Courtesy of Mish.
The Nikola Motor Company has emerged from a state of being unknown to unveiling plans for the first-ever 2000 horsepower (HP) electric class 8 semi-truck, called the Nikola One says Supply Chain.
Nikola One is an electric-CNG (compressed natural gas) hybrid.
SupplyChain reports Nikola Motor Company Wants To Be the Tesla of the ‘Big Rig’ Trucking Industry.
Nikola (pronounced Neek-oh-la) Motor Company, named after the famous electrical engineer Nikola Tesla, was quietly formed by Founder and CEO Trevor Milton years ago to design and manufacture electric vehicles, energy storage systems and electric vehicle drivetrain components.
With the first working prototypes displayed to the public later this year, the company will launch a 2,000 horsepower, electric semi-truck, dubbed “Nikola One”, and a 520 hp, 4×4 electric UTV with a code name of “Nikola Zero.”
While the majority of the semi-trucks components are being developed by Nikola, the company also co-designed the industry’s first ever independent suspension with Meritor.
“We want to even the playing field and income inequalities seen between owner operators and fleets for the first time in recent trucking history. This is just the beginning of what’s ahead for America, our company and the electric vehicle market,” added Milton.
VaporWare?
The CNet Road Show reports Nikola Motor Company: The EV startup with the worst, most obvious name ever.
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, Elon Musk must be so happy to hear about the latest startup promising “electric vehicles, energy storage systems and electric-vehicle drivetrain components.” It’s called Nikola Motor Company, and it appears to want to do the exact same thing as Tesla, judging by the quoted phrase above.
However, whereas Tesla got its start with a diminutive, sporty roadster, Nikola (seriously, where’s the originality?) is rolling out two products simultaneously — the Nikola One and Nikola Zero.
The Nikola One is a 2,000-horsepower semi truck cab promising 1,200 miles of range from its 320-kWh battery, which you never have to plug in because a natural-gas-powered turbine allegedly charges batteries while driving, sort of similar to a Chevrolet Volt (minus the CNG turbine part). It will cost $375,000, but you can put down only $1,500 for a deposit.
The Nikola Zero is a 520-horsepower off-road vehicle (think Polaris RZR) with a 50-kWh battery, a 0-60mph time of 3 seconds, rear-wheel steering and three displays. This bad boy will set you back $42,000, but deposits are half that of the truck, at just $750. Neither vehicle actually exists yet — prototypes won’t be unveiled until later this year.
I’m all for new startups in the EV market, but this has all the makings of proper vaporware. First, the name is a clear cachet-grab — at least Faraday Future had the foresight to use a different scientist. Second, this company is trying to market $375,000 trucks and $42,000 off-roaders side by side, with deposits that are a pittance compared with the eventual MSRP. Even with modest support, that’s not going to raise enough capital to kick-start production of two wildly different vehicles.
Color me skeptical.
Background Story
The truck is named after Nikola Tesla a Croatian-born electrical engineer.
