Nikola, the troubled start-up company that General Motors had previously planned to acquire an equity stake in, has received an order for 10 of its battery-electric Nikola Tre semi-trucks.
Illinois-based trucking company Heniff Transportation Systems announced this week it had placed an order for 10 Nikola Tre trucks to be delivered in the first half of 2022. If this initial order goes to plan, the company also has an option to purchase an additional 90 examples of the trucks for a total of 100. The order was placed through Thompson Truck Centers, which is one of Nikola’s U.S. retailers.
“The agreement between Heniff Transportation and Thompson Truck Centers is a fleet-as-a-service model where Thompson will provide the sales, service, maintenance, and energy infrastructure required to operate the Nikola Tre BEV trucks. Deliveries are expected to commence first half of 2022,” Heniff Transportation said in a statement.
“Heniff is a family of companies recognized as a leader in liquid bulk transportation, rail transloading, ISO depot operations, tank cleaning, and related maintenance,” the company also said.
GM had previously entered an agreement with Nikola to acquire an 11 percent equity stake in the company and planned to work with it to develop new hydrogen fuel cell systems for use in heavy trucks. GM also agreed to design, develop and produce the Nikola Badger on behalf of the company – a battery-electric pickup truck that would compete with offerings like the Rivian R1T or Ford F-150 Lightning. Nikola CEO Trevor Milton was later charged with three counts of criminal fraud for lying about Nikola’s technology and misleading investors, leading to GM backing out of the deal shortly after it was signed.
Milton stepped down as CEO shortly after his fraud was revealed, although Nikola continued on its mission to electrify the trucking industry. The company’s Tre semi-truck is currently being produced at a plant in Germany and can travel an estimated 350 miles thanks to its 753 kWh battery pack. It also has a gross combined weight rating of 82,000 lbs and a top speed of roughly 75 mph.
While GM and Nikola no longer have a close working partnership, the two companies retained the fuel cell technology sharing portion of the agreement. The two companies have plans to “work together to integrate GM’s Hydrotec fuel-cell technology into Nikola’s Class 7 and Class 8 zero-emission semi-trucks for the medium- and long-haul trucking sectors,” helping GM scale its Hydrotec technology and giving Nikola access to high-quality hydrogen powertrain components.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more GM business news, GMtechnology news, GM electric vehicle news, and around-the-clock General Motors news coverage.
Comments
Can someone please explain to me the demand and reason for electric semi trucks? I can see the path to our electric transportation future, but electric semi trucks seem like the very last step. I see the value of electric delivery trucks as those drive around town, make frequent stops, and don’t have heavy cargo to transport. Semi trucks on the other hand, seem like the worst case scenario. They are huge, towing is the current downfall of EV range, they are already crazy expensive, and most drive long distances without stopping. I cannot understand why they would use time and resources to develop something that seems very impractical. Thanks in advance for all HELPFUL comments.
Several reasons:
1. Not all semi trucks are long haul or OTR, like you’re thinking. Plenty of trucks go between distribution centers and your grocery store, going a hundred miles per day. You have trucks that go each night between the nearest airport and your local UPS center: 20-30 miles max one-way. Many are regional, like hauling mail, going 3 hours out and back each day.
In fact, you can see from the pictures these trucks are day cabs: they don’t have sleepers, so they are intended to end up back at the same place every day. Metro-regional is exactly what Nikola is marketing to.
They’ve also had battery tractor-trailers for many years: as terminal trucks. These are trucks that move trailers around within a single yard or dock. They go maybe 20 miles per day.
2. Semi trucks are very heavy and large already. Therefore, the weight and volume penalty of a battery is less.
3. Semi trucks already require specific infrastructure. You don’t park and make deliveries anywhere, the origin and destination generally needs a loading dock. In fact, you can’t drive anywhere either, you have to stick to main roads so you don’t get stuck, hit a bridge, or run into weight limits.
Importantly, you spend the night at a truck stop or it gets parked at a distribution center or truck yard. As mentioned, if you end up back at the same truck yard every night, you don’t need to rely on outside charging infrastructure.
Sam: lol. I didn’t see your post till I submitted my comment. I just read yours and you explained it all very well. Mine is kind of repetitious to yours, but we are certainly on the same page. Jack: Hopefully Sam’s and my comments help.
I get the short hauls OK, But do they plug in like the EV’s if they need to be charged up???
Jack Markus: I’m on the opposite side of this. I feel that semi’s are the best place for the world to start making a huge difference by using BEV’s. I have two brothers who both drove semi’s. One brother drove a shorter time and he was short haul trucking where he never went more than about 100 miles distance. Normally a day trip only. The other brother just retired from driving early this year. He was what they call an OTR trucker (over the road) and would normally drive from the mid-west area where he lives to the west coast and back. Although there are MANY of the OTR trucks, you would be really surprised at how many short haul trucks are out there. That is where the majority of the BEV trucks would work the best. If the average semi (BEV) had about 300 miles of range and the average trip was around 100 miles, even with towing (use of more energy), those 300 mile range semi’s would be perfect.
Of course, as I’ve been saying before, this is all based on us using renewable energy sources.
Smell the highway exhaust lately?
Black lung disease maybe?
2022 GM Nicola Quadantidis
Fuel cells run on hydrogen to make electricity. they refill hydrogen tanks .They do not have large heavy batteries.
Operability!!! I’ve actually had the pleasure of riding in one of these trucks. As a former semi driver, let me tell you the differences between a diesel rig and the BEV are dramatic. The startup process is noiseless, there isn’t a need for a clutch so the truck comes up to speed much more quickly and more smoothly. The cab sits on the wheelbase a bit differently so the truck makes turns more easily. The truck’s overall ride is so much nicer, and that’s a huge plus for any driver.