Nikola Corporation has celebrated the commercial launch of its hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle at its manufacturing facility in Arizona, US.

Steve Girsky, Nikola President and Chief Executive Officer said: “It's a testament to the relentless ‘can do’ attitude of our team and is a step closer to realising our vision of sustainable and efficient transportation.

As we head into the fourth quarter, we are focused on delivering our trucks at scale and securing our position as pioneers in the hydrogen refuelling ecosystem to support our customers."

Earlier in September, Mr Girsky participated in a Q&A session, in which he said deliveries of the hydrogen fuel cell truck were planned for late September and early October.

The firm’s hydrogen fuel cell electric truck features a range of up to 500 miles, which it says is among the longest ranges of all commercially available zero tailpipe emission Class 8 trucks.

Nikola shared it had received 223 non-binding orders for the hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks, from fleet operators such as J.B. Hunt, AJR Trucking, Biagi Bros. and TTSI.

There was also progress on the fuel cell power module assembly line in Coolidge, Arizona, which is scheduled for completion in Q4 of this year.

Sandra Watson, President and CEO of the Arizona Commerce Authority said: "Nikola's investment in Arizona's electric vehicle supply chain and their partnership with leading suppliers are driving further economic growth. We look forward to supporting Nikola's success as the company continues to shape the future of transportation from Coolidge."