Nikola Badger bound for Australia
The electrified automotive start-up Nikola Motor has revealed Australia will be the first market for its Badger pick-up outside North America.
The exciting news was confirmed on the company’s twitter account on June 9 in reply to a question about planned markets for the Badger.
No further details of local sale timing for the dual-cab in-wheel 4×4 were announced, but first US sales are expected in late 2021.
The commitment by Nikola puts it up there with Tesla as a confirmed EV ute supplier to Australia. Others, such as Rivian and Ford, with the R1T and electrified F-150 respectively, are yet to confirm local plans.
A near production Badger will be revealed on June 29 when reservations open. A new battery technology will also be unveiled that day.
The Badger is available as either a battery electric vehicle with a 480km claimed range or a hydrogen fuel cell EVs also capable of travelling 480km.
The fuel cell is available as an upgrade any time after purchase.
The problem with that in Australia right now is there is no such thing as a public hydrogen refuelling network.
The Badger will come with a 160kWh battery pack and optional 120kWh fuel cell.
All up, the Badger outputs 675kW and 1330Nm and can sprint from 0-100km/h in under three seconds. It has a 3600kg towing capacity.
At 5890mm long, 2180mm wide and 1870mm high it’s also pretty darn big!
In an obvious shot at the Tesla Cybertruk, Nikola founder Trevor Milton tweeted the June 29 event would feature “a real operating truck, not a fake show truck. Expect stamped metal panels, functioning interior w/ hvac, 4×4, etc”.
The Badger will be built in conjunction with an as yet un-named auto manufacturer.
Pricing and all that sort of stuff is still an unknown.
Arizona-based Nikola is best known for its development of hydrogen-fuelled heavy-duty trucks. While yet to bring a vehicle to market, it recently floated on the stock market and was earlier this week more than valuable than the legacy auto manufacturer Ford.
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