Beer maker and distributor Anheuser-Busch placed 40 pre-orders for the all-electric Tesla Semi late last year, but the biggest deal will the one concerning the order of up to 800 hydrogen trucks from startup Nikola Motor Company.
Through this agreement, Anheuser-Busch intends on converting its entire fleet of long-haul vehicles to renewable source-powered trucks by 2025.
Nikola claims that it will unveil the production version of its hydrogen truck at next year’s Consumer Electronics Show and that deliveries of Anheuser-Busch’s trucks will kick off in 2020.
Nikola is leading the charge towards renewable trucks
By the year 2028, Nikola plans to have 700 hydrogen stations up and running throughout the United States and Canada. Anheuser-Busch will help Nikola establish the first 28 of these fueling stations, with the first two set to become operational before the end of the year.
“Hydrogen-electric technology is the future of logistics and we’re proud to be leading the way,” Nikola chief executive Trevor Milton said.
“Anheuser-Busch has a long history of investing in progressive, sustainable technology and we are excited to partner with them to bring the largest hydrogen network in the world to the USA. By 2028, we anticipate having over 700 hydrogen stations across the USA and Canada. With nearly 9 billion dollars in pre-order reservations, we are building to order, not speculation, and are very excited for what’s to come.”
Last week, Nikola filed a patent lawsuit against Tesla claiming patent infringement and accusing Elon Musk’s company of copying design elements of the Nikola One.