Nikola Begins Selling the Tre BEV Electric Semi in Europe
This week, Nikola made another huge stride towards establishing itself as the front-running electric semi startup with an official commercial launch of the brand’s Nikola Tre battery electric truck — which was almost immediately followed by even more big news: the unveiling of a “beta” version the company’s hydrogen fuel-cell powered Nikola Tre.
Built to Europe’s somewhat different regulatory specs, the European “4×2 Artic” version of the Nikola Tre is true, heavy-duty electric semi with, what Nikola calls, “best-in-class range” of up to 530 km (that’s a few yards short of 330 miles, for our readers in Liberia and Myanmar). The official release says that should be good enough to, “complete a wide range of regional missions.”
The fuel-cell version, meanwhile, does slightly better where range is concerned, offering 800 km (a bit more than 495 miles) of “autonomy” before it needs to fill up — and that seems like it’s less of a challenge in Europe than it is here in the US.
“Today we are making history with the first products for the European market of IVECO’s powerful partnership with Nikola Corporation,” said Luca Sra, Truck Business Unit President, Iveco Group, who partner with Nikola to build the Tre. “Together, our teams have designed a modular platform capable of hosting both fuel cell and battery propulsion technologies, starting with the European 4×2 Artic version of the Nikola Tre BEV heavy-duty truck making its debut here today. It is the first-ever electric-born modular platform for articulated heavy-duty tractors hosting both energy sources: battery-electric for missions of approximately 500 km and fuel cell electric powertrain for hauling up to 800 km in its first generation. A true revolution that marks a tangible step towards our ambitious goal of achieving a zero-emissions transport.”
Nikola 4×2 Arctic Electric Semi
The Euro-spec 4×2 Arctic electric semi features nine (9!) batteries with a total, massive energy capacity of 738 kWh, which delivers a range of up to 530 km. An 80% charge takes just over 90 minutes at 350 kW, which may jive nicely with how long it takes to unload and re-load a container at a big box warehouse.
The Nikola Tre FCEV Artic 6×2, now in beta version, features a steering tag axle and an updated cab with improved aerodynamic performance compared to the current Tre. The chassis can accommodate some 70 usable kilograms of hydrogen at 700-bar pressure for a range of up to 800 km, coupled with a refueling time of less than 20 minutes. Nikola is set to begin production of the new Tre FCEV for the European market in 2024.
Source | Images: Nikola.
Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.
Latest CleanTechnica.TV Video
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.
