Dream trucker. Nikola One electric tractor available for pre-order

The stylish heavy truck will travel 1930 kilometers on electricity and gas - absolutely silent, except for the rustling of tires

If you have ever heard the noise of a speeding truck with a multi-ton load, then you will not soon forget this sound. It will be remembered as an artifact of the ancient era, when the noisy and dirty tractors of road trains frightened by the roar of engines, sucking hundreds of liters of expensive diesel fuel at gas stations.

A month ago, the American company Nikola Motor unveiled the design of a truck tractor for a new generation of trucks. The unique car of a stylish look cardinally differs from clumsy diesel monsters.

A 2000-horsepower Nikola One tractor is equipped with a set of 32,000 individual lithium-ion batteries with an aggregate capacity of 320 kWh — three times more than the Tesla Model S P90D.
')
At full charge of batteries with an additional cylinder of natural gas, the tractor can travel 1,200 miles (1,931 km), this is the declared range from a single charge.

Although Nikola One is not a “clean” electric car, but the technical characteristics inspire respect:

• 6 × 6 100% electric drive
• Absolutely silent move
• Many times lower exhaust than diesel engines
• Twice more economical move in terms of cost per kilometer, compared with diesel
• Torque engines 5000 newton meters
• Power 2000 horsepower
• Range of the course is 1931 km
• 320 kWh battery
• Regenerative brakes with battery charging during braking
• No need to charge from the mains: the turbine charges the batteries automatically on the go

Full technical characteristics of the tractor (compiled by Baryonyx )


The benefit of an electric tractor is not only fuel economy, but also efficiency. Electric motors that develop 2000 horsepower are much more powerful than 500 hp diesel engines. With increased power and torque, this beast, even with a full load of a train, will more easily overcome a steep climb, and will not scream and choke, like a diesel "grandfather".



On a rise of 6%, an electric tractor can reach a speed of more than 100 km / h, while a regular heavy truck can only reach 30-65 km, depending on power and load.

On the flat road, Nikola One accelerates to hundreds of kilometers per hour in 30 seconds, and not in a minute, like diesel.

In the end, thanks to the lightness of electric motors mounted on wheels, the tractor itself, even with batteries, weighs less than a conventional tractor, equipped with a huge massive motor: 9525 kg versus 10430 kg.

However, for the effective use of hybrid trucks of this type, it is necessary to deploy a vast infrastructure of filling stations where natural gas cylinders are being replaced. There is no such infrastructure yet. But this did not stop Nikola Motor from opening a new order for a new generation of tractor a month ago.

The offer is really tempting. Although the tractor is much more expensive than usual, it pays off due to substantial savings on fuel. The car is sold in leasing at prices ranging from $ 4,000 to $ 5,000 per month, depending on the configuration. But most importantly, the unlimited amount of fuel and maintenance are included in the cost of leasing. Monthly lease payment pays off just a couple of long distance truck driver flights.

Such a tempting offer has bribed many, especially since truckers are the most popular male profession in the US (there are approximately 3.5 million truckers in the country). Yesterday, Nikola Motor announced that it had received pre-orders for $ 2.3 billion in its first month of operation! This amount includes pre-orders for both the tractor and the SUV (about which below).

If the developers can put their plans into practice, then Nikola One will be the only electric tractor on the market that can carry trucks weighing up to 36 tons, while surpassing conventional trucks in many ways. The founder and CEO of Nikola Motor says that their technology is 10-15 years ahead of the technology of competitors.

To be honest, the plans of Nikola Motor really seem fantastic. Looking at the stunningly beautiful renders, it is not very hard to believe that the company will be able to start mass production of such machines in the coming years. However, the official presentation of Nikola One is scheduled for December 2, 2016. By this time, this prototype should already be ready.









In addition to the road train trailer, Nikola Motor also introduced the concept of the original Nikola Zero SUV worth $ 42,000. This all-wheel drive electric car with a capacity of 520 horsepower is equipped with 50 kWh batteries and develops a torque of 643 newton meters. It will accelerate to the control hundred in three seconds. An off-road vehicle with a 14.5-inch skylight on 32-inch wheels is probably best suited for driving over rough terrain, especially somewhere in the rocky desert, where there is a lot of sunshine.







Interestingly, the name of the company Nikola Motor is formed on behalf of the famous engineer, physicist and inventor of Serbian origin Nikola Tesla, who paved the way for modern electrical engineering in the late 19th century. The company name Tesla Motors is formed from his last name. The inventor did not have a second name, so the creative attempts of the electric vehicle manufacturers on this can be considered completed.