A new version of an electric truck from Nikola to be sold in Europe
Nikola has presented an updated version of the Tre FCEV Artic truck for the European market. It was developed in collaboration with IVECO Group. Like the previous model, this one has an alternative drive system, but in this case, the vehicle runs on hydrogen fuel.
The beta version is equipped with an updated driver’s cab with improved aerodynamic characteristics. In addition, the car has an improved version of the torsion towing axle. The car uses hydrogen and electricity as fuel, with a range of 500 km. The model for the U.S. will be available next year, and for customers in Europe, the car will begin production in 2024.
One of its main priorities for Nikola is to follow the principles of sustainable development. So far the manufacturer is planning to enter two major markets – the U.S. and Europe, but in the future strategies will be developed to present products in other regions as well. Nikola trucks operate on batteries and environmentally friendly fuel. The vehicles do not emit any harmful emissions when in operation.
The European market version is equipped with nine batteries with a capacity of 738 kW, which covers a distance of 500 km without recharging. It takes about 100 minutes to charge the battery to 80%.
The car has already passed the necessary tests at the Hamburg terminal.
Nikola is still trying to minimize the damage done to its credibility by founder Trevor Milton. Last year, he was tried on fraud charges because he fraudulently withheld inflated stock prices from the startup to go public. In 2020 Nikola listed through a merger with SPAC-company. By the time it went public, the business had a capitalization of $12 billion and reached $25 billion just days later. At its peak, the company was valued at $40 billion, which exceeded the value of Ford Motor Group. And by that time, Nikola had not put a single truck on the market, but the founder claimed to have orders worth $10 billion. Later it turned out that the presented prototype could not even drive. According to the preliminary plan, the company was supposed to reach $3 billion in revenue by 2024.
After the change of management, Nikola is actively engaged in improving its reputation and regaining investors’ trust. The first steps to this end have been made – the company has presented a functioning model of the truck and demonstrated its technical characteristics. Now it remains to wait for the mass production and operation of Nikola vehicles.
