Three years ago, electric vehicle tire-kickers looking for a workhorse were hard pressed to find a pickup truck with an EV powertrain.
Fast forward to the beginning of 2020, and choices are quickly multiplying, with Bollinger offering a high-end, high-dollar bruiser, Rivian looking to put an EV pickup in every working person’s driveway, Neuron setting itself up for a big sales future with a modular design, and Tesla unveiling its Cybertruck in its endless quest to write its own mythology.
Those who keep abreast of things electric—when it comes to powertrains, at least—may remember the name Nikola, and perhaps call to mind the WAV electric jet ski the Phoenix, Arizona, based company revealed a few years ago. But Nikola’s design and manufacturing interests extended to semi-trucks before the WAV came along, and most recently the forward-thinking folks unveiled a passenger pickup in concept form.
Nikola’s concept uses a Toyota for a foundation. It isn’t only powered by electricity, though; if desired, its batteries may be supplemented by a hydrogen fuel cell. The upshot is an incredible between-charge range of 600 miles. The present limitation is the availability of hydrogen refill stations. But Nikola will offer an electric-only version with a range of 300 miles, and the company has plans to build 700 stations for hydrogen refueling in the continental U.S.
If the thought of driving a hydrogen-powered car has you feeling optimistic and very curious to know more about Nikola’s trucks, you’re not alone. The company will reveal more in September.