Nikola Details Ambitious Plan for Hydrogen and Service Network April 22, 2019
NATIONAL NETWORK Nikola plans to build a network of 700 truck stop-size hydrogen fuel stations across the U.S. and Canada by 2028.
The typical facility would occupy seven to 10 acres of land. Nikola would purchase some of the properties and lease others, Milton said. The company did not provide an estimate of what it expects the stations to cost.
The initial stations would be located near the major warehouse or truck-park facilities of Nikola customers such as Anheuser-Busch and U.S. Xpress, a large motor carrier.
The company has built a small demonstration station at its new headquarters and research and development center in Phoenix, Ariz. It plans to open a larger one – still for research and data gathering – in nearby Chandler next year.
The first commercial station would open in 2021 in California, adjacent to an as-yet unnamed customer’s main facility, said Jesse Schneider, Nikola’s executive vice president for hydrogen and fuel cell technology.
Nikola, which is still testing, plans to begin building production versions of its trucks by late 2022 and will have 10 hydrogen stations up and running by then, Schneider said. Construction of the remaining North American stations would be spread over the next six years.
Schneider has spent nearly 20 years in vehicle electrification, fuel cells, electric and hydrogen infrastructure and tanks at automakers in Germany, the United States and China. He led a number of firsts related to fuel cell durability, hydrogen tanks and wireless charging.
Schneider also organized the worldwide standardization for electric and fuel cell vehicle infrastructure. He served as the chair of Hydrogen Fueling Standards and Specifications at SAE (J2601/2799) and ISO (TS 19880-1) and most recently, wireless charging at SAE (J2954).
At Nikola, Schneider will spearhead efforts with the Fuel Cell R&D Division working with Bosch in Germany and the hydrogen fueling technology team for the Nikola stations with NEL Hydrogen in Norway. He will also lead the development of the Nikola R&D Center in Phoenix.