Nikola Motor Company earlier this month showed a semi-truck prototype called the One. Now the company has released more production details for what could be the first cohort of long-haul commercial trucks with zero tailpipe emissions.
The stage is set for much of the U.S. commercial-truck fleet?America?s freight backbone?to undergo a major transformation over the next decade. While established brands such as Freightliner and its parent, Daimler, are definitely up to the task, the upheaval could allow a new generation of upstart companies?including Nikola and even Tesla?to potentially grab some of the share.
Driving the unprecedented innovation in the industry are the tougher efficiency standards adopted by the federal government this past summer, affecting big rigs through 2027. Truckmakers are preparing to introduce solutions that roughly parallel how passenger vehicles are being remade: downsized engines, improved aerodynamics, hybridization, and, in some cases, battery-electric and fuel-cell powertrains. The Nikola One is a long-range Class 8 semi, with an electric motor system delivering power to the wheels and a hydrogen fuel cell generating up to 300 kW and buffered by a 320-kWh battery pack. Its range is 800 to 1200 miles between hydrogen refueling stops, and the all-electric powertrain should make the Nikola One exceptionally quick. The electric motor system delivers 1000 horsepower and 2000 lb-ft of torque. By comparison, Peterbilt Class 8 semis use a mammoth dies...