On September 14, 2022, the demo phase with the first three Nikola Tre battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in Europe started at the homePORT in Hamburg, with the participation of Michael Westhagemann, Senator for Economics and Innovation in Hamburg, Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority, Christian Sulser, Management Board of Iveco Magirus AG and Michael Lohscheller, President of Nikola Corporation. Numerous invited guests took part in the ceremony, including representatives of politics and the press, representatives of various energy companies and associations, as well as from the forwarding and logistics sector.
In September 2021, IVECO, the commercial vehicle brand of Iveco Group, and Nikola Corporation (Nasdaq: NKLA), a global leader in zero-emissions transportation and energy infrastructure solutions, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) on the occasion of the opening of the joint production plant in Ulm. The agreement involves a two-phase approach including a testing phase and then the delivery of a total of up to 25 Nikola Tre BEVs to freight forwarders in the Port of Hamburg.
The Hamburg Port Authority signed the MoU with IVECO and Nikola with the aim of becoming a zero-emission port and a pioneer in the application of technical innovations as quickly as possible. Against this background, the port will rely on the zero-emission, fully electric Nikola Tre BEV heavy-duty semitrailer tractors, especially in the area of transport and logistics. The first phase starts with three Nikola Tre BEVs, namely a three-month test operation of the vehicles including different charging options. In the second phase of the project partnership in 2023, the BEV vehicles will be fully integrated into the port operations, as well as the installation of the charging infrastructure and the associated services involving the most important suppliers. The vehicles targeted for the second phase are the European 4x2 variant of the Nikola Tre BEV, which will make its debut at the IAA TRANSPORTATION 2022.
"The first phase serves to demonstrate zero-emission container transport in the port of Hamburg on public roads, to acquire the first customers and to test charging infrastructure and processes, as well as to generate more project content and ideas for the further course of the project," says Christian Sulser, Sales & Marketing Director at Iveco Magirus AG. "At the start of the project, we will use mobile chargers, but we are already examining suitable locations for a fast-charging infrastructure."
"I am delighted that today, with the first three Nikola Tre BEVs we are taking the step toward realizing the joint plans we started two years ago," says Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority. "Ports play a crucial role in decarbonization and air pollution control. That's why it's important for us to do everything we can to make our contribution and to take a pioneering and exemplary role."
“Strong partners like the Port of Hamburg are further proof that the Nikola Tre BEV is the right truck for companies who want to do more than talk about climate change,” said Michael Lohscheller, President, Nikola Corporation. “Today’s test trucks are proof that companies can really make a difference in our planet now by adding zero-emission vehicles into fleets.”
The Nikola Tre BEV is a thoroughbred and is a completely redesigned electric vehicle that is specially-built in an Ulm production plant. The Nikola Tre BEV is powered by an e-axle developed and produced by FPT Industrial. Two electric motors flanged to the drive axle deliver 480kW or 645HP of continuous power to the road. The maximum wheel torque of the Tre BEV is 38,000Nm.