Nikola Motors

F350joe

Well-known member
Didn't see anything about this truck, so thought I'd share this article. I like it better than the CyberTruck.


I just came in to post his about it, interesting...https://nikolamotor.com/hydrogen
 

1leglance

2007 Expedition Trophy Champion, Overland Certifie
At Overland Expo West last year I was all over the Rivian and we all know recharging is a big issue...
This blows everything else out of the water with the Fuel Cell and EV setup.....300 miles EV only and 300 miles on hydrogen for a combined 600 mile range.
Plus Nikola has a map on their website showing everywhere they are trying to put hydrogen refuel places which will be good for the big rigs also.
Here in Arizona I saw plenty of places to allow all the offroad travel I would want.

Now just waiting for price and details.
 

Lovetheworld

Active member
I'm sorry, why do we all know that regarching is an issue? It seems to be an issue for everybody that does not own an EV.
You leave with a full car everyday, you rarely have to charge along the way. How often do you drive more than 300 miles a day? And if you do, you need to take a break anyway. Charging at speeds of 150 to 250KW is absolutely fine.
Here in Netherlands we already have many electric cars, some shorter range and slow charging. But obviously also Teslas with their Supercharger network and with that, there is no issue at all.
People even take a Tesla from Norway to Spain, although that is not the average of course.

Hydrogen has so many disadvatages. Recently one blew up in Norway, which also changed minds about it.

Anyway, how realistic is it to create 2000 of these hydron stations? It will take a long time and they are much more expensive than an electric car charger.
If too many cars fill up, the station needs time to get back on pressure again.

And making Hydrogen from an electric source and using it for driving is idiotic, as you are throwing away the majority of the energy (two thirds) because of all the inefficiency.

On top of all that, you still keep the same model. That means dependencies on companies providing fuel stations and governments taxing it.
While with an electric car, you can charge it at home 95% of the time. Only need faster charging on long trips. Who cares that it takes a bit longer then, when you need to take a break anyway. And you don't waste any time the rest of the year going to gas stations.

I doubt that this car will be priced any lower than the announced electric pickups. And the operating costs of hydrogen are higher

For now, hydrogen stations are hard to find, while there are plugs anywhere. There was even a couple who drove a Tesla Model S around Central Asia, which doesn't have any infrastructure at all for charging electric cars.
 
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docwatson

Adventurer
Earlier adopters always have it tough at first. The upside here is that you still have 300 miles electric in this truck.

Has Nikola produced anything other than prototypes though? Seems like there are a lot of these "tech" automotive startups with bold claims, always 2-3 years in the future. Tesla's biggest advantage is it's actually churning out electric cars.
 

TantoTrailers

Well-known member
this truck looks awesome, I was reading up on it earlier....definitely a contender for next truck after I hit 300k on this one
 
Hydrogen at the moment is super expensive. I think that if you look at it like an electric truck with 300 miles of range and a back up hydrogen tank for those "oh ********" moments it becomes a much better proposition. "Hydrogen fuel prices range from $12.85 to more than $16 per kilogram (kg), but the most common price is $13.99 per kg (equivalent on a price per energy basis to $5.60 per gallon of gasoline), which translates to an operating cost of $0.21 per mile."
 

givemethewillys

Jonathan Chouinard
I'm interested/intrigued to see if they actually produce a product. I think that electric has a lot of potential for an everyday vehicle, and I like the backup power source for those oops I went to far moments. I've had a few of those in a gas vehicle, so its definitely not exclusive to electric.
 

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