Less than four months separate truckers from catching a glimpse of the future, as Nikola One will make its transition from renderings to a fully working prototype.
Taking a swing at the upcoming electric semi-trucks announced over the past couple of weeks by Mercedes-Benz and Tesla Motors, the Nikola One will be officially unveiled in Salt Lake City on December 2, and is referred to as “the holy grail of the trucking industry“, by the company’s founder and CEO, Trevor Milton.
“While other companies have recently announced battery-powered semi-trucks, those trucks are restricted to a range of only a couple hundred miles and four to eight hours of charging between stops. Nikola has engineered the holy grail of the trucking industry. We are not aware of any zero-emission truck in the world that can haul 80,000 pounds (36,287 kg) more than 1,000 miles (1,609 km) and do it without stopping. The Nikola One requires only 15 minutes of downtime before heading out for the next 1,000 miles.“
As previously announced, Nikola Motor’s semi uses six electric motors, one at each wheel, and a natural gas extender to provide a combined output of more than 2,000 HP and over 3,700 lb-ft (5,017 Nm) of torque, which allows it to go from zero to sixty (96 km/h), under load, in half the time required for a diesel-powered semi. Its abilities resulted in more than 7,000 reservations made with deposits, which total $2.3 billion, according to the manufacturer.
In addition to the Nikola One, the Utah-based company also plans to build emission-free powerplants, which range from 50 kW to 50 MW, cutting power generation costs in half, a technology that “has the ability to transform America’s roadways” and “how the world will migrate towards zero-emission energy going forward“.
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