Tesla Semi Vs Nikola’S Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks, Who Is Better?

Tesla Semi Vs Nikola’S Hydrogen Fuel Cell Trucks, Who Is Better?

Nikola is starting out with batteries, but it is considering hydrogen as a more attractive option for longer routes over 500 miles, since a hydrogen fuel-cell system could refuel faster and is lighter than the many tons of batteries that Tesla would probably be using in a Tesla Semi.

Teslas battery-electric semi with a 500-mile range would cost fleet operators $180,000, compared to $268,782 for the Nikola Motor hydrogen fuel-cell truck. From this initial analysis, it is clear that the Tesla Semi has a significant lead over the Nikola hydrogen fuel cell truck in the basic operating costs on shorter routes, but it also has a lead in routes of up to 900 miles.

As fuel cell truck production increases over time, we would expect that Nikola Motor and their partners will be able to use these higher volumes to reduce Tesla Semi costs.

According to electric car startup Nikola, which plans to manufacture hydrogen-fueled semi trucks, among other products, the Nikola models will have range advantages over their Tesla Semi. Most analysts predict zero-emissions heavy trucks will be defined more by hydrogen-fuel-cell propulsion than batteries, such as those from Tesla, due to the weight and space required for batteries to carry such a hefty load.

For fleets requiring shorter-range semis, those traveling up to 300 miles a journey at most, truckmakers also will offer leases for battery-only versions of their Nikola One, Two, and Tre trucks, which would rival Tesla CEO Elon Musks.

The start marks a major move for Nikola His, an electric truck maker in Arizona. Of course, as with the other EV startups promising game-changing specs, Nikola has yet to deliver a single vehicle (Nikol plans to launch its battery-powered semi next year, and a hydrogen-powered model to follow in 2023), so whether a production version of the Nikola Two lives up to the expectations set by the company remains to be seen.

The legislation will help make the semi-trucks from Nikola Corp. (NKLA.O) competitive on the basis of overall cost of ownership against diesel-powered trucks, the Phoenix, Ariz.-based company said.

It would cost $114 to fuel a Nikola semi truck, compared with $20 to recharge a Tesla semi, if they can both tap into electricity at 2 cents a kilowatt-hour. Based on the stated 7.5 miles-per-kg-of-hydrogen rate of Nikola, the electrical energy required to generate enough H2 to fuel the same distance of the Nikola truck is 509.8 kWh.

In a second scenario, a Tesla Semi is projected to generate just 183,000 kg of CO2 over 10 years, while a single-unit Nissan One/Two will generate 428,617 kg, meaning life-time emissions are 134% higher.