Nikola Motor Electrically powered UTV Utility Task Vehicle tested by U.S. Marines
The American Company Nikola Motor has presented its Reckless UTV (Utility Task Vehicle) during the warfighting technology event for U.S. marines. The Marine Military Expos is an opportunity for defense companies to showcase the latest technology and prototypes aimed at preparing today’s Marines for the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century.
A group of Camp Pendleton Marines gets a ride in the Nikola Motor Company’s “Reckless” Utility Task Vehicle (Picture source The Orange County Register)
The Nikola UTV is based on the Nikola NZT battery-electric side-by-side off-roader. This 4x4 all-terrain vehicle is fully electrically powered and can reach a speed of 100 km/h in less than 3,5 seconds.
The Nikola NZT uses the electric motors to do most of the braking, which charges the batteries at the same time. The electric motors can be reversed to slow you down much faster while remaining nearly 100% silent. . When needed, the massive 14” disc brakes will kick in to assist the motors. This will extend the life of your disc brakes by nearly 3-4x and give you almost double the stopping power. This is yet another safety feature offered by the Nikola NZT™ UTV.
The Nikola NZT has a weight from 1,100 from 2,000 kg depending of the configuration, with a payload capacity of 650 kg. The layout of the vehicle is similar to other 4x4 all-terrain vehicle with two seats at the front and two at the rear. The Nikola NZT has more space than any other side-by-side on the market with ultra soft, durable seats made by Beard.
The Reckless UTV can be fitted with a remotely operated weapon station which can be armed with different types of weapons. (Picture source The Orange County Register)
The Nikola NZT features the largest suspension travel in the industry. With 20" of travel on ALL FOUR tires, the possibilities of where you can take the Nikola NZT™ are endless. The 3.0 Podium Internal Bypass shocks from Fox are dual speed compression, spring preloaded and crossover works of art. They have a 3" smooth bore and honed alloy body. Zinc-plated and 6061-T6 billet aluminum components. There are 7 compression stages and 4 rebound stages with bottom-out control.
Nikola has designed the chassis and roll cage of the Nikola UTV to withstand the most rigorous conditions and maneuvers. With safety, efficiency, and performance in mind, our team engineered the chassis to not only take abuse, but to house our proprietary Nikola battery pack. Nikola Motor took the development of our roll cage to a new level for the UTV industry, constructing an ultra-light, 2in DOM A-513 military grade steel roll cage providing added safety and the adequate amount of stiffness to deliver the truest ride on or off the road.
In military configuration, the Nikola Reckless UTV can be equipped with remote weapon stations mounted on the top of the roll cage which can be armed with 7.62mm or 12.7 mm machine gun, 40 mm MK19 automatic grenade launcher or Javelin anti-tank guided missiles launcher station.
