The Nikola Badger Electric Ute is reportedly closer to a production reality with order books to open from 29 June, 2020.
The Nikola Badger electric ute, with its innovative hydrogen fuel cell electric powertrain, is one step closer to becoming a production reality after company founder Trevor Milton announced orders will be taken from 29 June.
Unlike the Tesla Cybertruck, the Nikola Badger is a smaller ute that will compete with the likes of the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tacoma in the US, and vehicles like the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux when it eventually lands in Australia. And as it’s a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV), it can be refilled with hydrogen as quick as any petrol- or diesel-engine vehicle… as soon as the infrastructure is in place, of course.
In President Trump style, Nikola founder Trevor Milton announced the opening of the Badger order book through Twitter, writing:
The Badger features traditional 4×4-ute styling and there’s no doubt it’s a good-looking vehicle, and it has all of the attributes that a 4×4 ute should have… plus some more. As well as it’s 4×4 driveline, the Badger looks set to be an on-road perfromance powerhouse, with a claimed 0-60mph (96km/h) time of 2.9 seconds thanks to electric motors that produce a claimed 675kW of power and 1328Nm of torque.
Nikola also claims a 600-mile (965km) range for the Badger using both its hydrogen fuel cell and battery, and those who don’t have access to a hydrogen refuelling station (pretty much everyone right now), the Badger will still be able to travel up to 300 miles (482km) on its fully-charged battery.
The Badger will have a claimed maximum braked towing capacity in excess of 8000 pounds (3628kg) and, according to Nikola, it will be able to operate in conditions down to -28°C without significant performance or SOC (state of charge) losses.
The five-seat Badger ute will measure an estimated 5900mm long x 2160mm wide x 1850mm tall, and will have a 1560mm bed width. For comparative purposes a Ford Ranger measures 5382mm long x 2163 wide x 1815 tall with a 1560mm bed width.
Although Nikola Motor Company is yet to produce a vehicle, it has reportedly started work on its manufacturing facility in Coolidge, Arizona. As of the close of markets yesterday, the company’s market value was a staggering US$28.63 billion… more than either Ford or Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)!
