Nikola Badger hydrogen EV ute coming to Australia

UPDATE 15/06/2020: A spokesperson for Nikola Motor told carsales.com.au "North American Badger production begins in 2022, with production plans for other countries shortly after, including Australia, but no date has been set yet."

Australian production will be 2023 at the earliest.

North American electric vehicle start-up Nikola Motor will reveal its Ford F-150 Raptor-fighting electric dual-cab ute, the Nikola Badger, in less than three weeks.

And Australia will be one of the first markets to get the new vehicle.

Company founder Trevor Milton announced US customer reservations for the new full-size pick-up truck will commence on June 29, when the new vehicle will be revealed in near-production form.

“We open up reservations for the most badass zero-emission truck on June 29th,” tweeted Milton.

“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, 4x4, etc,” said Milton.

It’s also not clear whether prospective buyers will have to make a cash outlay to make a reservation, as per Tesla’s approach with recent new models including the Cybertruck.

Milton previously stated pricing would be set at $US60,000 and $US90,000, which equates to about $A85,000 to $A128,000 in Aussie dollars.

Nikola Motors confirmed in a Tweet that the "USA and Australia" would be the first two markets for the Badger "for now".

At this stage the Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T dual-cab EV utes are also slated to come to Australia and all three electric utes are expected to be hugely disruptive to the traditional (diesel-powered) dual-cab ute market.

The ute market is dominated by the smaller-sized Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger utes and the former will get a hybrid version by around 2024. It is also rumoured the Ford may get a hybrid powertrain but it hasn't been officially confirmed.

Either way, the Nikola Badger promises to offer something altogether different to all its rivals, thanks to its hybrid EV/FCEV hydrogen powertrain.

Its maker’s outspoken founder has made no secret of his desire to dethrone the Ford F-150 as the world’s best-selling pick-up truck and investors appear to believe him.

Nikola’s share price spiked from less than $US20 to almost $US80 in the last 30 days and the company is now valued at $US26 billion – despite the fact company executives said Nikola Motors will post zero revenue in 2020.

“It is going to beat every pick-up truck that I know of in the market,” he told

“My goal is to take the throne from the Ford F-150, that is my goal,” he stated.

The Nikola Badger is expected to easily out-power the Ford F-150, RAM 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 with its 675kW (906hp) power output and 1330Nm of torque, and it could also trounce its Tesla and Rivian EV rivals.

With an estimated 600-mile (965km) range thanks to its hydrogen fuel-cell electric (FCEV) powertrain, the Badger will also be very quick, with a claimed sub-3.0sec 0-100km/h sprint.

The Nikola Badger is expected to run a 160kWh flooded module lithium-ion battery, with a 120kW fuel-cell and 8kg hydrogen tank. And if you don’t have access to hydrogen refuelling infrastructure, the Badger is still good for a 300-mile (480km) range.

Offering an 8000lb (3600kg) towing capacity, it measures in at 5890mm long, 2180mm wide and 1870mm high, which is around the same size as a dual-cab Ford F-150.

“Ford F-150 is the most sold truck in the world and I hope we have a story that is similar to that,” said Milton.

The all-American pick-up is also expected to offer a 15kW power outlet that will allow 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 interior will feature a hidden fridge, a large central touch-screen infotainment system and waterproof upholstery.

There have been reports that Nikola will join forces with another car-maker to manufacture the Badger, providing it access to the ute’s various technologies. That manufacturer may be revealed at the June 29 reveal.

The Nikola World 2020 event will host the reveal of two key products for the high-tech automotive company: the Badger pick-up and a revolutionary new battery cell technology.

The latter is claimed to deliver four times the energy density of current lithium-ion battery cells. Nikola Motors reckons the new battery cell tech is “expected to cost 50% less to produce than lithium-ion” and “could drive down the cost of hydrogen and double the range of battery-electric vehicles worldwide”.

The company has decided to share its battery cell intellectual property “with all other OEMs around the world that contribute”.

Trevor Milton, who recently relinquished his CEO title of the Phoenix, Arizona-based automotive company when it listed on the NASDAQ, is now executive chairman. And like Tesla CEO Elon Musk, he has made an art out of tweeting new product info, which has had a positive effect on the Nikola Motor share price.

Nikola Motor is also building electric semi-trailer trucks in Europe in tandem with Iveco.

Stay tuned for more details.