Electric truck maker Nikola Corp. has partnered with Allison Transmission to test its Class 8 battery-electric vehicles (BEV) and hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) at Allison’s Vehicle Electrification + Environmental Test Center.
The 60,000-sq.-ft. test center is designed for OEMs to conduct testing in a safe, controlled, consistent environment that enables secure, dependable, repeatable results. At the facility, Allison simulates real-world applications and climate conditions, aiming for OEMs to reduce product development and validation timelines to bring vehicles and technology on them to market faster. The center also allows testing in a condensed timeframe that is not dependent on climate and road conditions, reducing costs compared to on-road testing, according to an Allison release.
See also: Estimate: 400,000 hydrogen internal combustion engines in use by 2040
“Leveraging the capabilities of Allison’s VE+ET Center has been a key enabler for Nikola to accelerate our product development cycle and confidently bring to market our Tre BEV early last year,” said Adam Tarleton, Nikola's head of vehicle validation. “We are looking forward to continued collaboration with Allison on our Tre FCEV product to deliver an industry leading, best-in-class hydrogen FCEV with the performance, quality, and reliability the commercial truck segment demands.”
The two companies collaborated to test vehicle performance through controlled thermal environments and dynamometer road simulations, which are capable of simulating a wide range of duty cycles, according to Allison. The tests utilized Nikola’s hydrogen refueling equipment along with a constant flow of hydrogen supplied by the facility to allow for uninterrupted test runs. Evaluation of the vehicles included monitoring battery management and HVAC testing, leveraging solar simulation to replicate extreme temperatures.
See also: PGT Trucking buys Nikola Tre battery-electric Class 8 truck
“We’re proud to collaborate with Nikola as they develop innovative, next-generation vehicles designed to reduce emissions and optimize performance,” said David Proctor, general manager of the Allison test center. “Our facility has the capabilities to support external customer test and validation programs for vehicles powered by every major propulsion type, which reinforces Allison’s commitment to taking a leadership role in the development of alternative fuel options for the commercial vehicle industry.”
