Arizona is getting a 500-acre, one-million-square-foot facility in Buckeye that will represent $1 billion in capital investment into the region by 2024 from Nikola Motor Company, according to an announcement by Gov. Doug Ducey.
“We will begin transferring our R&D and headquarters to Arizona immediately and hope to have the transition completed by October 2018,” says Trevor Milton, CEO and founder of Nikola Motor Company. “We have already begun planning the construction for our zero emission manufacturing facility in Buckeye, which we expect to have underway by the end of 2019.”
This facility is slated to bring 2,000 jobs to Buckeye and will manufacture Nikola Motor Company’s hydrogen-electric semi-trucks. The company currently has 8,000 pre-orders for its trucks.
“This incredible new technology will revolutionize transportation, and we’re very proud it will be engineered right here in Arizona. I thank Nikola’s CEO Trevor Milton and his entire team for this significant investment in our state,” Ducey said in a statement.
Nikola Motor Company states the Buckeye area was selected due to Arizona’s pro-business environment, engineering schools, educated workforce and location that gives access to many key markets.
The facility will be developed on a 500-acre parcel at Sun Valley Parkway, near the future Wintersburg Parkway. The facility will be near the entrances to the Douglas Ranch/Trillium master-planned community.
“Conceived as the prototype “Smart City,” Trillium at Douglas Ranch aligns well with Nikola Motors groundbreaking technology,” said Jerry Colangelo, Co-Founder & Partner with David Eaton and Mel Shultz of JDM Partners. “We look forward to working with everyone here to bring Nikola’s innovative products and their 2,000 professionals into this city of the future, creating a tremendous economic opportunity for Arizona.”
The governor, Sandra Watson, and Chris Camacho worked on attracting this project, with Nikola’s CEO Milton saying about their efforts, “After 12 months, nine states and 30 site locations, Arizona, Governor Ducey, Sandra Watson and Chris Camacho were the clear front runners.”
