Since Nikola disclosed that its first two Tre FCEV prototypes drove more than 350 miles (563 kilometers) without the need to refuel its hydrogen tanks and that they are with AB Inbev – aka Anheuser-Busch – we thought we’d only write about new stuff about those vehicles. We were wrong: Nikola disclosed a video showing how those things were accomplished.
The images reveal that the two trucks' maiden trip was from Nikola’s headquarters in Phoenix up to Ontario, California. That voyage made the trucks run 360 mi (579 km). What we did not know until this point was that Biagi Bros was involved with everything much earlier than we thought.
The first stop of the prototypes was at the Biagi Bros warehouse close to Phoenix, where each of them caught a trailer to make a more representative journey until Ontario. They then unloaded the trucks, which stayed at this depot with the Biagi Bros to start their pilot activity.
The logistics company put their logo on the truck, which Nikola saw as a sign of trust. One of Biagi Bros’ best drivers said that the Tre FCEV was one of the best machines she has ever driven. Other drivers said the fuel cell truck made it extremely easy to operate: they just had to step on the accelerator pedal, and it would do as they told them to do.
The video presents the Tre FCEV prototypes visiting a Shell hydrogen station that uses light-duty vehicle hardware, probably with lower pressures than Nikola intends to use. According to Livio Gambone, the truck startup aims for 700-bar (10,153-psi) refueling. That would give it parity with diesel refueling times: 100 kg of hydrogen in 10 to 15 minutes.
The video also shows the Nikola prototypes carrying their first load of beer from AB InBev. Ever since that started, Nikola said the two Tre FCEV vehicles had already run more than 3,500 mi (5,633 km) until February 24. At this point, they must have traveled a lot more than that. If everything goes according to plan, the new distances are what we are going to hear about these two machines.
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