What you need to know:
- Iveco files legal objection to Nikola E-Axle patents included in Hyroad Energy $3.85M truck deal.
- FPT Industrial claims full ownership, having paid 100% of patent maintenance fees since 2022.
- Dispute centers on Nikola Tre FCEV fleet and electric vehicle technology sold in bankruptcy auction.
- Court ruling could affect intellectual property rights, Hyroad acquisition, and Nikola digital fleet operations.
- Hyroad Energy CTO Aaron Lapsley told Clean Trucking the company cannot "comment on ongoing legal matters... [and remains] focused on deploying hydrogen fuel cell trucks."
A legal dispute has emerged in Nikola's bankruptcy proceedings, with European truck manufacturer Iveco and its affiliates formally objecting to the sale of key electric vehicle technology to Austin, Texas-based Hyroad Energy, the buyer that won Nikola's bankruptcy auction last August.
The objection was filed on January 13, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The challenge follows a broader unraveling of the Nikola–Iveco relationship, which shifted from a joint venture to a strategic partnership in mid-2023.
So why is this specific case important?
At stake is whether Hyroad will ultimately receive all the assets it believes it purchased. If Iveco succeeds, the ruling could narrow both the value and scope of the technology tied to the Nikola Tre fleet—assets Hyroad is relying on to keep those trucks operational.
E-Axle intellectual property dispute
The conflict centers on ownership of Nikola's first-generation electronic axle, or "E-Axle" technology, formally titled Improved Drive System for an Electric Vehicle. Court filings show the technology was jointly developed by Nikola and Iveco affiliate FPT Industrial under a 2020 technical agreement.
Iveco maintains that when the joint venture was terminated in 2023, the E-Axle intellectual property was meant to remain jointly owned. However, Nikola's more recent bankruptcy filings allegedly list the patents as solely owned by Nikola or fail to acknowledge Iveco's 50% interest.
Iveco further argues that Nikola forfeited any claim to the patents by failing to pay required maintenance fees. According to the objection, FPT has covered 100% of the costs needed to keep the patents active in the U.S., Italy, and Europe since they were filed in 2022. Without those payments, Iveco says, the patents would have lapsed. As a result, Iveco contends that ownership should now rest entirely with FPT, leaving Nikola with no rights to transfer.
The company is asking the court to confirm that a prior sale order did not authorize the transfer of the U.S. E-Axle patent, to block Nikola from selling any portion of the E-Axle IP, and to require Hyroad—if any sale proceeds—to assume Nikola's outstanding obligations, including unpaid maintenance fees.
In response to an inquiry from Clean Trucking, Hyroad's Chief Technology Officer, Aaron Lapsey, provided the following statement:
Hyroad's plans for the Nikola fleet
Hyroad announced last November that it plans to restore digital connectivity to Nikola Class 8 trucks beginning in December 2025, bringing back truck-to-cloud access for remaining Tre BEV and FCEV vehicles, most of which operate in California.
[Related: Hyroad Energy partnership aims to boost California's hydrogen trucking network]
The restored services include Nikola's Fleet web app and Drive mobile app, real-time vehicle tracking, cellular connectivity, and features such as remote lock and unlock, odometer data, fuel and battery monitoring, hydrogen efficiency metrics, driver performance analytics, and diagnostics. Access to these tools requires a subscription priced at $299 per truck per month, with annual discounts available.
The current dispute stems from Nikola's post-auction decision to expand Hyroad's asset purchase agreement to include patents—such as the E-Axle design—after the sale had closed. Hyroad initially paid $3.85 million for 113 hydrogen fuel cell Tre trucks, along with related infrastructure and equipment. Iveco argues that adding intellectual property after the fact, without identifying Iveco or FPT as co-owners, was improper and legally invalid.
The court's ruling could determine whether those patents remain part of Hyroad's acquisition—or are stripped from the deal entirely.
