State to roll out new all-electric big rigs

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) -- Colorado highways will soon be filled with brand new 18-wheelers designed to give off zero emissions.

According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, The Nikola Corporation will begin selling its new "Nikola Tre" truck in Colorado.

A Nikola Tre truck is a fully battery-electric vehicle offering a range of up to 350 miles. Beginning in 2023, a new hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle will also be introduced by Nikola.

The rollout is part of Colorado's "Clean Truck Strategy", which is a plan to reduce air pollution and transition to zero-emissions electric and hydrogen trucks and buses.

Medium- and heavy-duty vehicles like tractor-trailers represent less than 10% of all the vehicles on the road but CDOT said they are responsible for 22% of greenhouse gas emissions as well as ozone precursors on the roads.

Colorado’s Clean Truck Strategy would reduce greenhouse gas emissions from medium and heavy-duty vehicles by at least 45% in Colorado by 2050.

It's not just the environmental protections the new truck offers. CDOT said the new trucks will also be quieter and require less maintenance. Plus, the cost to run one is about half the cost of traditional diesel fuel.