SALT LAKE CITY. December 1, 2016 -- Nikola (pronounced Neek-oh-la) Motor Company will unveil its highly anticipated Nikola One electric semi-truck tonight at an invite-only event in its Salt Lake City headquarters. The event will be attended by more than 600 members of the media, industry partners, customers and government leaders. For those not in attendance, the event will be live streamed on Nikola’s website: www.nikolamotor.com, beginning at 6:45 p.m. Mountain Time. View Full Press Release.
We get asked about the cost of ownership more than anything else. For this reason, we created the Nikola™ Complete Leasing Program. This will allow owner-operators and fleets to get into a new Nikola One™ or Nikola Two™ and know their total cost of ownership every single month, regardless of fluctuating fuel costs and miles driven. On approved credit, the Nikola™ Complete Leasing Program will offer hydrogen fuel, warranty and scheduled maintenance. Owners will be able to trade-in for a new Nikola One™ every 84 months. Whether you drive 8,000 miles per month solo or 16,000 miles per month as a team, your fuel cost is covered by Nikola™*. Tax, title and license not included. More information will be updated to reservation holders and our website regarding details of the lease program.
Already reserved a Nikola truck? Don't worry, you will have the choice to choose between buying or leasing later when we finalize the design and order with you.
*Lease price may vary based on miles of fuel included with lease
*Based on diesel cost of $2.50 per gallon, diesel MPG of 6, and free* hydrogen fuel from Nikola™ as part of the Nikola™ Complete Leasing Program. Lease payments may vary.
Nikola™ plans to install solar farms to create hydrogen from electrolysis. Nikola™ will convert solar energy to hydrogen using only energy and water, making it the only fuel that is zero emission from production to consumption. The hydrogen is stored at Nikola™ stations in liquid form, and then dispensed into vehicles as compressed or liquid hydrogen. When produced this way, the entire process--from energy creation to energy consumption--is 100% emissions free with Nikola™.
At Nikola Motor Company™, we've decided to invest in American energy. Nikola™ will operate solar farms that produce hydrogen and transport that hydrogen on an emissions-free fleet to the stations. Vertical integration reduces market uncertainties, allows Nikola™ to control fuel prices and keep them low for Nikola™ customers.
Nikola can realize those savings and give customers the pre-purchased fuel for the first 1,000,000 miles. Moving forward, taxes may go up. Nikola™ believes in zero emission hydrogen and hopes to transfer America off of diesel as soon as possible.
At Nikola Motor Company™, we've decided to invest in American energy. Nikola™ will own its own solar farms that produce hydrogen along with the Nikola One™ fleet that transports the hydrogen from the farms to the stations. Complete vertical integration removes market uncertainties and allows Nikola™ Motor to control its own prices and keep them low for Nikola™ customers.
To keep your fleet running, you need a reliable maintenance solution that maximizes uptime and eliminates breakdowns at a predictable cost, when and where you need it. We have you covered. From full service, preventive, and On-Demand, we have the maintenance solutions to keep you running. Ryder's more than 5,000 professionally trained and certified technicians can keep your fleet moving, whether service is performed at our service location, at your location, or by our mobile maintenance team.
A driver can simply input their departure and arrival locations and times and the Nikola Shipments™ software will provide all available shipments, Nikola Hydrogen Stations and Nikola Service Centers located along their route. The driver can then filter the available shipments by value and added time, and then add them to their route, all from the 21" touchscreen display.
Below are answers to the most frequently asked questions we have received. They are organized alphabetically by category, not in order of relevance.
Q: What is the warranty on the battery pack?
A: Each battery pack is warrantied for the life of the lease which is 7 years.
Q: What is the size of the battery pack for the Nikola One™?
A: The Nikola One™ prototype has a 320 kilowatt hour (kWh) battery pack. The production model battery pack for the Nikola One™ might be slightly larger or smaller, depending on electric motor power needs as determined during testing.
Q: What kind of cells are in the battery packs?
A: There are several top manufactures of these cells, and we are still deciding which brand of lithium ion cell we will use based on which will provide the best performance. Once we have chosen a manufacturer, we will make an announcement.
Q: How much does the battery pack weigh?
A: The weight of the battery pack will depend on the final size of the production model battery pack. We estimate the production model battery pack will weigh between 3,000-4,000 lbs., which is significantly lighter than the diesel engine that has been removed.
Q: Is the battery pack weatherproof? Will it erode due to harsh or extreme conditions?
A: Each battery pack will be IP67 rated, which means it can withstand being submerged in water without shorting out or catching on fire. The battery pack will be tested under the harshest conditions to ensure suitability in extreme climates even when being blasted with road salt.
Q: How far can the Nikola One™ travel on the battery pack alone?
A: Each Nikola One™ is outfitted with an onboard range extending fuel cell that will automatically charge the battery pack when needed. If the onboard fuel cell were to fail, the Nikola One™ can travel around 100-200 miles at full battery level, depending on the size of the load. The Nikola One™ also has a charging port to help top off the batteries whenever you are resting.
Q: What features are included in the Nikola One™ Cab? Can I customize my cab?
A: Each Nikola One™ will have a state of the art cab, providing comforts never offered before on production models. The cabs are expected to have some options available, but the production configuration has yet to be finalized. At present, the cab features:
Q: What cab configurations will Nikola™ offer?
A: Nikola currently offers two configurations: the Nikola One™ sleeper cab, and the Nikola Two™ day cab.
Q: How much does the Nikola One™ cost?
A: The Nikola One™ will be available to lease or purchase. Pricing will be determined when final specs are offered. The lease or purchase includes; unlimited miles, unlimited fuel, warranty and scheduled maintenance for 7 years.
Q: What happens after my lease is up?
A: Our goal is to provide a driver with a new truck every 7 years. That means, after 7 years you can renew your lease and trade in for a new Nikola One™.
Q: Will Nikola™ Motor have dealerships?
A: Nikola™ Motor has announced it will work with Ryder System, Inc. to offer sales, service and warranty at their 800+ locations.
Q: How can I apply for a Nikola™ Dealership?
A: We are not currently offering dealerships. Ryder System, Inc. will be the exclusive sales, service and warranty provider for Nikola™.
Q: How does electric driving work? Are there any gears or a clutch?
A: There is no clutch with the Nikola One™. It isn't needed. There is simply an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal. It is that simple.
Q: How is the torque compared to a diesel?
A: With 4 electric motors, you get a unique 6x4 experience with full torque nearly all of the time. This means you do not have to hit a certain RPM to optimize torque. You should have full torque available at all speeds. From 1MPH to 65MPH, you should experience no appreciable drop-off in torque. That's a big advantage over diesel trucks.
Q: What noises will I hear from the electric motors?
A: With electric motors, you only hear the noise of the radiator and gears and a few other system components. It is pretty quiet. You will be surprised by what other pleasant sounds you can now hear when you don't have a noisy diesel engine drowning them out.
Q: What about braking?
A: The Nikola One™ uses the electric motors to do most of the braking, which also charges the batteries at the same time. The electric motors can be reversed to slow you down much faster while remaining nearly 100% silent. Say good-bye to noisy engine brakes. When needed, the air disc brakes will kick in to assist the motor braking. This will extend the life of your air disc brakes by nearly 3-4x and give you more stopping power. This is yet another safety feature offered by the Nikola One™ truck when compared to a typical class 8 diesel truck.
Q: How often do I need to refuel?
A: The Nikola One™ has a fuel cell onboard that charges the batteries. This fuel cell runs on hydrogen and will need to be refueled every 800-1,200 miles depending on terrain and load size.
Q: How often do I need to charge the batteries?
A: You don't. The truck has a fuel cell onboard that automatically charges the batteries for you. You never need to plug in. However, the Nikola One™ will also feature a charging port to charge the batteries when you are at a facility that offers electric charging.
Q: How often does the fuel cell turn on during normal driving?
A: There are many factors that determine when the fuel cell turns on to charge; terrain, load to motors, battery longevity, battery level and more. We anticipate the fuel cell will run 50% of the time.
Q: What is the horsepower and torque?
A: Our current prototype has 1,000 HP and 2,000 ft. lbs. of torque. This may change in the production model. The Nikola One™ will outperform any line haul diesel class 8 truck on the road today.
Q: Why so much horsepower and torque?
A: The advantage of the electric motor is that you only use what you need, when you need it. You are not penalized by having electric motors with greater HP and Torque. The motors only take the exact amount of energy they need to perform as directed and not a kilowatt more. So when you need that extra horsepower and torque to merge on the freeway, climb a hill or pass a slower driver, you have it.
Q: Will you offer a smaller horsepower and torque package?
A: We may offer smaller configurations depending on results from testing. We plan to provide more details on this at a later date.
Q: How many hydrogen fueling stations do you plan on having?
A: We currently show an illustration on our website showing what coverage for the entire country would look like with 364 hydrogen fueling stations. We plan to develop fueling stations first in markets in which we have the highest demand for our trucks and will develop more stations over time. Ultimately, the goal is to have a station within 400 miles of you at any time. That means you could pass up to 2 stations before you need to refuel, giving you great access to fuel anywhere in the country.
Q: How many trucks can fuel at one time at your stations? How long does it take to fill up?
A: The capacity to fill trucks at a station is only limited by the number of pumps at each station. We currently plan to have between 5-10 hydrogen fueling pumps at each of our stations. Normal filling times will be between 15-20 minutes from empty.
Q: How is the hydrogen stored at each Nikola™ Motor fueling station?
A: The hydrogen is stored in liquid form onsite at each station.
Q: How is the fuel stored on the truck?
A: The hydrogen on board the Nikola One™ will be stored in compressed hydrogen tanks.
Q: Can I plug in to charge the battery pack at a Nikola™ fueling station?
A: Yes. Each Nikola One™ comes equipped with a DC charger which will enable the driver to top off the battery not just at Nikola™ fueling stations, but at any location offering electrical charging. This will be especially helpful to run the amenities in the cab all night long without the need for the fuel cell to turn on. While you don't need to "plug-in" to run the Nikola One™, the trucks will have the ability to tap into electrical power at truck stops.
Q: Will Nikola™ fueling stations include a convenience store, truck wash, showers, etc.?
A: Working with our fueling station partner, we will pick the optimal facilities for our locations.
Q: How do I order a Nikola One™ or Nikola Two™ truck? Is a down payment required?
A: You can reserve a Nikola One or reserve a Nikola Two for $1,500 by clicking any of the reserve buttons or links throughout this website. Simply create a Nikola™ account with your contact information and fill out the payment method for deposit. The deposit is 100% refundable until your order is finalized.
You will be able to sign in to your Nikola™ account to get updates on when the truck will be available. Pricing may vary depending on the features you choose when you fill out your final order form later on. NMC may contact you for more information or to verify your deposit if we see a reason to do so. We also reserve the right to cancel, modify or change delivery orders at any time. Please see full terms and conditions for more information. If you experience any difficulties in your reservation process, please contact us.
Q: What does my reservation get me?
A: A reservation saves you a place in line to be one of the first to order a truck. Reservations continue to come in every day. The sooner you reserve your Nikola™ vehicle the sooner you may receive it once orders and deliveries begin.
Q: How long until I get my truck once I place a reservation?
A: We plan to begin delivering the first Nikola™ trucks in 2020 based on our current timeline, which includes completing all U.S. department of transportation testing and regulation compliance. This could change, but we will keep everyone updated on any changes to the timeline.
Q: What about taxes and credits?
A: Buyer is responsible for state, federal and any other taxes associated with the purchase. These will be outlined for you in the final order form along with financing options, payment options and other information. There may be state and federal credits that apply towards the purchase or lease of electric or hybrid vehicles.
Q: Will software updates be available?
Nikola™ vehicles may receive over-the-air software updates periodically that add new functionality and features. When an update is available, you'll be notified on the center display with an option to install immediately, or schedule the installation for a later time.
Q: How big is the Nikola™ fuel cell?
A: The Nikola One™ fuel cell produces almost 300 kilowatts (kW) of energy. This allows your batteries to have more than enough power even during a steep hill climb.
Q: What fuel does the fuel cell run on?
A: The fuel cell runs on hydrogen fuel.
Q: How loud is the fuel cell?
A: The fuel cell is nearly silent. This eliminates much of the normal noise you would hear and feel compared to a diesel engine.
Q: How do fuel cell emissions compare to diesel engine emissions?
A: Diesel engines emit toxic gases and hazardous particulates. The Nikola™ fuel cell is 100% emission free and only emits water vapor.
Q: What does the warranty and scheduled maintenance program look like?
A: All service, warranty and maintenance will be done through any of the 800+ Ryder System, Inc. service locations. We will announce exact details of these programs before final ordering. For now, while it may change some, our goal is to provide all Nikola™ vehicles with warranty and service coverage through the first 7 years of ownership. Details and specifics to follow.
Q: What is the service network going to look like? Where can I get my truck serviced?
A: All service, warranty and maintenance will be done through any of the 800+ Ryder System, Inc. service locations.
