Zero-emission trucks

A collaboration between Nikola Corporation and California port trucking company Total Transportation Services Inc. (TTSI) includes vehicle trials and a Letter of Intent (LOI) to order 100 Nikola Class 8 battery-electric vehicle (BEV) and fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) semi-trucks.

Vic LaRosa, president of TTSI said the “Nikola Tre trucks are exactly the type of zero-emission solution we need to be using” at the ports.

Local and longer haul

The Nikola Tre BEV is designed for local deliveries up to 350 miles. The Nikola Tre FCEV truck is targeted for distances up to 500 miles and is expected to address the majority of the North American regional market, especially when additional freight hauling capacity and quick fuelling are required by fleet operators.

Mr LaRosa added: “Our trucks operate for 18-20 hours a day making the benefits of the Nikola portfolio a perfect match for our needs. The expected availability of the BEV aligns with our desire to reach our sustainability goals quickly and the FCEV is ideal for longer-range applications.”

“The drayage and port operations present an excellent use case for BEV and FCEV trucks where operational efficiency cannot be compromised,” noted Nikola’s global head of FCEV business unit, Jason Roycht.

A four-truck pilot is due to start in the first half of 2022, consisting of two BEVs and two FCEVs. Based on satisfactory completion of the vehicle trials and subject to TTSI obtaining certain government funding, thirty BEVs are projected to follow later in 2022, and 70 FCEVs are anticipated to start in 2023.

According to TTSI, in any given month 13,000 to 14,000 trucks call at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, emitting roughly 2,600t per year of nitrogen-oxide emissions.