Nikola Corporation, E.ON and Richter Group announced a Letter of Intent for an initial order of 20 Class 8, heavy-duty Nikola Tre hydrogen electric vehicles and the hydrogen needed to supply them.
Richter Group is a leading provider of individual logistics services comprising hub and direct transport solutions for courier, express and parcel clients. Located in Germany, it currently owns a fleet of over 160 diesel-powered trucks with loading and unloading points in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom.
Nikola and E.ON intend to help Richter Group decarbonize its vehicle fleet by providing hydrogen electric trucks, the required green hydrogen, and the refuelling infrastructure through the previously announced joint venture that is to be established in the upcoming weeks.
The initial order of 20 Nikola Tre hydrogen electric trucks are expected to be delivered to Richter Group in 2024. Richter Group intends to transition their entire fleet to Nikola Tre hydrogen electric trucks over the next four to five years. Richter Group also plans to work with their logistics partners to transition fleets to Nikola’s zero-emission vehicles, which could equate to an additional 750 hydrogen electric trucks within that same timeframe.
The Nikola Tre hydrogen electric trucks in the European 6×2 variant will be manufactured by the joint venture between Nikola and Iveco Group at their facility in Ulm, Germany. Richter Group and its partners may acquire some or all Nikola Tre hydrogen electric vehicles through GATE – Green & Advanced Transport Ecosystem, IVECO’s all-inclusive electric truck rental model. IVECO will provide the essential maintenance and service functions.
E.ON will provide Richter Group with green hydrogen and develop the refuelling infrastructure to meet the needs of the hydrogen electric vehicles brought to market. The first refuelling solution within the scope of this project will be located on the premises of Richter Group in Wesel, Germany. Both hydrogen supply and logistics will be supplied though the Nikola and E.ON joint venture once it is officially established.
Michael Lohscheller, President and CEO, Nikola Corporation, said, “The commitment from Richter Group is another example of how Nikola and E.ON are playing an essential role in helping Germany achieve the goal of decarbonizing the transportation sector. Implementing the initial order of 20 heavy-duty zero-emission trucks in place of existing diesel trucks, equates to avoiding the annual CO2 emissions from approximately 600 passenger cars.”
Sylvio Richter, founder and CEO of Richter Group said, “We plan to introduce the Nikola hydrogen electric trucks and other services of Nikola and E.ON to many of our partners to further promote and grow decarbonization efforts in the European heavy-duty transport sector. This Letter of Intent is just the beginning. Through our technology subsidiary Sundronix GmbH, Richter Group will be working with Nikola and E.ON on technological solutions for the design and construction of a 700-bar refuelling infrastructure, hydrogen transport logistics, and hydrogen supply.”
With a range of up to 800 km, the Nikola Tre hydrogen electric truck is expected to have among the longest ranges of all commercially available zero tailpipe emission Class 8 trucks while realizing weight savings when compared to battery-electric Class 8 trucks with similar range. The Tre hydrogen electric truck is well-suited for a variety of applications ranging from drayage and intermodal to metro-regional truckload and less than truckload to certain specialized hauling use cases.
