Nikola and E.ON sign collaboration agreement with Richter Group to decarbonize their heavy-duty fleet in Germany

• Richter Group will receive hydrogen, refuelling infrastructure and hydrogen electric trucks from Nikola and E.ON beginning in 2024 onwards
• The logistics service provider plans to transition their fleet of 160 trucks towards the Class 8 Nikola Tre hydrogen electric truck over the next four to five years

Nikola Corporation, E.ON and Richter Group, today announced a Letter of Intent for an order of an initial 20 Class 8, heavy-duty Nikola Tre hydrogen electric vehicles and hydrogen needed to supply them.

Richter Group is a leading provider of individual logistics services comprising hub and direct transport solutions for courier, express and parcel clients. Located in Germany, it currently owns a fleet of over 160 diesel-powered trucks with loading and unloading points in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom. Nikola and E.ON intend to help Richter Group decarbonize its vehicle fleet by providing hydrogen electric trucks, the required green hydrogen, and the refuelling infrastructure through the previously announced joint venture that is to be established in the upcoming weeks.

The initial 20 Nikola Tre hydrogen electric trucks are expected to be delivered to Richter Group in 2024. Richter Group intends to transition their entire fleet to Nikola Tre hydrogen electric trucks over the next four to five years. Richter Group also plans to work with their logistics partners to convert fleets to Nikola’s zeroemission vehicles, which could equate to an additional 750 hydrogen electric trucks within that same timeframe.

The Nikola Tre hydrogen electric trucks in the European 6×2 variant will be manufactured by the joint venture between Nikola and Iveco Group at their facility in Ulm, Germany. Richter Group and its partners may purchase or lease part or all of the Nikola Tre hydrogen electric vehicles through IVECO’s all-inclusive electric truck rental model. IVECO will provide the essential maintenance and service functions.

E.ON will provide Richter Group with green hydrogen and develop the refuelling infrastructure to meet the needs of the hydrogen electric vehicles brought to market. The first refuelling solution within the scope of this project will be located on the premises of Richter Group in Wesel, Germany. Both hydrogen supply and logistics will be supplied though the E.ON and Nikola Joint Venture once it is officially established.

Sylvio Richter, founder and CEO of Richter Group said, “We plan to introduce the Nikola hydrogen electric trucks and other services of Nikola and E.ON to many of our partners to further promote and grow decarbonization efforts in the European heavy-duty transport sector. This Letter of Intent is just the beginning. Through our technology subsidiary Sundronix GmbH, Richter Group will be working with Nikola and E.ON on technological solutions for the design and construction of a 700-bar refuelling infrastructure, hydrogen transport logistics, and hydrogen supply.”

Gabriël Clemens, Managing director of E.ON Hydrogen, said, “Hydrogen is the required link and a leading opportunity to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, which includes heavy-duty transportation. We are committed to the gradual decarbonization of Richter Group by providing necessary refuelling infrastructure and green hydrogen supply. We plan to deliver up to 225 tonnes of green hydrogen per annum for the initial 20 Nikola Tre hydrogen electric trucks and significantly increase the amount over the next four to five years.”

Michael Lohscheller, President and CEO, Nikola Corporation, said, “The commitment from Richter Group is another example of how Nikola and E.ON are playing an essential role in helping Germany achieve the goal of decarbonizing the transportation sector. Implementing the initial order of 20 heavy-duty zeroemission trucks in place of existing diesel trucks, equates to avoiding the annual CO2 emissions from approximately 600 passenger cars.”

With a range of up to 800 km and an estimated fueling time of less than 20 minutes based on planned technology improvements, the Nikola Tre hydrogen electric truck is expected to have the longest range of all commercially available zero tailpipe emission Class 8 trucks while realizing weight savings when compared to battery-electric Class 8 trucks with similar range. The Tre hydrogen electric truck is well-suited for a variety of applications ranging from drayage and intermodal to metro-regional truckload and less than truckload to certain specialized hauling use cases.

About Nikola Corporation

Nikola Corporation is globally transforming the transportation industry. As a designer and manufacturer of zero-emission battery-electric and hydrogen electric vehicles, electric vehicle drivetrains, vehicle components, energy storage systems, and hydrogen station infrastructure, via the HYLA brand, Nikola is driven to revolutionize the economic and environmental impact of commerce as we know it today. Founded in 2015, Nikola Corporation is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. For more information, visit www.nikolamotor.com or Twitter @nikolamotor.

About Richter Group

Richter Group is a prominent provider of individual logistics services. These services include hub and direct transport solutions for clients in the courier, express, and parcels industries. Richter Group is committed to providing its customers with sustainable transport solutions that meet their environmental, social, and corporate governance criteria. Founded in 1987 Richter Group is headquartered in Wesel, Germany. For more information, visit www.richtertransport.de.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.