Lohscheller steps down as CEO of Nikola Motor

Nikola Motor is getting a new CEO and a new Chairman of the Board. Michael Lohscheller, who held both positions since the beginning of the year, is stepping down due to personal reasons.

The move is effective immediately, though Lohscheller “will remain at Nikola in an advisory capacity through the end of September to support a seamless transition”. He will be succeeded by Steve Girsky as CEO and Steve Shindler as Chairman of the Board.

According to a company announcement, Lohscheller decided to step down due to a family health matter. He will also return to Europe, Nikola Motor writes. “I feel privileged and honoured to have served as Nikola’s CEO and to have worked with so many inspiring colleagues who are relentlessly focused on advancing Nikola’s position as a leader in zero-emissions transportation. I am incredibly confident in Nikola’s future,” says Lohscheller.

Lohscheller took the job on 1 January 2023, after he joined the electric manufacturer in February 2022. The manager previously served as Opel (Vauxhall) CEO and briefly led the Vietnamese automotive startup VinFast. At Nikola Motor, Lohscheller is credited with doubling retail sales from the first to second quarter of 2023, supporting the launch of the Nikola Tre FCEV, and “substantially reducing the cash burn by more than 30% from Q1 to Q2 2023”.

Nikola presented its business figures for the second quarter and the first half of the year. The company posted a net loss of 387 million dollars from January to June, an increase from 326 million dollars in the same period last year. Nikola’s revenue in the first half of 2023 was 26 million dollars, compared to 20 million dollars in the first half of 2022.

The electric truck maker says that it launched serial production of its hydrogen fuel cell electric truck on 31 July and has already received orders for 200 units. The number of battery-electric sales is, as mentioned above, also on the rise.

nikolamotor.com (Lohscheller), nikolamotor.com (financial results)