Nikola Unveils Its Hydrogen Powered Semi-Truck

Donald Trump's incoming administration might be going full steam ahead in returning to fossil fuels, but the clean energy sector might have other ideas.

Nikola Motor Company has just unveiled a huge class 8 truck (as big as they get) that's powered by a hydrogen fuel cell, claiming it will have an operational range of as much as 1,200 miles (1,900km) when it's released in 2020.

The Nikola One, which is designed for long-haul good transport across a large landmass, will, according to its creators, be able to travel between 800 and 1,200 miles on a single tank of fuel, while delivering over 1,000 horsepower and 2,000 foot-pounds of torque.

If these claims are true, it will provide nearly double the power of the current generation of diesel-powered semis/articulated trucks.

The Nikola One, if running at peak efficiency, could get from San Francisco to Cheyenne, Wyoming on one tank of gas.

“The truck's navigation system will determine the most lucrative route between destinations”Trevor Milton, CEO, Nikola

And the fuel needed for that trip will be included in the 72-month leasing program that company is offering.

To solve the limited supply of hydrogen along the highways of the United States and Canada, Nikola also announced its plans to build stations to refuel its new trucks in both countries.

The company will start breaking ground on the refueling stops in 2018 and they will open in 2019.

Without those hydrogen stations, it won't matter how impressive the range of Nikola One is if it can't be counted on to transport goods everywhere because it might run out of juice.

Yet when it is on the road, the semi's tech will be making the most of its trip.

According to CEO Trevor Milton, the truck's navigation system will determine the most lucrative route between destinations.

The dash will have a large display sort of like the one found in a Tesla.

Nikola is still determining where it'll actually build its new trucks and says it will figure that out sometime during the first half of 2017.

Once those semis are built they will be sold, serviced and warrantied by trucking company Ryder's over 800 locations thanks to a agreement announced today.

Zero Emissions from Energy Creation to Energy Consumption

364 Planned Nikola™ Hydrogen Stations
Nikola™ trucks can refuel with hydrogen from any of the 364 planned Nikola™ Hydrogen Stations. Nikola will provide *free hydrogen fuel for the first 1,000,000 miles for any Nikola One™ truck in the Nikola™ Complete Leasing Program. All non-Nikola vehicles can fill up at any Nikola™ Hydrogen Station for the low price of $3.50 per kG of hydrogen.

Nikola Motor Company™ currently has 364 strategically positioned hydrogen stations planned across the U.S. and Canada, and many more to come. With a range of up to 1,200 miles, we have you (and the entire country) covered.

Read: Nikola Wants To Be the Tesla of the ‘Big Rig’ Trucking Industry

The company also introduced the Nikola Two with the same range performance as the One but a smaller cab and more maneuverability.

Like the One, it'll be available in 2020. Both trucks will have an electric motor connected to each wheel which should help with take off thanks to torque vectoring and braking.