Nikola Corporation has sold a Nikola Tre battery-electric vehicle (BEV) and a Nikola Tre hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle to the Alberta Motor Transport Association (AMTA) in Canada.
AMTA will use these heavy-duty vehicles for its Hydrogen Commercial Vehicle Demonstrations Project, a first-of-its-kind project in Canada that launched on February 10, 2023. The project offers carriers in Alberta the opportunity to use and test Class 8 vehicles that operate with hydrogen fuel within their unique operations.
The Nikola Tre BEV has a range of up to 530 km, making it one of the longest of the battery-electric zero-emission Class 8 tractors. The Tre’s cabover design is ideal for metro-regional applications because it has improved visibility and maneuverability, along with a smooth and quiet ride free of the smell of diesel emissions. Meanwhile, the Nikola Tre FCEV has a range of up to 800 km and an estimated fueling time of 20 minutes, making it well-suited for a variety of applications ranging from drayage and intermodal to metro-regional truckload and less than truckload, to certain specialized hauling use cases.
The anticipated delivery of the Nikola Tre BEV, and the expected delivery of the Nikola Tre FCEV by the end of 2023, are critical first steps in selling hundreds of trucks in Alberta, which is a major new market for Nikola. AMTA’s order will be used to help promote further adoption of Nikola’s zero-emissions trucks for a wide variety of trucking companies in Canada.
According to the U.S. EPA data, implementation of one heavy-duty zero-emission truck enables the replacement of one heavy-duty diesel truck, which in annual CO2 emissions, equates to removing 23 passenger cars from the road annually. Canada is moving fast to decarbonize the transportation sector by removing diesel trucks from the road to help the environment. Nikola aims to be in lockstep with leaders like AMTA to accelerate these important market adoption and regulatory policies.
“Canada is a global climate leader with bold targets for emission reductions,” says Carey Mendes, President, Nikola Energy. “Nikola’s zero-emissions trucks and its plans for building hydrogen infrastructure are aligned with Canada’s goals and underpins a fair share our publicly announced plans for 300 metric-tons of hydrogen supply, with 60 hydrogen stations planned for across North America by 2026. This partnership is just the beginning of bringing hundreds of FCEVs to Alberta and Canada.”
While the introduction of hydrogen fuel cell trucks presents several potential benefits, there are still some challenges surrounding the technology. One of the main issues is the lack of hydrogen refueling stations, which limits the practicality and range of these vehicles. Furthermore, the high cost of hydrogen fuel cells and the vehicles themselves may hinder the adoption of the technology by some carriers.
Overall, Nikola’s expansion of its presence in Canada with the sale of these zero-emissions trucks to AMTA marks a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to promote the adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology in the transportation sector. With the increasing focus on reducing carbon emissions and transitioning to more sustainable modes of transportation, it is likely that we will see more companies following in Nikola’s footsteps in the coming years.
