Startup truckmaker Nikola had its fans seriously hyped this past March when it announced it was going to jump aboard the electric pickup truck bandwagon with the Badger. The truck, which only ever appeared in computer-rendered form, was supposed to boast 906 horsepower and 980 pound-feet of torque, and deliver 600 miles of range. Now? It's dead before we even saw the real thing.
On Monday, Nikola announced a new memorandum of understanding with General Motors, following lengthy new discussions over a proposed partnership following fraud allegations against the startup company. Not included in the MOU is GM's prior commitment to validate, homologate and manufacture the Badger. Nikola was also supposed to gain access to GM's engineers to help bring the pickup truck to life. It's a big strike against the new automaker, which banked on a lot of hype for its upcoming vehicles. Instead, it looks like we're staring at reality.
