Nikola Says It Has $2.3 Billion Pre-Orders For Electric Semi No One Has Seen

Nikola recently announced that it had 7000 pre-orders worth $2.3 billion for a new electric-natural gas turbine hybrid truck — even though they don’t yet have a prototype.

Thousands Of Pre-Orders For Nikola One — But No Physical Prototype

Nikola has promised to have a Class 8 “Nikola One” prototype ready for public view by December 2016, but the number of pre-orders is impressive for a company that has no established history.

$5000 Per Month Lease Program Considered Strong Selling Point For Some

Perhaps the most unique selling point for the Nikola One is the leasing program. According to the company’s website, for $5000 per month, you can lease a Nikola One. The $5000 price includes not just the lease payment but also unlimited miles, unlimited fuel, scheduled maintenance, and warranty. Then, for no extra cost, you can trade in your Nikola One for a new truck every 72 months or 1 million miles, whichever comes first. According to Nikola, “An average diesel burns over $400,000 in fuel and racks up over $100,000 in maintenance costs over 1,000,000 miles. These costs are eliminated with the Nikola One lease.”

Nikola also pledges to provide the first 25,000 “reservations” with 1 million miles worth of free CNG fuel. All others will be able to purchase CNG fuel from Nikola at the price of $1.50 per gallon, according to the website.

If you want to buy a Nikola One outright, it’ll cost you about $375,000.

Nikola One’s Reported Features And Benefits

From the Nikola website, here are a few of the other benefits that seem to be luring in buyers:

• 6X6 100% Electric Drive
• Zero Idle
• 1/2 The Fuel Cost Per Mile Compared To Diesel
• 3,700 Foot Pound Torque
• 2,000 Horsepower
• 1,200 Miles Range
• Regenerative Braking
• Stop Up To 2 Times Faster

The Nikola One also claims to have made huge advances in ensuring truck driver comfort. Some of the driver-facing features are said to include:

• 30% More Cab Space
• Two Full Sized Beds
• Full Size Fridge And Freezer
• Microwave
• Big Closet
• Computer Desk
• Bluetooth® & USB/AUX
• Integrated Apple TV
• 40” Curved LED 4K TV
• Wifi & 4G LTE Internet

Nikola says they plan to deliver trucks to the first reservation holders in about 36 months.

You can learn more about the Nikola One by clicking here to visit the website.

Future trucks: highly charged and aerodynamic https://t.co/V0Cf0lUTPP #simulation #emissions #nikolaone pic.twitter.com/KsI0E8A7Km

— Exa Corporation (@ExaCorp) June 13, 2016

Sources:
Autoevolution
Digital Trends
Japonik