General Motors looks as though it could return to the semi truck business, this time with hydrogen fuel cell tech for motivation.
In a recent tweet, General Motors CEO Mary Barra stated that GM was “working to put everyone in an EV, including in pickup trucks and semi trucks.”
Part of the effort will be “working with like-minded innovators” that will speed-up EV “development, production, consumer adoption – and ultimately reach an all-electric future.”
We’re working to put everyone in an #EV, including in pickup trucks and semi-trucks. Working with like-minded innovators will help us accelerate EV development, production, consumer adoption – and ultimately reach an all-electric future. https://t.co/ZJSguOXU6F
— Mary Barra (@mtbarra) September 8, 2020
Those “like-minded innovators” include EV startup Nikola Motor Corp. GM recently announced that it was forming a strategic partnership with Nikola, with the latter utilizing GM’s Ultium battery technology and Hydrotec hydrogen fuel cell technology in various future products, and the former receiving a $2 billion equity stake in Nikola.
The new agreement extends GM’s hydrogen fuel cell technology to the Class 7/8 semi truck market for high-volume commercialization. Nikola’s future semi-truck products include the One, Two, and Tre.
“Fuel cells will become increasingly important to the semi-truck market because they are more efficient than gas or diesel. General Motors sees additional growth opportunities in multiple transportation, stationary and mobile-power end markets,” GM recently stated in a press release.
General Motors last sold semi trucks through a joint venture with Volvo.
Investors responded favorably to the news, with shares of Nikola rising over 48 percent to $52.94 following GM’s investment, handing General Motors more than $500 million in paper gain. What’s more, General Motors says it expects to receive more than $4 billion of benefits between the equity value of its shares, contract manufacturing of the Nikola Badger pickup truck, supply contracts for batteries and fuel cells, and EV credits retained over the course of the contract.
Meanwhile, Nikola expects the deal to save some $4 billion in battery and powertrain costs over 10 years, and more than $1 billion in engineering and validation costs.
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Comments
The more I look into Nikola the more I am becoming convinced it is a huge Ponzi scheme.
The way the compensation is setup for the board is basically the following….as long as they are all employed by the start of 2022 they get all their money.
They spent a year telling everyone they will have better Tech than Tesla and we come to find they have literally zero Tech. No Batteries, no Auto Pilot, No Hydrogen Tech. They have nothing. They basically gave GM 11% of their Company to utilize all the Tech that GM has and to build their upcoming vehicles. Not only that, they will pay GM for every part they use and and to Build their cars. Just think about that.
GM Basically will be collecting money from Nikola to sell them all their tech and will charge them to build each vehicle.
I still think that Nikola is all smoke and they are buying themselves time to cash out and walk away.
Having said all of that. I think GM did a Brilliant move here. They will simply buy out the rest of Nikola when the Board wants to cash out and walk away with Billions and GM will have gotten a HUGE name amongst younger people. Mary Barra worked her magic with this deal. Tip my hat to her and the rest of that Team.
Great move by GM
as you said, nikola has nothing so what would they be buying except a name?
do you think that name is worth billions of dollars?
@Steve
Yes actually it is.
Even prior to Tesla selling the Model 3 in droves any auto Maker would have given Elon Billions for the name and the cult like following that no other Auto Maker can even come close too.
Nikola Motors has more then just a name, but as far as I can see, this company until now has only concepts, but many of them, but has not yet produced even one vehicle.
Maybe now that they have the agreement with GM as the actual manufacturer, and supplier of Hydrogen and fuel cell now how, maybe they will get actually vehicles on the road and running.
“…and ultimately reach an all-electric future.”
Too bad the present electricity production and distribution systems, green or not, won’t be able to handle that, and won’t for a long time yet.
Autonomous electric semi-trucks that can run for 340-500 miles before needing a high-energy quick charge and being autonomous, the semis would only be down during recharging; although General Motors can build recharging depots where the battery is swapped out for faster turnaround.
Autonomous trucks are a long way off. You know how many sensors would be required for something like that to work with no human involved? I can think of many scenarios driving on the interstate that a computer would need to be prepared for (having the code already embedded). Besides I want truckers to keep their jobs. EV’s will never people popular with long charge times. ICE or the Fuel cell allows for conventional refueling. Unless one is okay with paying more for shipping due to the downtime required for 340-500 mile range truck. That will get less range than that in reality due being under load with a trailer.
Gas stations will add chargers, I see no point in GM or other car companies wasting money to build charging depots everywhere. That is on utility companies to figure out and the government. Since there is a push for these green machines.
Autonomous vehicles would have been so much fun in the Colorado snow this week.
Just send autonomous snow plow ahead.
Yep, that will work, HAHA.
They won’t be able to read the signs or follow the lines either, when everything is covered in snow.
I can imagine electric/hydro with autonomy will work between western cities first (LA – LV, Phoenix to Albuquerque, etc) still diesel will be primary for large loads to smaller cities and remote areas.
I am in Logistics and people just do not realize how much money and time EV Semi trucks will save Companies. I personally do not see Hydrogen taking off. too costly to build out a proper enough infrastructure for it to work.
Most Trucking yards will not pay to get Hydrogen storage and pumps at their yards but they most likely will spring for DC Fast Charging electrical stations. Just makes too much sense and saved way too much money for them.
Semi trucks sit at least 1-3 Hours in a Dock for both Pickup and delivery.
If you own a warehouse you can have a plug at each dock. It will save sooooooo much time. Heck it can also be extra income for your Company.
Trust me, Carriers are dying for the shift to properly made EV Semi trucks.
And then just think about Autonomous ones. It will be a game changer indeed. Semi Trucks would basically be able to drive at least 16 – 20 Hours per Day. Rates will drop for Logistics which in turn will mean more profits for every company involved from the producer to the purchaser. And in the end it will save us the consumers money on Goods as well. People do not realize how much money is added into pricing of everything we purchase just from the Logistics/Transportation of Goods.
The HUGE downside that I personally am not excited about is that Autonomy will destroy jobs. But younger people want nothing to do with driving Semi trucks from every report I have ever read.
I will say this again, I tip my Hat to Mary and the Gang….they will end up stealing Nikola at the end.
You know that oil production is heavily subsidized? Presently the EV “green” push is being subsidized also. So the argument about the fuel cell being expensive is not complete. If oil companies shifted production to hydrogen then it could be done. How would EV’s save companies money? Time is money. As much as Americans love their big corporations, I do not think they would be happy with paying more for shipping because trucks have a longer downtime. Or they could pay more for trucks that use a route that has battery swapping which would be timely. To me the whole EV solution is a joke because it requires to many new plug in stations along the way. We need chargers in front of buildings. People want chargers in front of bus stops etc… Just be responsible with the charge and act accordingly. Nothing green about needing way more precious metals to build these stations because people are not responsible enough to charge at home or at a Gas station.
A pure EV truck will be inferior to a fuel cell or ICE powertrains. Onboard energy generation will reign supreme over the store what you can method and run with it. As far as your point about autonomous trucks. Those are long ways off. A truck would have to have so many sensors in order for it to be “safe” for the public. Even then it will be updated as new crashes and scenarios pop up. Unless the government creates “autonomous only routes that run parallel to the interstates then it will not work. Full autonomous requires all vehicles to communicate with each other. I do not know about you but each new year I get closer to not wanting a new vehicle as I do not want all of the dumb safety tech and computerized experiences.
Lastly I want my brothers to keep their jobs. Autonomous would destroy this. I do not understand why people alive today are so eager to live such a passive life where things are done automatically for them. Sounds like a bigger federal government with thousands of jobs destroyed. Therefore less families. Fortunately this is a long way off from ever happening at a large scale for trucking.
Why a tip off to Mary and the Gang? Nothing special about being a big dog and having money to throw around at a little player. Big corporations innovate all of the time through acquisitions of smaller businesses.
There is not stopping the future the young kids today don’t want to grow up to be truck drivers they want to be computer programers engineers scientists, the romance of the lone cowboy and the good old boy trucker is gone
It’s a different era just look around
All the things that we can do from our smart phone from banking to grocery shopping to watching a car race, the future is here now let’s embrace it as for jobs some will be lost but a hell of a lot more will be created
@Carlos Castillo
You are 100% correct. They all want to be YouTube stars haha
And they all love everything Tesla
I am not talking about the price of the actual Hydrogen, I am strictly talking about the absurd cost of a total overhaul of an infrastructure to support the Transport, storage, and fueling stations.
Electricity is just much, much cheaper option. Renewable Energy is growing around the world at an insane level and Electricity will become so cheap around the world in the next 10 – 20 years that no other form of energy will make any Financial sense.
Of course the Big Oil companies are now scrambling to try and convince everyone that Hydrogen is next but it is not. Either way, I believe GM will steal Nikola whether they use Batteries or I am wrong and everything flips to Hydrogen, Either way GM will basically get into the semi game for almost
How much loading/towing capacity are you ready to sacrifice for the huge battery needed for a real truck, and how much time idling the truck or tractor unit of a semi-trailer for charging the huge battery?
No, dear Momolos, your dream of running real trucks with batteries is a pipe dream.
Especially for heavy duty trucks the only electrification is producing the electricity on board using fuel cells with H2. All big truck manufacturers go that way.
Fuel cell or ICE hybrid powertrains will always be superior to the pure battery car method in terms of range. Due to onboard generators essentially. Pure EV trucks under load will not get the advertised range.
If GM follows through with this move i hope it is successful and more development goes towards the fuel cell. Raising public interest and knowledge in this alternative powertrain.
You know that oil production is heavily subsidized? Presently the EV “green” push is being subsidized also. So the argument about the fuel cell being expensive is not complete. If oil companies shifted production to hydrogen then it could be done. How would EV’s save companies money? Time is money. As much as Americans love their big corporations, I do not think they would be happy with paying more for shipping because trucks have a longer downtime. Or they could pay more for trucks that use a route that has battery swapping which would be timely. To me the whole EV solution is a joke because it requires to many new plug in stations along the way. We need chargers in front of buildings. People want chargers in front of bus stops etc… Just be responsible with the charge and act accordingly. Nothing green about needing way more precious metals to build these stations because people are not responsible enough to charge at home or at a Gas station.
A pure EV truck will be inferior to a fuel cell or ICE powertrains. Onboard energy generation will reign supreme over the store what you can method and run with it. As far as your point about autonomous trucks. Those are long ways off. A truck would have to have so many sensors in order for it to be “safe” for the public. Even then it will be updated as new crashes and scenarios pop up. Unless the government creates “autonomous only routes that run parallel to the interstates then it will not work. Full autonomous requires all vehicles to communicate with each other. I do not know about you but each new year I get closer to not wanting a new vehicle as I do not want all of the dumb safety tech and computerized experiences.
Lastly I want my brothers to keep their jobs. Autonomous would destroy this. I do not understand why people alive today are so eager to live such a passive life where things are done automatically for them. Sounds like a bigger federal government with thousands of jobs destroyed. Therefore less families. Fortunately this is a long way off from ever happening at a large scale for trucking.
Just send autonomous snow plows ahead.
They can’t read the signs or follow the lines either, when everything is covered in snow.
The problem is Mary, not everyone wants an EV.
But the dictatorial regime will tell you what you want, Adolf’s Beetle, Leonid’s LADA.
Too bad we have to wait at least another 250 years before the electronic mass transporter (Beam it up) will be invented.
The comment above that mentions having designated autonomous only routes makes sense to me.
” Autonomous only routes” makes sense to me.
Mostly to make it work only regional transport in certain areas will an autonomous E/V rig will work. Image “Ice Road Truckers” with an E/V rig?, not happening…
That’s hilarious!
GM can’t keep their spoiled employees at work to build what’s already been ordered now. GM customer for 50 years, never again.
Build quality is gone, fit and finish is horrible and they want more?
Ok, get your ev autonomous truck programmed to pull into a Wendy’s restaurant at lunchtime and hump hamburger buns into the freezer. Or into a Mom and Pop gasoline station with eight cars filling up and hook up the hoses and put the diesel in the diesel tank and the premium in the premium tank. Your autonomous trucks will be robbed and destroyed in every rural area, they will be one easy mark! Good luck with all this
Why is it that when GM invest in a company or enter into a partnership they seem to come out on the losing end?
You can certainly see your skills in the work you write. The world hopes for more passionate writers like you who aren’t afraid to say how they believe. Always follow your heart.