Production hub revealed for Nikola TRE heavy-duty electric trucks

The IVECO manufacturing facility in Ulm, Germany, is to be the production hub for the Nikola TRE battery electric and fuel-cell electric heavy-duty truck models.

CNH Industrial brands IVECO and FPT took a $250m stake in Nikola last September.

The announcement was followed in December with the unveiling of the Nikola TRE, a battery electric vehicle (BEV) heavy duty truck, which is the first step towards the fuel-cell electric (FCEV) model.

The Ulm region has committed a substantial investment to fund research and development projects in the area, with strategic project partnerships, meaning the facility will benefit from close proximity to key suppliers.

“Our European joint-venture with Nikola and today’s announcement is real proof that zero-emission long-haul transport is becoming a reality, resulting in tangible environmental benefits for Europe’s long distance hauliers and its citizens,” said CHN chief executive Hubertus Mühlhäuser.

“The decision to build the Nikola TRE in Ulm – a center of heavy-duty truck engineering excellence – underscores the site’s strategic location at the heart of Germany’s fuel cell technology cluster.”

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In the first stage of the project, €40m will be invested by the joint-venture company to upgrade the manufacturing facility, which will focus on final assembly of the vehicle. Start of production is anticipated within the first quarter of 2021, with deliveries of the Nikola TRE beginning in the same year.

“The Nikola TRE is proving to be the most advanced articulated truck in the world and will continue to set the standard for zero-emission vehicles today and in the future,” said Nikola chief executive Trevor Milton. “The decision to volume produce the TRE in the city of Ulm is a fitting example of how to create jobs, foster innovation, provide certainty to new zero-emission part suppliers and serve as an example to other OEMs. The world is ready for zero-emission freight transportation, and the joint venture between Nikola and IVECO will be the first to deliver. I look forward to seeing the first production vehicles come off the line.”

The first models to enter production will be the battery-electric 4x2 and 6x2 articulated trucks with modular and scalable batteries with a capacity of up to 720 kWh and an electric powertrain that delivers up to 480 kW of continuous power output.

The Nikola TRE currently in development is based on the new IVECO S-WAY platform and integrates Nikola’s truck technology, controls and infotainment. Testing is expected to begin in mid-2020 with prototypes showcased at the IAA 2020 commercial vehicle exhibition in Hannover, Germany this September.

This joint venture forms part of a wider partnership established with Nikola to accelerate industry transformation towards emission neutrality of Class 8 heavy-duty trucks in North America and Europe through the adoption of fuel-cell technology.

The primary focus of the collaboration is to leverage each partners’ respective expertise to successfully deploy zero-emission heavy-duty trucks and to disrupt the industry with an entirely new business model.