COOLIDGE, AZ — Standing on what used to be farmland, the Nikola Motors Company rose from the Pinal County desert, and in March of 2022, it began producing battery-powered semis.
More than 250 trucks have moved along its assembly line to completion, 131 are on the road and the rest are waiting to be delivered.
"This truck is one of the first prototypes," said Christian Appel, sitting behind the wheel of Nikola's hydrogen fuel cell electric semi.
Appel is a Global Engineer in charge of fuel cell technology.
Later this summer Nikola will begin producing hydrogen fuel cell semis for commercial customers, along with the battery-powered trucks it currently produces.
"I like a challenge and I like to pioneer. This was truly an opportunity to do something new and push a whole industry," Appel said.
The hydrogen-fueled semis will be able to go 500 miles between charges.
The battery-powered trucks go 300 miles. It will only take 20 minutes to recharge a truck.
"We have to solve the problems they're facing today. and that's what we can do with this truck. the payload of the truck and the refueling time which is comparable to diesel trucks," Appel said. "Ultimately we want to improve the workplace for the driver."
The early signs are promising.
Nikola reports it has 100 orders for its hydrogen cell electric semi, with an anticipated delivery date of sometime in the fourth quarter of this year.
By the end of the year, Nikola plans to have portable mobile hydrogen fueling units available in California.
By 2026, 60 refueling stations will be operating in different parts of the country.
Plans are also in the works to build a hydrogen production hub in Buckeye.
