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Nikola Motor Reveals the First Real Images of Its Zero-Emissions UTV

Nikola Motor is one of the numerous startups that are beginning to make waves in the electric vehicles segment, but unlike companies such as Rimac or Qiantu, this one has chosen two completely different vehicles for its first two offerings.
Nikola Zero 10 photos
Photo: Nikola Motor Company
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We've covered the Nikola One before, but the latest developments don't cast a very favorable light on it. The One is a semi truck with electric propulsion and some very impressive numbers. Sadly, it's also only a concept at the moment, with Nikola Motor recently announcing that the gas turbine generator that was supposed to provide the charge for the batteries on the go is going to be replaced with a hydrogen fuel cell system. That's a pretty big change that will undoubtedly throw back a project we had no idea how far down the road it was in the first place.

It looks like Nikola Motor is going to use the Nikola Zero as a sort of distraction to keep us busy while the One semi is ready. Or at least that's what the more optimistical among us will believe. But as far as distractions go, if we're to believe the figures released by the company, the Zero doesn't sound bad at all.

The first bullet of the presentation is the most confusing as well: it says the Zero will have a maximum range of "100-200 miles." That's a rather big interval, and while the 200-miles are totally plausible given the UTV uses a 72 kWh battery pack, there's always the question about space. The Zero is quite a big vehicle, granted, but it's also very revealing, and we don't really see where all those cells could fit as the floor doesn't appear to be that thick.

The answer regarding the range could lie in another piece of information released by the company: the Zero will also be available as a two-seater. The greatly reduced dimensions will also shrink the battery pack, hence the reduction in maximum range.

Performance-wise the Nikola Zero will be no slouch: it'll have up to 520 hp from what appear to be two electric motors on each axle, and it'll reach 60 mph in just three seconds. Still, the UTV ultimately remains an off-road recreational vehicle, so that speed will have to work together with the 20" (50 cm) of suspension travel, the 14.5" (36.8 cm) high ground clearance and the 32" (81 cm) all-terrain tires.

There's not that much styling you can do on a Side by Side, but Nikola actually managed to make the prototype look better than the initial renderings it showed. The vehicle is supposed to go on sale for $37.000, but even though everything with a battery is compared to the Tesla Model 3 these days, we just won't do it because they are way too different. Besides, everything about Nikola Motor is pure fiction at the moment since the company failed to produce any concrete evidence so far.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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