What you’re looking at above is the Nikola Tre, and the first thing to mention is that it is not a purpose-built electric truck. This is Nikola’s first step on the road to that inevitable goal, so the Tre is actually an Iveco S-WAY that has been converted into an electric vehicle.
Said conversion and the subsequent styling changes were actually carried out as a joint operation between Nikola and Italdesign. Yep, the company behind the bonkers €1.5-million Zerouno supercar has helped to build a truck. Each to his own, we say.
The Tre (poor name, we know) features a 720kWh battery pack that, teamed with an electric motor, can produce 644hp and a mighty 1,798Nm of torque. It’ll also manage a range of 402km, although we haven’t had any word on charging times to see whether proper long-haul trucking would be possible.
The inside is rather smart, though, isn’t it? There are two large screens—one in place of the dials and one for just about everything else.
No, really, that central infotainment screen holds the key to the climate control, mirror adjustment, suspension height adjustment, a 360-degree camera system, navigation, the Bluetooth audio system, and a comprehensive list of diagnostics, apparently.
Nikola reckons first deliveries will start in 2021, so let’s start a conversation here and now people—is electric power the future for trucks?
NOTE: This article first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
