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I found it odd how difficult it was to figure out what the company's products are: a CNG powered hybrid semi truck and an all terrain vehicle. (Not clear why it

I found it odd how difficult it was to figure out what the company's products are: a CNG powered hybrid semi truck and an all terrain vehicle. (Not clear why its a UTV instead of an ATV). UTV = Utility Task Vehicle "UTVs differ from all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in that UTVs typically have a side-by-side seating arrangement, many have seat belts and roll-over protection, and most have a cargo box at the rear of the vehicle. UTVs generally have a higher payload capability and are longer and wider than ATVs"[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side_by_Side_(UTV) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Side_by_Side_(UTV)

JacobJans 10y ago
ATVs have a very different market – with different needs. UTVs are for commercial use, where a high payload is useful, such as construction. It's clear they're not a consumer company, which is why they aren't offering an ATV.
- blakeyrat 10y ago
  I was just thinking an electric UTV like that might be perfect for the National Parks system. I bet they have a million uses for such a vehicle, now instead being filled by noisy, offensive, gas-burning UTVs.
atourgates 10y ago
UTVs are a huge market. According to one article[1], there were 670,000 sold between 2010 and 2012. That's about 223,000 per year. They range from about $10K - $25K new, and are popular for hunting, recreation and outdoor work (think a mini pickup that can go anywhere). If we assume the average purchase price is $15K, that's $3.3 Billion in annual sales. I'm amazed by how many people around me, in rural Idaho, have spent ~$15K on one. But, even assuming this thing is real, no one is going to spend $42K on one. Especially when I suspect there's a significant overlap between "people who are skeptical of electric vehicles" and "people who are likely to purchase a UTV". You'll notice they left price out of their comparison table, because it would look like this: * NIKOLA ZERO: $42,000 * POLARIS RZR 1000 TURBO: $24,999 * CANAM MAVERICK TURBO: $22,999 * ARTIC CAT WILDCAT: $20,999 And they're comparing the Zero to top of the line most expensive models from their competitors. I think the average purchase price is probably much closer to $15K on a UTV. I will say that the pricing is the one thing that lends credibility to this company. I expect building a good electric UTV really would cost close to $40K. If I were just trying to build hype, I'd price it much closer to my competitors. [1] https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2014/07/utility-task-vehicles-by-the-numbers https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2014/07/utility-task-vehicles...

JacobJans 10y ago

ATVs have a very different market – with different needs. UTVs are for commercial use, where a high payload is useful, such as construction. It's clear they're not a consumer company, which is why they aren't offering an ATV.

blakeyrat 10y ago
I was just thinking an electric UTV like that might be perfect for the National Parks system. I bet they have a million uses for such a vehicle, now instead being filled by noisy, offensive, gas-burning UTVs.

atourgates 10y ago

UTVs are a huge market. According to one article[1], there were 670,000 sold between 2010 and 2012. That's about 223,000 per year. They range from about $10K - $25K new, and are popular for hunting, recreation and outdoor work (think a mini pickup that can go anywhere). If we assume the average purchase price is $15K, that's $3.3 Billion in annual sales. I'm amazed by how many people around me, in rural Idaho, have spent ~$15K on one. But, even assuming this thing is real, no one is going to spend $42K on one. Especially when I suspect there's a significant overlap between "people who are skeptical of electric vehicles" and "people who are likely to purchase a UTV". You'll notice they left price out of their comparison table, because it would look like this: * NIKOLA ZERO: $42,000 * POLARIS RZR 1000 TURBO: $24,999 * CANAM MAVERICK TURBO: $22,999 * ARTIC CAT WILDCAT: $20,999 And they're comparing the Zero to top of the line most expensive models from their competitors. I think the average purchase price is probably much closer to $15K on a UTV. I will say that the pricing is the one thing that lends credibility to this company. I expect building a good electric UTV really would cost close to $40K. If I were just trying to build hype, I'd price it much closer to my competitors. [1] https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2014/07/utility-task-vehicles-by-the-numbers https://www.sema.org/sema-news/2014/07/utility-task-vehicles...