(Compton / California) – The US freight forwarder AJR Trucking has ordered 50 fuel cell trucks from Nikola Corporation. Deliveries are expected to take place from the fourth quarter of this year through the first quarter of next year, the company said.
Significant funding expected for purchase
Nikola and its Southern California dealer Tom's Truck Centers would assist AJR Trucking in applying for grants and expect to receive $270.000 in grants per vehicle. Another $40.000 would be expected in tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act.
The companies are exploring deploying Nikola's 700 bar pressure mobile fueling solution at AJR's Compton and Santa Clarita locations in California. AJR Trucking expects Nikola to deliver “hydrogen to its terminals at competitive prices.”
Cost parity with conventional trucks
With the help of various subsidies, AJR Trucking expects “cost parity with its existing truck fleet in the postal and freight transport sector”. Based on operational requirements, the Nikola Tre FCEVs were the “only vehicles that could meet our range, performance and cost targets,” says managing director Jack Khudikyan. It is conceivable that the vehicles could also be introduced into operation beyond the state of California.
AJR Trucking is a freight transportation company with over 500 trucks. The company operates nationwide and has provided mail transportation services for the federal United States Postal Service (USPS) for over 30 years, as well as transportation at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and others major ports across the country. AJR currently operates more than 115 natural gas-powered trucks.
Photos
ARG orders 50 hydrogen trucks from Nikola. © Nikola Corp.
