Electrically operated Pkw and two-wheelers are almost everyday on our streets. However, there are still vehicle niches that need to be electrified. The still young US company Nikola Motor wants to penetrate two of them. It has just presented two corresponding concepts: the super truck Nikola One and the UTV (mini commercial vehicle) Nikola Zero 4 × 4 electric.
Above all, the planned truck is able to impress due to its performance data. With a 6 × 6 drive, over 2.000 hp and over 5.000 Newton meters of torque, the colossus should be able to handle even the heaviest loads with ease. And that even relatively quickly and far: the 30 km / h sprint should last 100 seconds and a range of 2.000 km should be possible. To ensure that the truck has enough power for this enormous distance, a gas turbine behind the cab generates the energy. According to Nikola Motor, the Nikola One is comparatively efficient because the energy requirement corresponds to a consumption value of 15 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. A conventional truck consumes three times as much. The supply network is also visionary: the gas should come from domestic production and a corresponding gas filling station network should be set up.
In terms of operating costs, the Nikola truck should certainly offer potential savings, but the purchase is not cheap. Around 330.000 Euro, the Americans are aiming for their high-tech vice. You can not buy the tractor yet, but you can already transfer a reservation fee. The first 5.000 to reserve the truck, Nikola Motor promises free fuel for 1,6 million kilometers.
Also reservation fees can be paid for the Nikola Zero. Those who now pay 750 dollars can save 5.000 dollars against the regular price of 42.000 dollars (around 37.000 Euro). For an e-mobile a quite common price, given the performance even a bargain. About 500 PS will allow the Zero a sprint to Tempo 100 in three seconds, the range with a battery charge 240 kilometers amount.
Whether and when the ambitious Stromer of Nikola Motor in the US come on the market is uncertain. In the recent past, many obscure e-projects have been announced, of which one has heard nothing more. After all, the name Nikola refers to Nikola Tesla. Maybe the naming is a similar success guarantee as Tesla Motors. (Mario Hommen / SP-X)