Nikola’s Hyla brand is teaming up with Voltera to develop the hydrogen fueling infrastructure to support deployment of fuel-cell-electric zero-emissions vehicles.

Through this strategic partnership agreement, Nikola and Voltera plan to develop up to 50 Hyla stations throughout North America over the next five years. This partnership underpins Nikola’s prior announced plans to develop 60 stations by 2026.

Nikola and Voltera said the partnership will create the largest North American open-network of commercial hydrogen refueling stations, providing fuel to vehicles from various manufacturers to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles.

“Our customers tell us, you’ve got this green truck, but where do I fuel it?” said Carey Mendes, president, Nikola Energy, during an ACT Expo press conference. “So, we set out about a year ago was to come up with fueling solutions for those trucks. Our publicly stated goal was to build 60 refueling stations by 2026. And not a single one exists right now. When we meet that goal, that will take 7,500 heavy-duty diesel trucks off the road. And that’s a big deal for us.”

In January, Nikola announced its Hyla brand, declaring it had solved the “chicken and egg” problem of fueling infrastructure.

Hyla is devoted to procuring, producing, distributing and dispensing hydrogen to fuel its zero-emissions fuel-cell-electric trucks — and those of other OEMs. It plans to break ground this year on its first hydrogen hub, west of Phoenix in Buckeye, Arizona.

Nikola-Voltera H2 Fueling Network

Voltera will site, build, own, and operate the strategically located, fit-for-purpose hydrogen refueling stations, and Nikola will supply the hydrogen fuel and provide technical expertise. This partnership will accelerate the deployment of the several billion dollars Voltera plans to invest into EV charging and hydrogen fueling facilities.

Voltera’s mission is to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles, said Matt Horton, CEO of Voltera. “By partnering with Nikola, we are expanding our focus beyond battery-electric vehicle charging in order to dramatically increase hydrogen fueling infrastructure, reduce barriers for operators buying vehicles at scale to enable mass adoption of hydrogen trucks.”

“Our partnership with Voltera will bring substantial capital and expertise to support Nikola’s plans to build refueling infrastructure to support its customers,” said Carey Mendes, president, Nikola Energy. “Voltera’s expertise in building out zero-emission energy infrastructure will be a key enabler for Nikola’s first-to-market hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks and fueling infrastructure.”

With reporting from Jack Roberts