Nikola's hydrogen electric truck could wipe out diesel advantage

Nikola Motor Company announced its upcoming product event on Twitter with the hashtag #dieselisdead. Chief Executive Trevor Milton's choice to promote the Nikola World event in this way brings home the potential implications for its zero-emission technology, and makes a lively addition to the diesel debate. The two-day extravaganza in April 2019 promises the unveiling of Nikola's pre-production hydrogen electric semi-truck, a 2.3-megawatt hydrogen station and the Nikola NZT 4X4 model, but it's the heavy truck range that has everyone talking. Milton and his team firmly believe their imminent hydrogen electric trucks will revolutionise the future of transportation. The models promise to top their diesel equivalents across every metric - from horsepower and torque to cost, range, weight and, of course, emissions. "We have had to overcome many major hurdles to develop a truck that can finally beat a diesel in every category," Milton told Automotive World. "That means diesel no longer has an advantage and it will never be able to compete again. It will be the slow death of diesel in the heavy-duty trucking world." The stats On paper, at least, the statistics are promising. The Nikola models promise a range of 500 miles (805km) to more than 1,000 miles on a single tank of hydrogen fuel, which is used to power the electric motor. Refuelling takes about 20 minutes. Performance claims are impressive, with the trucks offering about 1,000hp on the rear four wheels, sending more than 2,000 lbs of torque. That torque range is applicable all the time, from 1rpm to 12,000rpm. In real world driving, that translates into a real advantage. For example, a Nikola truck could travel up a 6% gradient pulling a 40 ton load and all the while maintain a speed of 65mph (105kph) indefinitely. A diesel equivalent would manage no more than 15mph. It is like the mafia. The diesel companies will destroy a trucking company for ordering our trucks Safety benefits are also included in the form of shorter stopping distances. With electric motors, the vehicle can initiate braking within 30 milliseconds, or about 6 feet (1.83 metres) of travel. A rival truck with traditional air disc brakes would take 65ft before braking is initiated. Then there is the centre of gravity - with Nikola trucks, all the heavy batteries, the hydrogen fuel and electric motors are located low down in the vehicle, at or below the frame rail. That makes the centre of gravity up to 1 metre lower than other trucks. As a result, it is harder for the truck to overturn, lowering the risk of driver injury as well as vehicle damage. Weight savings were the last obstacle to overcome in besting diesel, explained Milton, who noted that in trucking, every pound of weight is worth 50-cents on a load. "If we are 2,000 pounds lighter than a diesel, then our customers will bring US$1,000 to their bottom line on every load, every day," elaborated Milton. Two loads a day would work out to a saving of about US$60,000/month. And that's just weight savings. "Not only can they save tens of thousands of dollars a month on the weight with freight, but they can also save 20-30% on the per mile costs. When we are in full production, my goal is to have diesel be US$50-1,000/month more expensive to drive; and that is finally the death of diesel," he added. Vote of confidence Interest has been strong. As of May 2018, the company was boasting nearly US$9bn in pre-order reservations. "We are building to order, not speculation," commented Milton. If I could build enough trucks I could wipe out 50% of the market in ten years One of these customers is Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Budweiser. It placed an order for up to 800 of the trucks, which it will start to add to its fleet in 2020. These will operate alongside 40 Tesla Semis, a potential rival in the electric long-haul segment. Milton views the order as a vote of confidence in its technology, which can also be seen in the calibre of the partners Nikola has attracted. These include PowerCell AB for fuel cells and Bosch for transmission technology. "Bosch is a big name that has certainly added credibility to Nikola's plans,” observed Frost & Sullivan’s (F&S) Chandramowli Kailasam, Team Leader - Commercial Vehicle Research, Mobility - Automotive & Transportation. Meritor is providing the advanced independent suspension, while the well-known truck rental and logistics company Ryder will serve as the exclusive distribution and service provider. "Some of the top global brands are lining up to work with Nikola on the development and commercialisation of these advanced commercial mobility solutions," observed Nikola's Chief Operating Officer Scott Perry. Intimidation While most fleets today have invested heavily in diesel technology, the feedback on this new hydrogen electric option has been positive. "The fleet managers are tired of all the crap that comes along with diesel - the oil changes, the emission equipment, trucks being down, regulations changing on them every month. They just want to know how quickly I can give them trucks," said Milton. "My goal right now is to move as fast as I possibly can to build as many trucks and get these diesels off the road." We will come after them and take them out in every category until they no longer have any presence - that's my goal Announcing the Nikola World event, Milton tweeted: “#dieselisdead #emissionsgameover April 16-18. @nikolamotor is about to clobber the competition so hard they won't know how to react. They will be spending billions to save their executive jobs from the shareholders. Don't miss this unveiling.” While more than 400 customers have placed orders so far, only Anheuser-Busch and US Xpress have been public about it. According to Milton, that's due to intimidation from the diesel companies, some of which are threatening to refuse to service fleets that place orders. "Customers are asking us not to tell people who they are because they are facing retaliation from the diesel companies. If they announce they are buying our trucks, the diesel companies refuse to service their trucks. This is their way to try to stop clean energy from happening," he stated. "It is like the mafia. The diesel companies will destroy a trucking company for ordering our trucks. My goal is to take them down as fast as I can. That's why I said diesel is dead, and their executives will spend billions scrambling to save their jobs. They are as corrupt as it gets." A lingering death Initially, Milton was aiming to take 20% of the market share away from diesel by 2030. This target hinges more on production capacity than demand. Initial output will come in the form of a contract manufacturing deal with the Fitzgerald Glider Company. Nikola had been scouting locations for its own factory and in January this year settled on Buckeye, Arizona. It has already started transferring its R&D and headquarters from Salt Lake City, Utah to Arizona, and aims to complete the transition by October 2018. Construction of the factory is scheduled to begin by the end of 2019. When we are in full production, my goal is to have diesel be US$50-1,000/month more expensive to drive; and that is finally the death of diesel "Our biggest problem now is production. If I could build enough trucks I could wipe out 50% of the market in ten years," he asserted. "We will probably start licensing our technology to the other automakers, so they can help us destroy these massive polluting vehicles that are all over the road." Milton's passion to cleaning up transport doesn't stop at trucks. He also aims to take on the other segments in which diesel fuel is dominant. "Our next markets are every market that diesel uses - off road, marine, everything," he confirmed. "We will come after them and take them out in every category until they no longer have any presence - that's my goal. I will spend my entire life focussed on this. We finally have the technology to do it - it's lighter and more powerful than a diesel and with no emissions. At Nikola World in April you will see the hashtag #dieselisdead everywhere. It may not be today, but this is the beginning of the slowdown, and over the next ten to 15 years it will become so expensive that nobody will be able to afford to operate a diesel on land or sea." This article was featured in our September 2018 special report, ‘Is this the end of the Diesel engine?’, which is now available for download

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