Photo: Nikola
The automotive world has a few paradoxes to solve, but one of the most crucial nowadays is the one involving hydrogen distribution and fuel cells that need it. Which should come first? Selling vehicles that lack fueling infrastructure is impossible. Offering the gas their fuel cells need just makes sense with demand. Nikola plans to solve that with HYLA.
The new global brand will run Nikola’s hydrogen mobile fuelers and also the 60 hydrogen stations it plans to build until 2026. The first three will be in California, more specifically in Colton, Ontario, and close to the Port of Long Beach. The Golden State should concentrate most of America’s carbon-neutral truck sales. Biagi Bros alone will have 15 Tre FCEVs by Q4 2023 to start decarbonizing the company’s fleet. In other words, Nikola is creating the demand for hydrogen fuel stations that make them viable.
Considering it is not easy to build these 60 hydrogen stations across the U.S. all of a sudden, Nikola conceived hydrogen mobile fuelers. When these fuel cell trucks start crossing state borders, these running stations will have an important role to play. With the capacity to carry 960 kilograms (2,116 pounds) of hydrogen at 700 bar, these HYLA fuelers could help nine Tre FCEVs recover 500 miles (805 kilometers) of range.
There are two major possibilities for this extra range: either it is enough for the Tre FCEVs to reach another mobile or permanent hydrogen fueler, or they feed a smaller number of trucks (up to four) so that they can travel up to 250 more miles (403 kilometers) and still have enough hydrogen to return to the place where the mobile fueler is parked. Nikola suggested this will probably be the most frequent use for the moving stations – at least at the very beginning.
Theoretically, the HYLA trucks just need to be close enough to places producing green hydrogen to help distribute it without wasting much energy. Nikola said it would be able to make up to 300 metric tons per day (MTD) thanks to four partnerships and its Phoenix Hydrogen Hub (PHH) project.
Nikola (or HYLA) is waiting for “final investment decisions and customary regulatory approvals” to start the construction of PHH in Buckeye, Arizona. The project's first phase should be completed by the second half of 2024, and it will provide 30 MTD. The following stages will be deployed as the demand for more hydrogen expands. When the project is complete, it should deliver 150 MTD.
Besides this project, Nikola also counts on Plug Power (or just Plug) to deliver green hydrogen to several locations. Unfortunately, we could not find these locations, but some of them should help HYLA mobile refuelers provide Tre FCEVs with hydrogen for more extended travels. The deal with Plug will ensure Nikola trucks have access to up to 125 MTD of green hydrogen.
All other Nikola projects involve natural gas. In other words, hydrogen is obtained from fossil fuels, which made some of these companies commit to carbon capture. That still makes the hydrogen provided by Wabash Valley Resources in Indiana, TC Energy in Alberta (Canada), and KeyState in Pennsylvania emit carbon, which may be the only option in these locations for the time being. While advocates of trucks powered solely by batteries may consider this as proof that hydrogen is a waste of time – as a celebrity CEO keeps repeating – electricity is also generated by natural gas or coal worldwide.
If Nikola manages to produce hydrogen in more states – especially some more in the Midwest – it may create a hydrogen corridor for trucks to cross the U.S. Establishing a partnership in Kansas or Missouri could hit the nail on the head.
Nikola did not disclose how many fuelers it will operate, which would be crucial to understand how many customers it is planning to serve with HYLA. We would also welcome an explanation of how they will work. Will that be on demand, depending on the routes customers take with their Tre FCEV trucks? Will HYLA define some locations on the most important roads and wait for customers there? The first hypothesis seems more likely, but it would be nice to hear from Nikola what it truly intends to do.
Apart from the HYLA mobile fuelers, Nikola said its customers would also count on third-party fuelers. The issue is that it did not disclose which companies are willing to help sell hydrogen. Plug Power seems to be a natural candidate to do so. After all, it purchased 75 Tre FCEV units to be delivered until 2025, with the first ones arriving in 2023. Their mission is to “bring green hydrogen to Plug customers in North America.” Nikola and HYLA are certainly among them.
Considering it is not easy to build these 60 hydrogen stations across the U.S. all of a sudden, Nikola conceived hydrogen mobile fuelers. When these fuel cell trucks start crossing state borders, these running stations will have an important role to play. With the capacity to carry 960 kilograms (2,116 pounds) of hydrogen at 700 bar, these HYLA fuelers could help nine Tre FCEVs recover 500 miles (805 kilometers) of range.
There are two major possibilities for this extra range: either it is enough for the Tre FCEVs to reach another mobile or permanent hydrogen fueler, or they feed a smaller number of trucks (up to four) so that they can travel up to 250 more miles (403 kilometers) and still have enough hydrogen to return to the place where the mobile fueler is parked. Nikola suggested this will probably be the most frequent use for the moving stations – at least at the very beginning.
Theoretically, the HYLA trucks just need to be close enough to places producing green hydrogen to help distribute it without wasting much energy. Nikola said it would be able to make up to 300 metric tons per day (MTD) thanks to four partnerships and its Phoenix Hydrogen Hub (PHH) project.
Nikola (or HYLA) is waiting for “final investment decisions and customary regulatory approvals” to start the construction of PHH in Buckeye, Arizona. The project's first phase should be completed by the second half of 2024, and it will provide 30 MTD. The following stages will be deployed as the demand for more hydrogen expands. When the project is complete, it should deliver 150 MTD.
Besides this project, Nikola also counts on Plug Power (or just Plug) to deliver green hydrogen to several locations. Unfortunately, we could not find these locations, but some of them should help HYLA mobile refuelers provide Tre FCEVs with hydrogen for more extended travels. The deal with Plug will ensure Nikola trucks have access to up to 125 MTD of green hydrogen.
All other Nikola projects involve natural gas. In other words, hydrogen is obtained from fossil fuels, which made some of these companies commit to carbon capture. That still makes the hydrogen provided by Wabash Valley Resources in Indiana, TC Energy in Alberta (Canada), and KeyState in Pennsylvania emit carbon, which may be the only option in these locations for the time being. While advocates of trucks powered solely by batteries may consider this as proof that hydrogen is a waste of time – as a celebrity CEO keeps repeating – electricity is also generated by natural gas or coal worldwide.
If Nikola manages to produce hydrogen in more states – especially some more in the Midwest – it may create a hydrogen corridor for trucks to cross the U.S. Establishing a partnership in Kansas or Missouri could hit the nail on the head.
Nikola did not disclose how many fuelers it will operate, which would be crucial to understand how many customers it is planning to serve with HYLA. We would also welcome an explanation of how they will work. Will that be on demand, depending on the routes customers take with their Tre FCEV trucks? Will HYLA define some locations on the most important roads and wait for customers there? The first hypothesis seems more likely, but it would be nice to hear from Nikola what it truly intends to do.
Apart from the HYLA mobile fuelers, Nikola said its customers would also count on third-party fuelers. The issue is that it did not disclose which companies are willing to help sell hydrogen. Plug Power seems to be a natural candidate to do so. After all, it purchased 75 Tre FCEV units to be delivered until 2025, with the first ones arriving in 2023. Their mission is to “bring green hydrogen to Plug customers in North America.” Nikola and HYLA are certainly among them.
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