E.ON builds hydrogen infrastructure for Nikola trucks

The US manufacturer Nikola is building hydrogen trucks - so far so well known. But where will these trucks charge in the future? The manufacturer has to ask itself this question, of course and has therefore teamed up with E.ON Hydrogen for the European market. E.On will supply services and refuelling infrastructure for up to 5,000 Nikola hydrogen trucks by 2027. This will save about 560,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The goal is clear: the costs of hydrogen-powered trucks must be competitive with those of conventional diesel trucks, at least in the total cost of ownership terms. So Nikola Energy - a subsidiary of Nikola Corporation - and E.ON Hydrogen - a subsidiary of E.ON SE - are combining their expertise in energy management, infrastructure and transport to offer their customers an integrated mobility solution.

The planned joint venture will cover the entire value chain of the hydrogen industry: from the provision of green hydrogen - i.e. produced with renewable energies - to the establishment of a demand-oriented refuelling infrastructure and the offering of corresponding vehicles. "The enormous interest in our combined offer of vehicle leasing, hydrogen supply and maintenance is a game changer in the industry and a true added value because it simplifies everything and lowers the overall costs of the vehicle fleet," explains Michael Lohscheller, former Opel boss and current CEO of Nikola Corporation.

By 2027, up to 5,000 hydrogen-powered Nikola Tre FCEVs will be able to be fuelled with green hydrogen. The Nikola Tre FCEV achieves a range of up to 800 kilometres with hydrogen fuelling. Only recently, the Californian truck fleet operator Zeem Solutions ordered 100 units of the fuel cell vehicle. Vehicles in Europe could save up to 560,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.

In the following years, the number of trucks and the corresponding savings is expected to increase. "In 2027, we can replace up to 200 million litres of diesel with hydrogen," explains Patrick Lammers, COO of Customer Solutions at E.ON SE. And that would only be the beginning. Together with Nikola, they want to create the first commercially successful market for fuel cell technology in Europe. The joint venture is scheduled to start operations at the beginning of 2023.