Nikola Motors Corporation has announced plans and has begun pre-orders for it’s first electric and a hydrogen-electric pickup truck, the Nikola Badger. Set for release in 2022, the Badger is amongst the earliest entries on the list of sustainable pickup trucks, powered by environmentally-safe elements making it a pioneer in its own right.
According to Trevor Milton, CEO of Nikola, the Badger has been in the making for years now and it is only now that the company believes the auto-market is leaning towards environmentally sustainable and responsible vehicles. Previously, Nikola Corporation was known for manufacturing electric and hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles (watercraft, off-road vehicles, and semi-trucks).
Features of this electric-pickup-truck include a 0-60mph speed in 2.9 seconds, up to the 600-mile range, peak HP up to 906 HP and up to 908 ft-lbs torque. The 600-mile range is divided as 300 miles per battery and 300 per fuel cell. For all intents and purposes, the Badger appears to be any other pickup truck: dimensions in 5890mm long x 2180mm wide x 1870mm tall and a 4×4 Independent Wheel Drive (IWD), but not only is this vehicle an electric one (first of its kind in pickup trucks) – it’s available with a hydrogen powertrain and can operate in extreme conditions compared other pickup trucks (minus 20-degree Fahrenheit).
So far, Nikola has announced that it will be operating 700 hydrogen stations to support the infrastructure and that an estimated $30 million has been spent on purchasing electrolysis equipment to supply five hydrogen stations with 8 tons of hydrogen daily.
More details are set to be revealed once the automobile is officially made available on December 4, 2020, at the annual Nikola World Event. Details that include which automobile maker will be commissioned by Nikola to build the Badger and pricing.
