Nikola plans to make hydrogen the transportation fuel of the future. Plenty of hurdles remain to be overcome before that happens, but the strategy the company disclosed at Nikola World 2019 seems workable. One of the biggest challenges could be getting the rest of the world to see the solution as Nikola sees it.
There’s water, water everywhere, and little of it being transformed into fuel. Nikola Motor wants to change that – as well as the way fleets pay for trucks and their fuel – as it rolls out the new hydrogen-powered Nikola Two.
We sat down with Nikola Motor Co. CEO Trevor Milton at the Nikola World event in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the evening before he had introduced the Nikola Two hydrogen-electric truck to the world, to get his thoughts on the fueling infrastructure, the competition, hydrogen vs. electric trucks, and why he thinks truck drivers will be eager to switch from diesel.
At the Nikola World event in Scottsdale, Arizona, Nikola Motor Co. showed off two new vehicles, the Nikola Two hydrogen electric Class 8 truck and the Europe-bound Nikola Tre.
Plug Power will offer a hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system for delivery vans and light- or medium-duty cargo box trucks this summer in Europe and Asia.
Nikola Motor Company recently signed a $16 million order to purchase equipment for the first phase of its advanced fuel cell development laboratory.
North Carolina-based hydrogen fuel company OneH2 completed the first stage of a dedicated hydrogen fuel plant for the East Coast that can serve forklift fleets and eventually heavy-duty trucks.
Nikola Motor's new president has more than 20 years of experience in building successful manufacturing companies.
Several developers of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) and hydrogen technologies are collaborating to streamline testing of heavy-duty hydrogen fueling hardware and help standardize fuel cell electric trucks.
“ICE” – the internal combustion engine – “is the enemy. Not hydrogen or BEV,” said Nikola as it said in a tweet that it's going to produce both battery-electric and hydrogen-electric trucks.
A hydrogen fueling station opened near the Los Angeles International Airport, which is the 39th retail hydrogen station in California, according to the California Fuel Cell Partnership.
Hyundai Motor Group plans to invest $6.7 billion in hydrogen fuel cell technology and hopes to produce 700,000 fuel cell systems each year by 2030. Hyundai, which owns about 33% of Kia Motor Corp., plans to install 500,000 of those in Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Toyota New Zealand had joined the recently established New Zealand Hydrogen Association, and is one of the first automakers part of the association.
Toyota's Mirai will add a pair of safety packages for the 2019 model year, as the company continues to offer the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle mostly on retail leases to private owners, according to the company.
The Nexo will initially be available in California as a Blue trim model with an estimated driving range of 380 miles and the Limited trim, which will offer a range of 354 miles, according to Hyundai.
Kenworth's Zero Emissions Cargo Transport is a heavy-duty truck with a hydrogen fuel cell-powered battery-electric powertrain, capable of about 100 miles of travel fully loaded. Photos: Jim Park
View more photos
