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Nikola Will Collaborate With Fortescue to Use Green Hydrogen for Its Tre FCEV Trucks

Despite all the controversies that involved Nikola and its founder at the beginning, the company always had a crucial element that could help it succeed: a concern with hydrogen infrastructure. Just like Tesla did well with the help of its Supercharging network, Nikola would sell fuel cell trucks and the hydrogen they needed. That is still going on after Trevor Milton left the company, and we have two good examples of that.
Nikola Tre FCEV Beta for European markets 20 photos
Photo: Nikola
Nikola puts the Tre BEV for sale in Europe at the IAA 2022Nikola presents the Tre FCEV Beta at the IAA 2022Nikola presents the Tre FCEV Beta at the IAA 2022Nikola presents the Tre FCEV Beta at the IAA 2022Nikola presents the Tre FCEV Beta at the IAA 2022Nikola Two Refuels With HydrogenNikola Two Refuels With HydrogenNikola's Plans for a Hydrogen R&D Center Before Plans ChangedNikola's Plans for a Hydrogen Station Before Plans ChangedAtmospheric Electrolyzer from Nel ASA Nikola Intended to UseNikola Two Refuels With HydrogenNikola's Plans for a Hydrogen Station Before Plans ChangedNikola's Plans for a Hydrogen Station Before Plans ChangedNikola's Plans for a Hydrogen Station Before Plans ChangedNikola's Plans for a Hydrogen Station Before Plans ChangedNikola's Plans for a Hydrogen Station Before Plans ChangedNikola's Plans for a Hydrogen Pump Before Plans ChangedNikola Two Refuels With HydrogenNikola Two Refuels With Hydrogen
The most recent one is the partnership Nikola did with Fortescue Future Industries (FFI). The companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate and evaluate the co-development of large-scale green hydrogen factories in the U.S. Nikola would be a “potential offtaker” of this production, which shows it wants massive quantities of green hydrogen to power all the Tre FCEV trucks it intends to sell.

What the companies have to figure out is how to distribute the green hydrogen, but Nikola already has a plan. While it is building permanent hydrogen stations, it will deploy mobile fuelers. The vehicles will be presented on January 25.

The other example of Nikola’s will to have a hydrogen network is its deal with GP Joule. The German company announced it would buy 100 Tre FCEV units. The interesting bit is how it will use them.

GP Joule’s business is to provide renewable energy for anyone that wants it. The Reussenkoege company started with solar and wind farms and expanded that to hydrogen stations and more. The green hydrogen it produces now needs vehicles to consume it, which is why it is buying 100 Tre FCEVs.

The German company will offer these trucks to customers who want to decarbonize their transportation needs. That said, GP Joule will provide them with the vehicles that use green hydrogen, the gas, and the filling stations they need to be distributed. For Nikola, it is a way to present its trucks to a broader audience with the necessary infrastructure for them to bloom.

Nikola will make the Tre FCEVs for Europe in partnership with Iveco, which will also take care of maintenance. The first 30 trucks will be delivered to GP Joule within 2024, and the other 70 should arrive by 2025. The deal will only move forward if the German company’s application for KsNI funding is approved. That’s Germany’s program for clean vehicles.

Iveco will also offer GP Joule the possibility to acquire the trucks through its Green & Advanced Transport Ecosystem (GATE), an “all-inclusive electric truck rental model.” That would prevent us from using the word “purchase” to qualify the deal, but 100 Tre FCEVs would still be in GP Joule’s hands. Perhaps even more: starting in 2026, the German company and Iveco “have agreed to market additional FCEVs to customers in Europe.” As long as they have somewhere to buy hydrogen, that may be an enticing proposition for several fleet owners.
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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
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Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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