Heavy transport, agreement for 100 hydrogen Nikola Tres on the German market

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There will be one hundred Nikola Tres – zero-emission trucks built as part of the industrial collaboration between the American company Nikola and the Iveco Group – which will be delivered, starting from 2024, to the German company GP JOULE, a supplier of systems for integrated energy solutions based in Reussenkoege. The announcement came through a letter of intent which formalizes the order for one hundred heavy vehicles – “Class 8” according to the American classification – with electric propulsion, powered by hydrogen fuel cells (FCEV – Fuel Cells Electric Vehicles).

The heavy vehicles in the European 6×2 variant will be produced by the joint venture between Nikola and Iveco Group at the Ulm site in Germany. Delivery to GP JOULE of the first 30 Nikola Tre Fuel Cells is expected by 2024, then delivery of the remaining 70 vehicles is scheduled for 2025. The agreement provides that GP JOULE can purchase the vehicles through GATE – Green & Advanced Transport Ecosystem – the platform for the rental of all-inclusive electric vehicles managed by the Iveco Group.

The Beta version of the hydrogen-powered Nikola Tre was presented at Hannover, the international exhibition dedicated to commercial and industrial vehicles, last September, and will be on the market starting next year. The agreement provides that Iveco will supply the maintenance and assistance services to the fleet that GP JOULE will make available to its customers in the transport and logistics sector. The order, highlights Iveco Group in a note, “is subject to the success of GP JOULE’s request for KsNI funding, the German program to support the acquisition of vehicles with alternative and environmentally friendly engines”.

Furthermore, GP JOULE and Iveco Group have agreed to commercialize other Fuel Cells Electric Vehicles (FCEV) in Europe starting from 2026. GP JOULE will supply 100% green hydrogen in its network of refueling stations. For Michael Lohscheller, president and CEO of Nikola Corporation, the GP JOULE order “will be an example of how the Nikola Tre FCEV can support commercial customers in Germany in their transition to zero emissions several years ahead of other manufacturers”. , favoring the achievement of the objective of decarbonising the transport sector.

The agreement entered into with GP JOULE also provides for the use of the GATE rental model for customers, with the possibility of offering the complete service based on a pay-per-use formula «which will allow customers – highlights Simone Olivati, as head of Financial Services for the Iveco Group – to access the propulsion systems of the future».