Nikola Trucks?

[giant_mtb]

https://nikolamotor.com/one

Electric motors, natural gas generator, purported 1,200 miles on a tank, half the cost per mile.  Of course, doesn't look like anything has really been produced yet, but interesting that this market may be opening up to Tesla-like companies.

[12,000 RPM]

I think this is what they call "vaporware"

[AutobahnSHO]

HA I was expecting small little trucks to use in a warehouse or something- and thought "too cool!"
That could definitely work, they already have forklifts running natural gas like that.

But a Semi-truck LOLOLOLOLOLOL

I love how they call it electric but that's like calling a Diesel Locomotive "electric". (They really are electric motors running the drive wheels from power produced by the diesel engines.)

LOLOLOL they don't even have a working prototype to unveil until late this year but are already taking pre-orders.

I'm extremely super duper skeptical.

[AutobahnSHO]

LOL 50 "planned" refueling stations.

It's hard right now to find a CNG station, I've looked at it a little because it was popular in Argentina. But the hassle here just wasn't worth the money saved.

[AutobahnSHO]

EEK AND they own their own natural gas wells????

This seems either the craziest smartest monopoly on a new market ever, or the fastest vaporware ever.

[MrH]

This is like ten times worse vapor ware than Carbon Motors even. They at least had an outrageously expensive prototype to roll around.

Incredible people put deposits down on this.

[MX793]

An electric hybrid similar to locomotives is actually well suited for this application.  100% torque available at 0 RPM.  Strong regenerative braking available in lieu of an engine brake.

[AutobahnSHO]

An electric hybrid similar to locomotives is actually well suited for this application.  100% torque available at 0 RPM.  Strong regenerative braking available in lieu of an engine brake.

Agree, also electric motors don't need transmission so you could cut a lot of weight/complexity. This particular company though seems waaaaaaay out there.

[giant_mtb]

This is like ten times worse vapor ware than Carbon Motors even. They at least had an outrageously expensive prototype to roll around.

Incredible people put deposits down on this.

The "article" says they got $2.3b in deposits in the first month...site says a deposit is $1500...and that they got 7,000 deposits...that's only $10.5 million. They're only a million or so deposits away from 2.3billion.

[MrH]

Yeah, they're playing word games.  They got $10.5 million, but the deposits represent $2.3 billion in revenue if they're able to fulfill them.

[giant_mtb]

Yeah, they're playing word games.  They got $10.5 million, but the deposits represent $2.3 billion in revenue if they're able to fulfill them.

Laaaaame.

I knew this was too cool to be true.

[GoCougs]

It's Tesla Funny Business minus the opportunity for irrational exuberance.

Big rigs are the way they are - cheap, archaic - because that is what provides the best value for operators, plus there is significant support and repair infrastructure already in place.

[AutobahnSHO]

Yeah, they're playing word games. 

"Electric truck" (which you don't plug in but have to refuel every 1000 miles)

LOLOLOLOLOLOL

[MrH]

It's Tesla Funny Business minus the opportunity for irrational exuberance.

Big rigs are the way they are - cheap, archaic - because that is what provides the best value for operators, plus there is significant support and repair infrastructure already in place.

Yeah, big rigs is a total caveman industry compared to automotive.

[CaminoRacer]

It's Tesla Funny Business minus the opportunity for irrational exuberance.

Big rigs are the way they are - cheap, archaic - because that is what provides the best value for operators, plus there is significant support and repair infrastructure already in place.

+1

Shipping industry margins are too tiny for such tech to have any chance in the near future. Operating costs of the current equipment will have to skyrocket first.

[giant_mtb]

True true.

[BimmerM3]

They still have a long way to go, but maybe slightly less vaporware than we thought?

http://arstechnica.co.uk/cars/2016/12/nikola-hydrogen-fuel-cell-truck/

[MrH]

The fact that named themselves Nikola kills any legitimacy for me

[Payman]

I can see a lot of companies jumping on board. The single biggest expense for a haulage company is fuel. If a single truck averages 1000 miles a day for 20 days a month, that's over $10,000/mo in diesel alone. ( @$2.50/gal and 5 mpg average).

[GoCougs]

Reliability and ease of serviceability are more important than fuel costs, and as of now, that stuff doesn't really exist.

Trucking is as it is (ancient technology) because it's cheap, durable and the infrastructure is everywhere.

The fuel savings would likely have to be absolutely massive - not 10 or 20% better - for the market to justify the infrastructure spending for hybrid, electric of H fuel cell power.

The only way it happens on any sort of scale in our lifetimes is through government force (such as how various government agencies use analogous alt fuel for say city buses).

[12,000 RPM]

I can see a lot of companies jumping on board. The single biggest expense for a haulage company is fuel. If a single truck averages 1000 miles a day for 20 days a month, that's over $10,000/mo in diesel alone. ( @$2.50/gal and 5 mpg average).

That's 17 hours a day of driving.... is that normal for the industry?

And I just don't know that the payback is there. I feel like a lot of rigs on the road are like 20 years old. Trucking is not really a capital rich industry

[GoCougs]

Also, there's still a lot of economy still on the table - the modern HD diesel is decades behind the typical passenger vehicle diesel - compression ratio, valving, materials, induction.

[Soup DeVille]

The fact that named themselves Nikola kills any legitimacy for me

Makes me think of Nuka-Cola.

[Soup DeVille]

That's 17 hours a day of driving.... is that normal for the industry?

And I just don't know that the payback is there. I feel like a lot of rigs on the road are like 20 years old. Trucking is not really a capital rich industry

Normal for a team operation, yeah. That might even be on the light side. Normal for old school guys with forged logbooks too

[Payman]

Also, there's still a lot of economy still on the table - the modern HD diesel is decades behind the typical passenger vehicle diesel - compression ratio, valving, materials, induction.

Even if the lease on a conventional truck is $3000/mo and the Nikola is $7000/mo, the monthly fuel savings alone still make for a solid business case.

[Submariner]

Any evidence that the truck will meet these projections? 

[Payman]

Any evidence that the truck will meet these projections? 

The article quotes a lease cost of $5000-7000/mo, and a million miles of free hydrogen fuelling.

[Submariner]

The article quotes a lease cost of $5000-7000/mo, and a million miles of free hydrogen fuelling.

Meh.  Free refueling is fine, but if their plans to produce hydrogen refueling stations don't materialize, or their trucks fail to meet the mileage claims, the claimed savings would become far less meaningful. 

[Soup DeVille]

The article quotes a lease cost of $5000-7000/mo, and a million miles of free hydrogen fuelling.

Free?

[Payman]

Free?