Truck of the Future in Dornstetten
Everyone knows Tesla as a manufacturer of electric vehicles, but Nikola? Never heard of them, right? That should change soon, if it goes well for Fahrner in Dornstetten. In the future, they will use Nikola Motor Company’s first emission-free hydrogen electric truck. For the innovative logistics company, the truck is another important step on the road to green truck transport on German roads.
Starting in 2023, the first emission-free hydrogen electric truck with the name “Nikola Tre” is to go on tour from Dornstetten. Spedition Fahrner has already ordered it from the US-based Nikola Motor Company. Now it only has to be delivered on time. “I’ve just come from the Nikola prototype presentation in Scottsdale Arizona and I’m still overwhelmed,” says Thomas Brenner, Managing Director Spedition Fahrner, his impressions. “On the one hand, the Nikola Tre is a real eye-catcher, on the other hand, it is technically forward-looking for the transport industry. Our infrastructure in Germany needs clean trucks and Nikola Tre is a groundbreaking step in the right direction for us. ”
Hydrogen and electricity instead of diesel
After hearing the first reports in the middle of 2018, about the planned development of a hydrogen electric truck for the European market, Fahrner contacted the Nikola Motor Company in the USA. “Initial discussions have shown that Nikola Tre has the potential to become a true, clean alternative to the diesel truck,” says Brenner. From the outside looks the Nikola Tre almost exactly like a normal truck – a little streamlined and with a functional as well as subtly futuristic design. What makes him fundamentally different from a conventional diesel truck reveals itself when looking under the bonnet. Because there is no classic truck engine anymore. Hydrogen fuel cells, electric motors and powerful batteries are distributed throughout the vehicle. They deliver their performance where it is needed, without complex gearboxes and powertrains, and they also ensure a low center of gravity and thus more safety on the road. Additional safety and a faster braking response are offered by “Regenerative Braking”. The technology recovers the braking process electrical energy to charge the batteries, so that the range of the Nikola Tre is up to 1,200 km.
Germany needs clean trucks
“The hydrogen-electric combination as emission-free truck drive opens us up as a logistics company in the face of increasing climate challenges, new opportunities to move responsibly on our roads,” stresses Thomas Brenner. The transport infrastructure in Germany will also need the truck in the future, because everything is aimed at the road as the number one transport route. The course has been set decades ago, it will change little in the future, Brenner is sure. “What we can do is to use our resources as environmentally friendly as possible. As a freight forwarder with almost a hundred years of tradition, we, as pioneers of this development, want to show that emission-free truck transport is possible and feasible in the near future. “
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