(Reuters) - Nikola ( NKLA ) said on Wednesday it delivered 88 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks to its dealers in the third quarter, up from 72 trucks in the previous three-month period, signaling steady demand for the company's big rigs.

The company had expected to sell between 80 and 100 units during the period. Nikola ( NKLA ) had reported an 80% surge sequentially in the second quarter.

It also said it has delivered 200 hydrogen fuel cell trucks to dealers so far this year.

Shares of Nikola ( NKLA ) rose about 2% in premarket trading.

(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva and Shilpi Majumdar)