The article mentioned being able to haul 65,000lb. That’s short of the 80,000lb GVW for non-permitted truck cargo. Does the tractor weigh 15,000lb? Meaning the weight of the trailer would still have to be subtracted to get the payload?
I’m also curious how the battery will function in cold weather.
The other issue is cabovers went out of favor long ago. First on the scene in an accident. It’s unfortunate that the design failed to take into account psychological issues related to perceived power. The long nosed trucks have that in spades. The Nikola looks like one of the Kenworth anteaters on steroids.
It does have EPA avoidance going for it. The current trucks have issues related to emissions equipment that keep them in the shop more than acceptable. The Nikola takes the EPA out of the equation.
A little below that the article says it 10% lighter and can take on an additional 2K pounds of cargo for additional revenue for full load. Weight reduction seems to be the big push to gain mpg now, especially as more and more emissions limitations get dumped on the trucks. If the fuel is comparable to diesel, I could see large fleets making the switch...gradually. I’d be interested more in the whole drivetrain, especially as it would potentially impact my current employment:-)
Initial look, probably due to the angle on the front, I didn’t see it as a cabover, but I can see how it could be considered that. I was thinking it was similar to the other OEM Supertruck concepts, but googled them and they are not as similar as I had remembered to the Nikola.