Nikola has confirmed via Twitter that its electric ute will head Down Under and the company has thrown shade at Tesla’s CyberTruck.
Nikola has surprised everyone by announcing the Badger will begin taking orders from June 29 and that punters will be able to get up close and personal with it at Nikola World this year. Indeed, Nikola boss Trevor Milton has been firing off tweets at Tesla like there’s no tomorrow.
One said, “ We open up reservations for the most bad ass zero emission truck on June 29th. See the @nikolamotor Badger in person at #nikolaworld2020 this year. 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”.
I wanted to post something no one has seen. @nikolamotor badger pre-production interior CAD. Notice the floor mounting system? It's throughout the truck and made to secure any loads within the vehicle safely. See quality of everything – waterproof. Hidden Fridge too:) pic.twitter.com/EttmrOuqA4
— Trevor Milton (@nikolatrevor) June 8, 2020
More than that, Nikola has announced the US and Australia will be the first two markets for the Badger, “for now”. US deliveries are expected to begin later this year with Australian deliveries sometime in 2021.
What is the Badger? It’s a hydrogen fuel-cell electric (FCEV) F-150-sized pick-up that will get to 100km/h in a claimed 3.3 seconds with a driving range of up to 965km. Even without hydrogen, the Badger has a driving range of around 480km.
For those who use their ute’s for work, the Badger is expected to offer a 15kW power outlet allowing owners to charge tools, lights and compressors with “enough power to assist a construction site for approximately 12 hours without a generator,” according to Nikola Motors. The cabin will boast things like a hidden fridge, too.
Nikola has seen its share price double and that’s without producing a single vehicle. And it reckons it won’t go it alone, either, claiming it will be working with an OEM which will be announced later this year. Stay tuned.
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