In May, we were talking about the first eco-friendly truck, Nikola One. The concept was promising, but there was no launch date in sight and images were just CGI. Things changed in the months since. Nikola One was revealed in “flesh and bone”, with a different proposition: the first semi to work on hydrogen fuel #automagic
Now, there’s no strong infrastructure for hydrogen fuel in U.S; there are just a dozen functional stations. Nikola One though, intends to copy Tesla and provide both the car and the fuel. On one hand, you have the truck: an 18-wheeler, with 320 kWh battery and a hydrogen fuel generator to keep it running. With a 1200 miles range, it will be available for lease between $5000-$7000/month. A lot? Well, this price includes seven years worth of hydrogen fuel. Plus, clients will have access to hydrogen stations they plan to build free of charge. These would generate fuel thanks to a solar power farm.
Nikola wants to start building stations in 2018 and envisions placing them 400 miles apart. They won’t serve Nikola One trucks exclusively, so automakers that have in their portfolios a hydrogen-powered car could benefit from them.
It all depends on whether drivers can embrace change and rely on an alternative truck like Nikola One.
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