Nikola’s Tre Is A Hydrogen-Electric Semi Designed Specifically For Europe

We haven’t heard much from Nikola lately, but that’s changing today as the company has unveiled the all-new Tre.

Named after the Norwegian word for three, the Tre is hydrogen-powered truck which was designed specifically for Europe. The name is a fitting choice as Nikola plans to begin testing the semi in the country around 2020.

The Tre will be offered in an assortment of configurations and the company says the semi will have outputs ranging from 500 hp (372 kW / 507 PS) to 1,000 hp (745 kW / 1,013 PS). The Tre will also feature a hydrogen-electric powertrain which will enable the model to have a range between 310-745 miles (500-1200 km).

Since the Tre is being designed for Europe, it will meet the continent’s size and length restrictions. This, along with the more conventional design, will help to set it apart from the Nikola One and Two.

Nikola CEO Trevor Milton also suggested the model could eventually be offered with a Level 5 autonomous driving system. As he explained, the Tre will become the “European zero-emission commercial truck to be delivered with redundant braking, redundant steering, redundant 800Vdc batteries and a redundant 120 kW hydrogen fuel cell, all necessary for true level 5 autonomy.”

If everything goes according to plan, the Tre will go into production around 2022 or 2023. The company hasn’t said where the model will be built, but noted it is in the “preliminary planning stages to identify the proper location for its European manufacturing facility.”

While Nikola released pictures of the semi, the model won’t celebrate its global debut until next April.  It will be shown in prototype form at a special event in Phoenix, Arizona.

Besides introducing the Tre, Nikola said it plans to have more than 700 hydrogen refueling stations across Canada and the United States by 2028. The first European station is scheduled to come online around 2022 and most of the European market with be covered by hydrogen refueling stations by 2030.