Interest from European customers has led Nikola Motors to develop a hydrogen-electric truck for that market. The Nikola Tre (Norwegian for ‘three’) will be unveiled in prototype form at Nikola World in Phoenix in April.
“This truck is a real stunner and long overdue for Europe,” says Nikola Motor Company founder and CEO Trevor Milton. “It will be the first European zero-emission commercial truck to be delivered with redundant braking, redundant steering, redundant 800V DC batteries and a redundant 120kW hydrogen fuel cell, all necessary for true Level 5 autonomy. Expect our production to begin around the same time as our USA version in 2022-2023.”
The Nikola Tre has 500-1,000bhp (507-1,014ps), 6 x 4 or 6 x 2 configurations, and a range of 310-746 miles (500-1,200km) depending on options. The Tre will fit within the current size and length restrictions for Europe. European testing is projected to begin in Norway around 2020. Nikola is also in the early stages of identifying a location for a European manufacturing facility.
Nikola is currently working with Nel Hydrogen of Oslo to provide hydrogen stations for the USA. “Nel has been good to work with for our USA station design and rollout. We will work with Nel to secure resources for our European growth strategy. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but with the right partners, we can accomplish it,” adds Kim Brady, Nikola Motor Company CFO.
By 2028 Nikola plans to have more than 700 hydrogen stations across the USA and Canada. Each station is capable of 2,000-8,000kg of daily hydrogen production. Nikola’s European stations are planned to come online around 2022 and are projected to cover most of the European market by 2030.
