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A gas turbine to load batteries that drives electric motors to carry more payload, can this be true?
FROM the U.S. comes a turbine truck that sounds almost too good to be true. For a $1 500 refundable deposit, the Nikola Motor Company promises to assemble -- in the next “three to four years” mind you -- a turbine-electric truck that uses almost no fuel while putting out more power. The Nikola truck, which to date exists only as a screen saver, will cost $375 000 (about R5,9 million at the time of print), and can be leased or bought. All this come with the typical hard-sell claim: “Due to high demand, the quicker you place a deposit, the faster you can get your Nikola One,” states the Nikola Motor Company, who also promises
free fuel for the first million miles to the first 5,000 orders. It is at this point where the Driver News detector for bullshit starts to make alarmed noises, but in all fairness, we will let you read the claims below to decide for yourself if this wonderful truck canbe true. After all, at the Geneva Car show a Chinese group had a super car using a similar turbine-charging system — which incidentally makes the same claimed power as the Nikola trucks. Electric stronger than diesel
Nikola’s custom electric motors operate at 95% efficiency; so when it comes to hills they are quicker going up, and they save money going down. While other trucks are losing energy and riding their
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For now, the marvellos gasturbine electric Nikola truck exists only as a picture. Time will tell if promises to build it will come true. Photo: Supplied
brakes, Nikola One is capturing energy, recharging batteries — saving brakes, noise and money. The batteries need never be plugged in and drive electric motors that sends exactly the right torque to each of the six wheels, what sports cars called torque vectoring, to make the drivetrain so efficient. Regular updates
Nikola vehicles regularly receive over-the-air software updates that add new features and functionality. The average software update takes one to two hours to complete. No flat batteries
The Nikola truck’s turbine outputs nearly 400 kilowatts (kW) of clean energy straight to the batteries, keeping them charged.
This proprietary turbine has the ability to turn on and off within seconds — another first in the transportation industry. The turbine runs on diesel, gasoline or clean burning natural gas, which is the Nikola's preferred diet. The gas goes into a 570-litre tank for a claimed range of just under 2,000 kilometres. In the states, the company said it is building 50 planned Nikola CNG stations along interstate highways where the trucks can fill up. Bigger cab, more toys
Because there is no big diesel engine under the cab, the entire truck is lower and the cabin can be a third bigger and the pay load that much heavier. A large touchscreen links the truck to the world.