US based zero emission truck start up, Nikola has claimed it has develpped what it is describing as a game-changing battery.
Nikola Corporation claims it will unveil the ‘game-changing’ battery cell technology at its Nikola World event which is expected to be held in the US Autumn next year.
Nikola announced details of the new battery that could increase the range of current EV passenger cars from 500km up to almost 1000km with little or no increase to battery size and weight.
Nikola also claims the technology could see its hydrogen-electric fuel cell trucks surpass travel almost 1600km between stops and refuel in just 15 minutes
The company claims the technology is also designed to operate in existing vehicles, and that cycling the cells more than 2000 times has shown acceptable end-of-life performance as well.
Nikola says its new cell technology is environmentally friendly and easy to recycle. While conventional lithium-ion cells contain elements that are toxic and expensive, the new technology will have a positive impact on the earth’s resources, landfills and recycling plants.
Nikola entered into a letter of intent earlier his month, to acquire a world-class battery engineering team to help bring the new battery to pre-production.
It says that through this acquisition, it will add 15 PhDs and five masters degree team members but that due to confidentiality and security reasons, details of the acquisition will not be disclosed until the Nikola World event next year.
“This is the biggest advancement we have seen in the battery world,” said Nikola Motor Company CEO,Trevor Milton.
“We are not talking about small improvements, we are talking about doubling the range of BEVs and hydrogen-electric vehicles around the world,” he added.
“Nikola is in discussions with customers for truck orders that could fill production slots for more than ten years and propel Nikola to become the top truck manufacturer in the world in terms of revenue, now the question is why not share it with the world?” said Milton.
Due to the impact this technology will have on society and emissions, Nikola has decided to share the intellectual property (IP) with other OEMs, even competitors, that contribute to the Nikola IP license and new consortium.
The date of Nikola World will be announced soon but is expected to be in the American Autumn of 2020.
