Do you remember Nikola Motor and their innovative 18-wheeler One Concept?
Why, of course you do, after all, it was billed as “the holy grail of the trucking industry” by the company’s founder and CEO, Trevor Milton, and it was supposed to use batteries, electric motors and a natural gas range extender for propulsion.
However, just three months before its official presentation, the small firm has ditched its original plans by announcing that the Nikola One will use hydrogen produced via “zero emission solar farms built by Nikola Motor“, which will help it become “the first company in the world to be 100 percent emission-free.“
“Today, Nikola is announcing that the electric drivetrain used in the U.S. and Canadian markets will be powered by a custom-built hydrogen-electric 800V fuel cell. Nikola’s hydrogen class 8 trucks will be more powerful than any other production diesel truck on the road and have a range of over 1,200 miles between fill-ups. It will achieve nearly 20 MPG with zero emissions under full load, surpassing all the government mandates set forth for the next 10 years, including the EPA’s recently announced Phase 2 GHG standards.“
Taking such a risky move after claiming to have received more than 7,000 reservations for the One, with deposits that total $2.3 billion, definitely won’t help Nikola Motor win any extra points, especially since we’re talking about a company that came out of stealth mode just a few months ago.
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