Tansu Giz, Deputy General Manager of IVECO Marketing and Product,

ELECTRIC VEHICLE: NIKOLA TRE BEV

“WITH ONE - TIME SINGLE CHARGING, IT HAS A RANGE OF 560 KM AND CONTINUOUSLY PRODUCES 645 HP POWER”

“TURKEY WILL APPLY THE INCENTIVES SIMILAR TO ELECTRIC VEHICLE SALES IN EUROPE”

Drawing attention to the fact that incentives are provided for the transition to electric vehicles in Europe, Giz states that the infrastructure issue will come to the agenda in the parliament in Turkey and the incentives will be clarified.

Stating that the Nikola Tre BEV model, which will be produced at the IVECO NIKOLA joint facility in Ulm, Germany, as of November 2021, will start to be sold in the USA as of January 2022, Giz said that this model, which will be produced in 6x2 configuration, will also be used immediately by the Hamburg port authority. Emphasizing that the Nikola TRE BEV model has a range of 560 km with one - time single charging and produces 645 HP continuously, Giz said that; “The charging time of this vehicle, which has a 753 kWh battery pack, is 120 minutes. The maximum laden weight of the vehicle, including the trailer, is 41 tons. Top speed is 120km/h. Nikola Tre also has a regenerative braking system that transfers energy to the batteries during braking. The biggest advantage it will offer is its environmental friendliness. For the driver, the biggest advantage is that it is quiet and accelerates as quickly as a gasoline-powered car. Other important advantages are the maintenance intervals required by diesel engines and the absence of maintenance costs in electric ones.”

“To Be Put On Sale In Turkey In 2023”

Stating that the vehicle is almost indistinguishable from the diesel S-WAY tractor when viewed from the outside, Giz said that the batteries are placed on the floor of the vehicle. Stating that the range of 560 km is also very successful for a vehicle with a maximum laden weight of 41 tons, Giz said that; “Nikola TRE will first be produced in Europe and sold by 116 Nikola dealers in the USA. European sales will begin at the end of 2022. European and Turkish sales will be carried out by IVECO authorized dealers. We can envisage that it will be put up for sale in Turkey by 2023. Of course, at least in some lines, a charging infrastructure should be established.”

"Nikola's Self-Developed Mobile Charging Stations Are Also Available"

Stating that these types of trucks are currently preferred for short-distance heavy transportation, but they will be preferred for long-distance transportation with the increase in the number of charging stations, Giz continued his words as follows: “Some fleets have their own charging stations. On the other hand, mobile charging stations have started to be established in both the USA and Europe. There are also mobile charging stations developed by Nikola himself. Mobile charging stations will always continue to exist as back-ups.”

“The Production of the Fuel Cell Vehicle Will Begin at the End of 2023”

Stating that the battery life can be equal to the life of the vehicle with the right maintenance, Giz emphasizes that a hydrogen fuel cell prototype was also exhibited at the opening ceremony of the IVECO Nikola production facility. Noting that the production of the fuel cell vehicle will start at the end of 2023, Giz said that; “Fuel cell models also have an electric motor, but instead of batteries, they use hydrogen to generate electricity. A small number of batteries in the vehicle are used to temporarily store electricity and transfer it to the engine. IVECO foresees fuel cell vehicles as vehicles that will be more popular in the long run. Fuel cell vehicles will have a longer range and lower curb weight than battery-powered vehicles.”

“Sooner or Later; The Diesel, Internal Combustion Engines Will Be Abandoned”

Giz states that when choosing electric vehicles, users will pay attention to important criteria such as price, range, quality and trouble-free. At the same time, noting that the world is rapidly moving away from fossil fuels, Giz states that it is now impossible to reverse this trend and that sooner or later diesel and internal combustion engines will be abandoned. Referring to the incentives provided for this change in Europe, Giz said that; “When you look at it, the tax based on CO2 emissions, which is also taken from vehicles using diesel and gasoline, is also an incentive for electric or other alternative fuel vehicles. On the other hand, in Germany, for example, annual motor vehicle tax is not collected for 10 years from the first registration date of electric vehicles. There are also cash incentives for electric vehicle sales. I think that Turkey will eventually implement similar incentives.”

“Roadmap to be Followed on Charging Infrastructure in Turkey Will Be Offered to Parliament”

Stating that there are also important incentives for electricity charging stations in Europe, Giz said that; “For example, the German Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure gives significant incentives to increase the number of electricity charging stations. To give an example, it gives an incentive of 16,000 € for each 22-50 KW DC fast charging system. The roadmap to be followed on charging infrastructure, network integration, battery and technologies, software in Turkey will be submitted to the Turkish Grand National Assembly. The incentives in this regard will then become clear.”

“WE EXPECT SUPPLY PROBLEMS TO REDUCE IN 2022”

Sharing detailed information about electric vehicles, IVECO Deputy General Manager of Marketing and Product Tansu Giz also answers our questions about the reflections of the chip crisis, which is important in every field from technology to industry and has been on the agenda for a while, on the industry. Emphasizing that IVECO has not been affected by the supply crisis so far, Giz states that they expect the supply crisis to decrease next year.

“As IVECO, We Have Not Been Affected Much by the Supply Crisis So Far”

Making evaluations about the chip crisis, Giz states that the supply problem is not only in the chip but also in other inputs. Stating that they will complete this year as they aim, Giz said that; “As IVECO, we have not been affected much by the supply crisis so far. We achieved our targets very easily, but of course there are some uncertainties. We will close 2021 as we have targeted. I am optimistic for 2022, we expect supply problems to subside in 2022.”