Nikola Motor Company is an American hybrid truck design company based in Phoenix, Arizona, where it also has its research and development operations.^[1] It was founded in 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah.^[2][3] The company is named after inventor Nikola Tesla.

In late November 2018, it announced plans for a Nikola World event for April 16-17, 2019, in nearby Scottsdale, Arizona.

The two-day midweek event will include a Public Demo Day to show off the Nikola Two truck and the Nikola NZT UTV.^[4][5]

In March 2019, Nikola acquired a 389-acre parcel in Coolidge, Arizona, for $23 million, with future state and local tax breaks. Nikola expects the truck factory to start construction in 2020, start building trucks in 2021, and be able to build 35-50,000 trucks per year by 2023.^[6]

The prototype model, the Zero, is a utility task vehicle (UTV) with 72 or 107 kWh battery.^[7][8][9] It has 555 hp combined from a motor at each wheel, weighs 3,500 lb (1,600 kg), and uses the same 14.5 in (370 mm) clearance suspension as the Ford Raptor.^[10] It has been spun-off into a powersports product, in the Nikola Powersports division,^[11] and a spin-off military vehicle called "Reckless".

The company designed an electric Class 8 truck called the One, with a 320 kWh EV battery supplying 6 traction electric motors with a combined software-limited 1,000 hp (750 kW) and 2,000 lb⋅ft (2,700 N⋅m) of torque^[12] – nearly 86,000 lb⋅ft (117,000 N⋅m) after gear reduction – inspired by electric locomotives.^[13] This is sufficient for keeping a speed of 65 mph (105 km/h) with a full load of 80,000 pounds (36 tonnes) on a 6% grade.^[9] The energy source is 300 kW^[8] hydrogen fuel cells^[14][15][16] consuming 4.6 kg (10 lb) H2 per 100 km (62 mi) from tanks with 100 kg (220 lb) of hydrogen, giving a range of 1,200 mi (1,900 km). Consumption is equivalent to 15.4 mpg of diesel.^[9] The truck has regenerative brakes to supplement the traditional disc brakes, decreasing stopping distance and fuel usage.^[13] The hydrogen version was unveiled in December 2016 and is expected to be available by 2019.^[8][12][17] In some markets, compressed natural gas to power an on-board gas turbine generator may be used instead.^[14]

The first 5,000 trucks are to be built by Fitzgerald in Byrdstown, Tennessee; the company is known for its "glider trucks", which are built without engines.^[8]

On May 1, 2018, Nikola Motor Company filed a lawsuit against Tesla seeking $2 billion in damages alleging that the Tesla Semi infringes on several patents Nikola have been granted on the design of the Nikola One. Tesla has responded that the lawsuit is without merit.^[18]

On May 3, 2018, Anheuser-Busch ordered up to 800 of the hydrogen-powered truck versions and Nikola claims the trucks will start being delivered in 2020.^[19]

The company has announced plans to build a hydrogen-powered day cab called the Two,^[17] with power and range estimates similar to those of the Nikola One.

The technical data cited above are claims the company has made but yet to be verified by independent tests.

In November 2018 the company announced the Tre, a truck designed for the European market. The Tre will also be targeted for the Australian and Asian markets. ^[20] Nikola Motor Company says the Tre will have 500 to 1,000 horsepower and a range of 500 to 1,200 kilometers (310 to 745 miles). ^[21] CEO Trevor Milton stated that production is set to begin at the same time as the US truck versions, which is 2022-2023.^[22]

The Reckless is a military all-terrain optionally-manned optionally-remotely-piloted optionally-driven optionally-autonomous full-immersion-fordable utility general-purpose vehicle.