This week, Nikola Corp. reported financial results for the fourth quarter of 2020, as well as full-year 2020 results. The company reported a narrower-than-expected loss for its latest quarter, but it also revealed some significant changes to its internal structure, which have resulted in a re-commitment to its electric heavy-duty truck business.
“In the fourth quarter of 2020, Nikola made the necessary changes to refocus and realign the company,” said Mark Russell, Nikola’s Chief Executive Officer. “You have seen us restructure our agreement with GM, cancel our battery-electric refuse truck program, discontinue our powersports program, and realign the company’s resources with a laser focus on our core businesses: battery-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell electric heavy-duty trucks and hydrogen-refueling infrastructure.”
Earlier in the week, the company unveiled the details of its North American FCEV commercial truck program. Following the launch of North American production of the Tre BEV (battery electric vehicle), Nikola plans to introduce an FCEV variant of the Tre Cabover, and the long-range Two FCEV Sleeper, with targeted ranges between 300-900 mi (480-1450 km) in the North American market.
“To expedite the transition to a carbon-free future, the trucking industry needs heavy-duty, zero-emission commercial vehicles engineered to match the weight and range capabilities of today’s diesel trucks,” said Nikola’s Global Head of FCEV Jason Roycht. “Nikola is excited to introduce additional detail about our portfolio of FCEV trucks and our continued commitment to sustainable commercial transportation.”
The company is building a vehicle portfolio to cover the entire spectrum of commercial freight. The Tre BEV Cabover is designed for trips up to 300 mi, the Tre FCEV comes with a range of 500 mi (805 km) and offers fast fueling capability for quick turnaround needs, and the Tre Two FCEV Sleeper carries a range of up to 900 mi.
The first Tre FCEV prototype builds are scheduled to begin in Arizona and Ulm, Germany, in Q2 2021, with testing and validation of the vehicles continuing into 2022, and production planned for the second half of 2023.
The Nikola Two FCEV Sleeper is a long-haul freight solution with hydrogen capacity allowing a non-stop range of up to 900 mi. It leverages the weight advantage of hydrogen in long-range, long-haul zero-emission commercial transportation. The Two FCEV will be based on a new chassis custom-designed for North American long-haul routes and is anticipated to launch in late 2024.
Each FCEV is expected to use multiple common fuel-cell power modules and scalable hydrogen storage systems. Both systems are currently in development and testing with industry leaders in collaboration with Nikola Engineering. The first Tre prototypes using these systems are expected to begin road testing in 2022.
“Our plan is to enter the market in steps,” said Roycht. “We are building on the current Tre platform with the planned launch of our fuel-cell and hydrogen storage systems in 2023. These systems are designed to be scalable in order to handle the greater power and longer-range requirements for long-haul, which allows for concurrent integration into the chassis design of the Nikola Two FCEV Sleeper. Utilizing common components and systems for hydrogen propulsion will support greater economies of scale and also allow Nikola to continuously expand and adapt our FCEV truck portfolio to address the diverse requirements of commercial trucking.”
