Truck & Off-Highway Engineering – June 2019

TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING June 2019 27

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: RYAN GEHM; NIKOLA; RYAN GEHM

of electricity. The goal is 100% renewable, if possible.

Electric vehicle (EV) chargers also will be on-site to

charge battery-electric models from Nikola as well as

EVs from other manufacturers.

Nikola recently opened its first hydrogen station,

with 1-ton storage of gaseous hydrogen, at its Phoenix

headquarters. A 2-ton/day heavy-duty R&D station is

currently being developed, completion of which is ex-

pected in first quarter 2020.

The first 8-ton station is coming in 2021, at an “un-

disclosed location” in California next to a customer for

testing of a fleet of vehicles in the field. Ramp-up of 10

stations begins in 2022, with an eventual goal of more

than 700 stations in the U.S.

“It solves the chicken and the egg—the station

comes at the same time as the trucks,” said Nel CEO

Jon André Løkke. “And anyone who is running a hy-

drogen car also can come to the station and fuel their

cars. That’s a great service to society.”

Powersports and military vehicles

Nikola introduced the redesigned NZT all-terrain vehicle

at the Nikola World event, which attendees could ride

on a closed course. The battery-electric NZT features a

fully enclosed cab that “rivals automotive engineering,”

according to Nikola Powersports President Michael Erickson.

The NZT has been in development for three years and will be avail-

able in 2021, one year ahead of the Class 8 trucks. The company ex-

pects Powersports sales to be a relatively small percentage of its over-

all business, “But an important portion of the business, as it precedes

production of the truck and demonstrates the ability to commercialize

technology in the marketplace,” said Erickson.

An autonomous-capable military all-terrain vehicle, the Nikola

Reckless, was operated via remote control on stage and during a demo

on the track, along with an electric drone for reconnaissance. The cur-

rent iteration is battery-electric, but a Nikola engineer said that a hy-

drogen fuel cell version is in the works.

“With virtually no sound and no heat signature, the Reckless pro-

vides new meaning to stealth,” said Andrew Christian, Nikola

Powersports VP of business development and defense. “We believe

all military vehicles will transform to battery-electric and hydrogen

fuel cells in the future.”

The Nikola Water Adventure Vehicle (WAV) concept debuts a

“wakeboard” architecture powered by batteries. It features LED lights

and can receive updates over-the-air. Nikola will evaluate the response

to the WAV concept to determine if it will produce the watercraft.

VEHICLE DEVELOPMENT FEATURE

“We want to learn from the

electric-vehicle world and have one

standard [for heavy-duty hydrogen

refueling]. This is a big deal.”

• Jesse Schneider, head of technology

A Nikola hydrogen station includes fueling islands for trucks, at right, and for

passenger vehicles, in front. A Ryder service center is also on-site (far left).

The battery-electric Nikola Reckless military all-terrain vehicle was operated via

remote control on the test track.