Electric Trucks Appear to be the Future

Investors are brimming with confidence in electronic trucks even if fleet owners aren’t quite ready to commit to the vehicles. The soaring valuation for startup Nikola Corp. in its first days of public trading and a later runup in Tesla Inc. shares signal the strong interest in the technology, the WSJ Logistics Report’s Jennifer Smith writes, and sets up a race between the manufacturers looking to wean truckers off diesel fuel. The companies are taking different paths in their competition. Tesla is putting its go-it-alone mindset behind its Semi while Nikola is using partnerships with established industry players to get its hydrogen-powered electric trucks into freight operations. Both companies have reservations for their vehicles but haven’t taken firm orders. Getting that financial commitment will require more than building a truck: Fleets will need to be sure recharging infrastructure is in place before they sign up for the long haul.