INCOMING CARGO
THIRD TIME Two zero-emission, heavy-truck prototypes to wear the Nikola Badge have come and gone over the past five years and, for reasons that could be the plot of a good movie, neither has materialised in the ways promised. But now, Nikola three seems to be coming good – and it looks very promising indeed.
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ver the past five years, those with a forward-looking vision of the trucking industry’s future have been teased and tempted by the concept vehicles released by the Nikola Motor Company (now Nikola Corporation). With all the promises under the sun made by company founder and former CEO Trevor Milton (who voluntarily stepped aside as executive chairman and from the board in Spetember 2020), the Nikola story has been a roller coaster ride of ‘will they, won’t they?’ New Zealand Trucking editor Dave McCoid twice attended events hosted by the company. When the Nikola Two was launched in 2019, he and the assembled media were able to watch it, from
a distance, drive around in circles under its own power, supposedly – memories of the event are still shrouded in scepticism. The One wasn’t anything more than a concept vehicle. Late in 2018, the company unveiled its third concept, the Nikola Tre cab-over, which was intended to be available in battery electric vehicle (BEV) and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle (HFCEV) versions. Unlike its large conventional forebears, the Tre was aimed primarily at the European market. And, again unlike the One and Two, it was the model with the most promise of making it to production, thanks to development partner Iveco backing the project. We weren’t holding our breath. But the odd CNH
Y K C U L Story by Gavin Myers Photos by Richard Kienberger
Industrial (Iveco parent company) press release would come through every so often, updating the industry on the Tre’s progress. Now, in September, two very significant events have hammered home the reality of the Tre – Iveco and Nikola inaugurated their joint-venture manufacturing facility in Ulm, Germany, and the journalists in attendance were able to get up close and personal with the Tre. And by up close and personal, we don’t mean they only saw it standing under some bright lights or slowly parading past – they were able to climb aboard and go for a ride. While the opportunity to get behind the wheel won’t happen just yet, that’s a very promising development indeed.
The demonstration unit was the Tre BEV (battery-electric vehicle) in a 6x2 configuration and specified according to US regulations. This means it’s an extended tractor unit when compared to the European version. This particular prototype is not allowed to run on European roads unless local authorities issue a special permit. Gianenrico Griffini, president of the International Truck of the Year jury, was in attendance and was one of the journalists able to climb aboard the Tre and go for a ride with a test driver. “The Nikola Tre tractor-trailer combination looks impressive,” Griffini says. “It’s certainly a well-designed vehicle. It is fast and seamless in acceleration, quiet at cruising speed, there’s
Left: Production versions of the Tre will likely feature external cameras instead of mirrors. Right: The Tre BEV’s electric drive axle offers up 480kW (645hp) of continuous power.
