Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023 - 32

ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT
Nikola producing battery-electric trucks, fuel-cell EVs coming
733 kWh, stored in nine battery packs connected
in parallel. The lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt-oxide
(LiNiMnCoO2) cylindrical
cells, according to Nikola officials, deliver a
driving range of up to 330 miles (531 km)
when the truck is loaded.
" The architecture of the high-voltage system
provides a unique capability of operational
redundancy. Batteries are electrically
and thermally connected in strings of three
(fore/aft in vehicle direction), which allows
the vehicle to operate on six battery packs if
required, " Ness noted. Cypress, Californiabased
Romeo Power, acquired by Nikola in
2022, is the battery supplier.
Several patents and pending patents adA
pre-production Nikola Tre BEV, parked outside the Ford Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit,
was available for short demonstration rides after Nikola's Automotive Press Association
event on March 29.
Fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are a highway rarity despite
decades of technology development. " When I was working in
Europe 20 years ago, I was driving fuel-cell prototype cars.
They were very, very good, but they didn't make it to serial production, "
said Michael Lohscheller, president and CEO of Nikola
Corp., the startup company focused on zero-emission commercial
vehicles and energy solutions. " Sometimes, " Lohscheller
emphasized, " the timing has to be right for innovation. " Nikola's
time for innovation that leads to serial production is now.
In the second half of 2023, Nikola expects to begin commercial
production of a hydrogen-fueled electric cabover
truck, marking an industry-first for the North American market.
Nikola's FCEV is a follow-up to the company's Tre BEV, a
zero-emission Class 8 semi-truck. " We produced our first 258
electric trucks in 2022, and those trucks are going to dealers
and customers, " Lohscheller said in a recent interview with
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering in Detroit.
From clean sheet to production
The Tre BEV went from clean-sheet design to production in
less than three years. Its propulsion, thermal, electrical (lowvoltage
and high-voltage), controls, electronic control unit
hardware and certain chassis and cab components were developed
from the ground up for efficiency and performance
optimization. The cab-in-white, a carryover from Iveco's
S-way, is made from a combination of mild-strength and highstrength
steels. Modifications were made to the chassis and
cab design to meet North American market requirements and
align with Nikola's design standards, according to Kyle Ness,
global chief engineer for Nikola's BEV.
Operating on an 800-volt system, the BEV provides a continuous
645 hp (480 kW). Its total onboard energy capacity is
32 June 2023
dress various vehicle systems, including the
thermal-management system, power controls,
high-voltage battery, battery-frame assembly
and electric axle, which is being supplied by
FPT Industrial. Nikola also has intellectual
property rights for different vehicle functions, including the
battery-management system, HMI/infotainment and software.
" We write our own software in-house, not only for infotainment
but also for the entire drive-by-wire architecture, " Lohscheller
said. Nikola has more than 120 suppliers for its Tre BEV and Tre
FCEV. " Everybody is talking about supply-chain difficulties.
Nothing is easy these days, but we manage very well, " he added.
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering engaged in a short ride on
Detroit city streets inside a pre-production Nikola BEV with driver
Adam Tarleton, Nikola's head of vehicle validation. " We accumulated
more than a half-million testing/validation miles while
hauling loads in specific applications. It took us about 14
months, " he said, referencing activities with Nikola's 40-truck
test fleet and customer demonstration vehicles. On-road testing
occurred in Michigan's upper peninsula during cold weather, as
well as year-round in Arizona with customer support in California
and a few other states.
Nikola anticipates having 60 HYLA hydrogen refueling stations in the
U.S. and Canada by 2026.
TRUCK & OFF-HIGHWAY ENGINEERING
FROM TOP: SAE/KAMI BUCHHOLZ; NIKOLA
Truck & Off-Highway Engineering - June 2023

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