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Nikola Corp. founder and Executive Chairman Trevor Milton believes the hydrogen fuel cell technology that powers his company’s trucks can place Nikola at the forefront of global efforts to toughen clean-air rules while also providing a truck that meets the needs of commercial fleets.

Nikola Corp. broke ground July 23 on a new electric-truck factory in Coolidge, Ariz., that it hopes to open next year, but first the startup needs to figure out a way to pay for the 1 million square-foot facility and other expenses with little cash on hand.

The CEO of Nel ASA, a Norwegian company founded in 1927 and the largest manufacturer of electrolyzer technology that produces hydrogen from water, said Nel is ready to “cut and paste” its manufacturing approach in locations around the world as interest in the alternative fuel climbs.

The executive chairman of Nikola Corp. is under siege from skeptics of the company he started in 2014 with the goal of revolutionizing the trucking industry.

The German government agreed June 10 on a long-term strategy for increasing production and use of hydrogen as part of a plan to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

A hydrogen-powered commercial truck built by Hyundai was set to begin hauling groceries in Switzerland in April, representing the first of 1,600 fuel cell electric trucks that the manufacturer plans to put on highways in the Alpine nation by 2025.

Hydrogen, which has been touted as the fuel of the future much of the past five decades, finally may be on the verge of converting its potential to reality.

Automotive supplier Bosch announced it formed an alliance with Powercell Sweden AB, the Swedish manufacturer of fuel cell stacks.

LAS VEGAS — Nikola Motor Co. founder and CEO Trevor Milton said two key customers — private fleet Anheuser-Busch Cos. and truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises — will begin fleet tests of Nikola’s zero-emisssions hydrogen-electric Class 8 trucks by the end of the year, as the first shoots of the necessary fueling infrastructure are emerging in Phoenix.