Nikola motor company, a brand new startup, has come up with a disruptive product called Nikola One. Nikola One is a fully electric truck which utilizes CNG for charging its massive batteries. In today’s world, where the electric revolution in the transportation industry is gaining rapid momentum, products like Nikola one are writing a new chapter in history! If this product becomes reality, it might prove to be a breakthrough in the traditional trucking industry which mostly depends on diesel engines.
Power, torque, and economy go hand in hand in Nikola One:
Nikola One draws power from the 2000hp electric motor of 95% efficiency which powers all the wheels at one go and produces an enormous torque of 3700 ft-lbs. It can accelerate from 0-60 in a mere 30 seconds. The battery pack has more than 32,000 individual Li-ion cells welded together resulting in 320 kWh. This truck has an impressive speed of 65mph while climbing up the hill (6% gradient) compared to traditional diesel engine powered truck which manages a maximum of 20-40mph.
The most articulate feature of this truck is that you need not plug-in the batteries for charging. Instead, you can charge them ‘on the go’ with the help of a turbine. The turbine produces 400 kW of power by utilizing CNG as a fuel and charges the batteries directly. The maximum range once charged is around 800-1200 miles.
In addition, the regenerative braking system converts the energy into the electricity that otherwise goes waste upon application of brakes. The truck, then, further utilizes this electricity to charge the batteries. In order to make this vehicle more efficient, the weight of chassis is reduced by almost 2000lbs compared to a traditional truck. Less weight translates into more money as the operator can transport the additional load.
Safety is a priority:
Nikola One is equipped with a 6×6 regenerative braking and air-operated disc brakes which can stop the truck almost 2x faster than any other truck. The stopping distance is less than 150ft in fully loaded condition. Also, the wide view from the cabin enhances overall visibility.
Nikola motors have managed to keep the center of gravity low. For this, the engineers kept the batteries, turbine and electric motors below the frame rail. This ultimately leads to better control and stability thereby enhancing safety. Besides all these safety features, there is one additional feature i.e. the torque vectoring. In torque vectoring, you can independently control every wheel by using the ‘drive by wire’ technology. It is really helpful during the cornering and maneuvering heavy loads.
If Nikola One makes it on the roads with all these latest features and technology, it will change the trucking industry forever. Thus, it will bring the e-mobility to transportation!
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