Michael Lohscheller is leaving the company so that he can return to Europe to focus on a family health emergency, the company said. He will be replaced in the CEO role by Stephen Girsky, a former General Motors executive who had been chairman of the board. Girsky will retain a board seat, but give up the chairman role as he transitions to CEO, effective immediately.
So far this year, the company has built 96 trucks and shipped 76 battery electric vehicles, according to earnings that were also announced Friday. Nikola reported a net loss of $387 million in the first half of the year, up from $326 million in the first half of last year. The company’s loss from continuing operations was down compared to last year, though. Nikola’s shares fell 26% at Friday’s market closing on the news. Lohscheller hadn’t been CEO very long.