nikola Nikola Class 8 Zero Emission Semi Debutes

[G. David Felt]

G. David Felt
Staff Writer Alternative Energy - www.CheersandGears.com

 

Nikola Class 8 Zero Emission Semi Debutes

December 1st was a huge night for Nikola, an EV Semi truck start up by various Tesla folks that felt the world needed Zero Emission Semi's before auto's. As such Nikola showed off their first long range Class 8 Zero Emission Hydrogen-Electric Semi.

The Nikola One semi has the following specifications:

• 1,000 Horsepower
• 2,000 ft. lbs. of torque
• 4 electric motors for AWD.
• 800 - 1,200 mile range
• 320 kWh battery pack recharged by on-board generator and regeneration braking, plug-in recharging available at Hydrogen fueling stations
• Nikola Fuel Cell - Produces 200 kW of energy to recharge the battery pack and provide added power for the motors during steep hill climbs
• Pure electric mode is 100-200 miles depending on load.

• 1-2 full sized beds
• Large 4K TV
• Full size fridge and freezer
• Microwave
• Large closet for hanging clothes
• Computer desk
• Apple TV integrated
• WiFi and 4GLTE Internet connectivity
• Electronic climate control
• Free hydrogen fuel for 1,000,000 miles
• 364 current hydrogen stations planned across Canada and U.S.
• 800 Service & warranty locations provided by partner Ryder Systems
• Electric regenerative braking with air disc brakes as assistance is needed. 3-4x the life of traditional brakes

Nikola is starting with their two Semi options, the Nikola One, long distance Class 8 Semi and their Nikola Two, a day only use Class 8 semi. Cost comes in at a very competitive $5,000 - $7,000 per month Lease. At this time no purchase options are available. Nikola says this will give fleets and independent truckers equal par on the rigs and price and allow them to get a new truck every 7 years or 1,000,000 miles which ever comes first. Nikola has announced that since they started sales 30 days ago, they have booked 3 Billion of Nikola One Sales already with a down payment. Nikola expects to have the Nikola One and Two semi on the roads of america by January 2020 beating German and Asian auto companies to be the first long distant pure zero emission class 8 semi.

Nikola also announced that starting in 2017, OEM's and personal EV conversion outfits can purchase their 107 kWh battery pack. Nikola says that their 107 kWh battery pack if used in a BMW i3 would give the car a 400 mile range. They say that they could also use their battery design and pack a 125 kWh battery into the existing space on a Tesla S battery envelope allowing a greatly extended range over Tesla current 100 kWh battery.

Nikola has also gone into production the Nikola Zero, a 4x4 AWD UTV that has 520HP & 476 ft-lbs. of torque good for a 200+ mile range depending on terrain, check out Nikola Power Sports for more details.

Nikola Motors

Press Release

Nikola 30 Days of Sales

Nikola Power Sports

Additional Nikola Press Releases and Pictures

 

Nikola Picture Album

[A Horse With No Name]

Shame they are doing this with hydrogen, hydrogen is a dead end technology IMHO.

[G. David Felt]

8 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Shame they are doing this with hydrogen, hydrogen is a dead end technology IMHO.

I understand as I would think CNG or LNG, but I do also understand why they went this way for a true zero emission truck.

Interesting is that Ryder locations North America Wide are to have the Hydrogen fueling systems in place by 2020. Be interesting to see.

As they say, money talks, bullshit walks, they have 3 billion in sales logged so far with down payments. So I really hope they do deliver on time Jan 2020. It will be very exciting.

[A Horse With No Name]

10 hours ago, dfelt said:

I understand as I would think CNG or LNG, but I do also understand why they went this way for a true zero emission truck.

Interesting is that Ryder locations North America Wide are to have the Hydrogen fueling systems in place by 2020. Be interesting to see.

As they say, money talks, bullshit walks, they have 3 billion in sales logged so far with down payments. So I really hope they do deliver on time Jan 2020. It will be very exciting.

Ohh yes, this is a game changer...so much for people wanting to hang on to the status quo....

[Guest Wings4Life(BANNED)]

1 hour ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Ohh yes, this is a game changer...so much for people wanting to hang on to the status quo....

People hold on to what is proven, dependable and affordable.

I don't know many people that reject something simply because it is new.  They reject it, for reasons that matter to them.

[Drew Dowdell]

22 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Shame they are doing this with hydrogen, hydrogen is a dead end technology IMHO.

It used to be.... now they've found a way to produce it without using huge amounts of energy to do so using a biological process instead of an electrical one.

[G. David Felt]

23 hours ago, A Horse With No Name said:

Shame they are doing this with hydrogen, hydrogen is a dead end technology IMHO.

 

1 hour ago, Drew Dowdell said:

It used to be.... now they've found a way to produce it without using huge amounts of energy to do so using a biological process instead of an electrical one.

WOW, I missed this change in production and the zero effect it has on green house gases. Some very cool reading here:

http://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-photobiological

http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/proj_production_delivery.html

Ton's more of interesting reading. The last couple years the research has really changed the way things are looked at.

I can now seen even bigger changes and this Nikola One Semi is a perfect fit for the future of trucking just like EV auto's will be a logical step for us also.

[A Horse With No Name]

5 hours ago, dfelt said:

 

WOW, I missed this change in production and the zero effect it has on green house gases. Some very cool reading here:

http://www.energy.gov/eere/fuelcells/hydrogen-production-photobiological

http://www.nrel.gov/hydrogen/proj_production_delivery.html

Ton's more of interesting reading. The last couple years the research has really changed the way things are looked at.

I can now seen even bigger changes and this Nikola One Semi is a perfect fit for the future of trucking just like EV auto's will be a logical step for us also.

Exciting time to be alive.  Wish I could go back to the 1950s and give them this technology...can you imagine where we would be now?

9 hours ago, Wings4Life said:

People hold on to what is proven, dependable and affordable.

I don't know many people that reject something simply because it is new.  They reject it, for reasons that matter to them.

Stagecoach, steam locomotives and side wheel boats on the Mississippi River were once proven, dependable and affordable. Future is coming regardless.

[Guest Wings4Life(BANNED)]

30 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

 

Stagecoach, steam locomotives and side wheel boats on the Mississippi River were once proven, dependable and affordable. Future is coming regardless.

Yes, the future is coming, and I am one of the many bringing it to know.

But until it does, what we have is best.

[G. David Felt]

@Wings4Life

What we have is reliable, not necessarily the best. Best is always products that push the envelope to the bleeding edge even when it breaks.

Computer industry has taught us that the best is always yet to come and we have reliable, bleeding edge best next version and the best to come.

I agree that you and many others will help bring the future and we need to always embrace it.  

[A Horse With No Name]

12 hours ago, dfelt said:

@Wings4Life

What we have is reliable, not necessarily the best. Best is always products that push the envelope to the bleeding edge even when it breaks.

Computer industry has taught us that the best is always yet to come and we have reliable, bleeding edge best next version and the best to come.

I agree that you and many others will help bring the future and we need to always embrace it.  

Holding onto technology for too long is a bad thing also.  The flathead was a fantastic motor for 1932 when it was introduced.

GM abandoned for the most part valve in block technology as obsolete before Ford did, which gave them the experience to build the fantastic Small block Chevrolet motor that came out in 1955.

Ford beat GM to market by one year with the Y block, but the Y block was by nearly all accounts (first hand people I have talked to, restorers, collectors, people who bought these new in the 1950's, people who were still using 1950's cars in the early 1970's when I started loving cars...) a dud compared with the SBC.

As Wings said, people use what is reliable, affordable, and available...

Agree completely on developing the ICE as well though.  Ford's Ecoboost truck motor is wonderful. I live in an area where lots of people drive trucks, even a few years after the Ecoboost F150 came out....people are still just raving about it...

When I was in kindergarten, we used to sing a song called make new friends and keep the old, one is solver and the other is gold....

Same with technology.  I like woodworking...I use Japanese chisels that are made with the same forge technology that made Samurai swords in the 14th century...

...alongside chisels made with PMV-11, a 21st century alloy that stays sharper than traditional metals.

Still freaking love the damned semi in this article though....

PMV-11

http://www.pm-v11.com/Story.aspx

Japanese chisel making....

 

[G. David Felt]

42 minutes ago, A Horse With No Name said:

PMV-11

http://www.pm-v11.com/Story.aspx

Japanese chisel making....

 

That was very cool, traditional old school tool making. Not the most efficient form of mass produced product, but quality that is hard to touch when done by a master worker. 

Talk about the muscles the guys have to have in their arms. Love it, thanks for posting.

[A Horse With No Name]

25 minutes ago, dfelt said:

That was very cool, traditional old school tool making. Not the most efficient form of mass produced product, but quality that is hard to touch when done by a master worker. 

Talk about the muscles the guys have to have in their arms. Love it, thanks for posting.

Sure thing!