Grand Touring trim is available, but Lucid plans to start production for the $79,900 Touring model sometime this year.