Many truck manufacturers are presently competing in the newly established market of electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks. All geared towards beating the difficulties encountered in replacing greenhouse gas-emitting diesel engines with zero-emission electric engines.
Bosch, a prominent German company known to supply car components, joins the competing crowd by setting a partnership with a start-up company, Nikola Motor Co. The two companies aim to produce two long-haul truck models, a medium-duty and a heavy-duty, both powered by hydrogen fuel cell.
Comparing with batteries, hydrogen fuel cells achieve longer ranges and are easier and faster to recharge. The two models, Nikola One and Nikola Two, are targeted to achieve a range of 800 to 1200 miles. This range is almost three to four times as much as that of Tesla’s electric truck Semi, which has a range of between 200 miles to 300 miles.
The two companies agreed to develop a powertrain that integrates the e-Axle technology of Bosch with ‘custom-designed fuel cell system.’ This integration will hopefully result to a powertrain with “segment-leading performance at a competitive total cost of ownership,” aside from its zero emission benefit.
Next step: Grow water cress in the cabin instead of releasing all the exhaust water on the road.
Still, with less petrol to make asphalt, tracks will be better than trucks eventually. It’s already the case in Europe, might take a couple more centuries in the (U)SA…