Nikola will rely on Bosch technology for fuel cell manufacturing
Bosch will supply both fully assembled fuel-cell power modules as well as major components to Nikola, including the fuel-cell stack. The US manufacturer will take care of assembly at its manufacturing facility in Coolidge.
Nikola and Bosch have announced an agreement for the US manufacturer to utilize fuel-cell power modules using technology licensed from Bosch, which will supply both fully assembled fuel-cell power modules as well as major components to Nikola, including the fuel-cell stack, for Nikola to assemble at its manufacturing facility in Coolidge. The parties will work together for sourcing of remaining components for the assemblies.
The involved trucks are the Nikola Tre and Two. The fuel-cell power modules are expected to launch in 2023, with the first application being the Class 8 regional-haul Nikola Tre FCEV. Nikola anticipates that the overall vehicle design will result in a range of up to approximately 500 miles. Nikola, which has lately announced a broadened dealer network for the US territory, plans to further expand capacity for use in the Class 8 long-haul Nikola Two FCEV with an anticipated range of up to approximately 900 miles.
Nikola and Bosch: 200 kW and 300 kW fuel-cell configuration
The vehicles are planned to utilize common fuel-cell power modules in 200 kW and 300 kW configurations. The fuel-cell power modules and components are being designed and validated for the demands of commercial vehicle power. The Nikola Tre FCEV will also be launched in the EU, utilizing the same fuel-cell power modules supporting vehicle manufacturing planned at Nikola’s joint venture with IVECO in Ulm, Germany.
«This announcement is the result of a multi-year working relationship with Bosch», said Nikola CEO Mark Russell. «After extensive analysis of the best options out there, we are proud to enter into this strategic relationship with Bosch. The result is the best of both worlds in our ‘make versus buy’ analysis. We will be collaborating with Bosch to develop and assemble fuel-cell power modules specifically for our applications at the same Coolidge, Arizona facility where we manufacture our Nikola vehicles, utilizing major components from the Bosch global manufacturing network».
Facility expansion and testing are ongoing
Nikola plans to expand the Coolidge manufacturing facility and add up to 50 additional manufacturing jobs to accommodate initial fuel-cell power module assembly by 2023, in support of the initial ramp-up of the Nikola Tre FCEV, with subsequent expansions planned to support the ramp-up of Nikola’s Tre and Two FCEVs in the US. Nikola is also expanding engineering and testing facilities to support the fuel-cell and vehicle validation and testing at Nikola’s Phoenix headquarters.
Nikola is currently building and testing Tre FCEV alpha vehicles utilizing the fuel-cell power modules from the agreements and plans to begin road testing by the end of 2021 in support of customer pilot tests.
