Tesla CyberTruck and Nikola BEV Pickup Truck Side by Side

Nikola introduced his first BEV Pickup Truck, which the company believes should be a rival to Tesla CyberTruck (and other electric pickups). It is assumed that Badger will be offered in two versions: in one version only the battery is used (BEV), and in the other - the battery and the hydrogen fuel cell installation (FCEV).

It is worth noting that at the moment, this is just a concept, that is, the company has not yet submitted a prototype of the car. Pickup is due to appear for the first time in September at the Nikola World 2020 in Phoenix. According to the company, prototypes will be available to select customers and the media who will participate in Nikola World.

It should be noted that the use of hydrogen adds complexity and cost due to the fuel cell system. Also, the use of hydrogen implies the existence of a similar fuel supply chain, which is also assumed for fossil fuel vehicles. Do not forget that hydrogen is a combustible gas. A mixture of hydrogen with oxygen or air in a confined space may cause an explosion if a spark, flame or other source of ignition occurs. With good lighting, the hydrogen flame is almost invisible, which is very dangerous.

Source: Nikola

But since Tesla Cybertruck is an electric pickup, we should only compare the electric version of Nikola Badger. At the moment, all specifications are approximate, and the manufacturer does not even mention the price. Well, let's look at the alleged characteristics of this pickup. So, the dimensions:

	Nikola Badger	Tesla Cybertruck
length, mm	5,900	5867.4
height, mm	1,850	1905
width, mm	2,160	2006.6
bed width, mm	1,560	1981.2

Tesmanian

In fact, you get a practically identical truck in size. But Cybertruck has a larger bed, which is a very good advantage, given the fact that a large number of owners need a large cargo space to transport more things or larger items.

As for the characteristics, Badger has only two configurations that differ only in the way the motors are powered.

Specs of the Nikola Badger:

• Acceleration 0-60 mph 2.9
• Top speed -
• Range 300 miles
• 906 HP peak
• 160 kWh, flooded module — lithium-ion battery
• 120 kW fuel cell
• Towing capacity of over 8,000 pounds
• Operating targets without motor stalls up to 50% grade
• 15kW power export outlet

Tesla presented its truck in 3 versions, which differ from each other in range, acceleration, number of motors, drive, maximum speed and price. This allows customers to choose the configuration that suits their needs, while receiving the most reasonable combination of price and performance.

 

Source: Tesla

General specs of the Tesla Cybertruck:

• 250+, 300+, and 500+ miles of range
• Acceleration 0-60 mph (6.5 - 2.9 sec depending on configurations)
• 800 HP peak
• 3500 lbs payload
• Towing rating between 7.5k to 14k lbs (comes with Adaptive Air Suspension, allowing it to change the ride height as it sees fit)
• 250 kW charging
• Off-road performance with 35 degrees approach angle, up to 16″ clearance, and 28 degrees departure angle
• 100 cubic feet of exterior storage
• 110v/220v onboard outlets
• Full Self-Driving features
• Autopilot as standard
• Trailer docking

Single Motor RWD:

• one motor
• rear drive
• range 250 + miles
• Acceleration from 0 to 60 in 6.5 s.
• max. speed 110 mph
• price $ 39,900

Dual Motor AWD:

• two motors
• four-wheel drive
• range 300 + miles
• Acceleration from 0 to 60 in 4.5 s.
• max. speed 120 mph
• price $ 49,900

Tri Motor AWD:

• three motors
• four-wheel drive
• range 500 + miles
• Acceleration from 0 to 60 in 2.9 s.
• max. speed 130 mph
• price $ 69,900

At the moment, it is difficult to correctly compare these two trucks. Nikola Badger is just a concept that can be completely different from the stated characteristics. Surely, the manufacturer will strive for the electric version of the truck to have a range of 300 miles, which means that it plans to become a competitor primarily for the Dual Motor AWD version of Cybertruck. Then we should rely on the cost of Badger around $50,000.

But even in this scenario, it will be difficult for the Nikola truck to compete with the Tesla truck, since the latter has Full Self-Driving features and Autopilot as standard.

If the price of Nikola Badger is much higher, then we should consider the $69,900 version of Cybertruck, which, in addition to Full Self-Driving features and Autopilot as standard, has a range of 500 + miles. In this situation, Nicola would still lose to Tesla.

Well, now we are just pre-evaluating and we should wait for the moment when Nikola will present the prototype of her truck, then we can make a more accurate comparison.

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Featured image: Tesmanian