- Nikola CEO Trevor Milton announced that preorders for the Badger pickup will open on June 29.
- The Badger will be available as a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle or a battery-electric vehicle with the fuel cell available as an upgrade anytime after purchase.
- The pickup will be showcased at the automaker’s annual Nikola World event sometime in 2020.
Nikola is mostly known for its fuel-cell-powered semi-trucks, but back in February, it shared the first details about the upcoming Badger pickup truck. The vehicle will join the already crowded world of electric trucks headed toward the market. But it has a twist. It’s available as just a battery-electric vehicle or as a battery-electric fuel-cell vehicle. Preorders for the truck will be taken starting June 29.
The news was dropped by CEO Trevor Milton on Twitter. Also on June 29, the automaker will announce the date of its annual Nikola World event. In a marketing move reminiscent of Tesla, those who put a deposit down on a Badger will get first dibs on tickets for the event, where the pickup will make its world premiere.
Milton made sure to let his followers know that the pickup will not just sit on a stand. “You’ll get to see a real operating truck, not a fake show truck. Expect stamped metal panels, functioning interior w/HVAC, 4×4, etc,” Milton tweeted.
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The battery-electric version of the Badger will offer 300 miles of range, while the fuel-cell/battery-electric hybrid offers 600, the company said. What sets it apart from the rest of the upcoming electrified-truck pack is that, if an owner buys the battery-electric-only version, they can later upgrade and have the fuel-cell system added to their Badger.
While Nikola is pushing hard for fuel-cell semis, making sure the truck is available as an battery-electric vehicle is a smart move considering that most of the fuel-cell fueling infrastructure is in California, with expansion to other areas moving slowly.
According to Nikola, the Badger will have 906 horsepower, 980 lb-ft of torque, and a towing capacity of more than 8000 pounds. It’ll be equipped with a 160.0-kWh battery pack and an optional 120.0-kW fuel cell. The Badger will seat five, have a 15-kW power outlet for hooking up tools or camping equipment, and, the company says, will be able to climb a 50 percent grade without stalling.
Pricing has not yet been announced, but we do know—because the company said so in its press release—that the Badger will be built in conjunction with another auto manufacturer, using their parts and facilities. Which automaker it will be, when that’ll happen, and how much it’ll cost are all still unknown.
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