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While electric truck manufacturers like Tesla, Nicola and Canoo get a lot of headlines, we haven’t heard a lot about Hercules Electric Mobility. Hercules makes electric marine motors and is planning to produce a new truck called the Alpha. Though we don’t know much, it appears that the company’s batteries could be the basis for a new electric Nissan truck.

What is the Hercules Alpha?

Hercules Alpha
The new Hercules Alpha | Hercules

Hercules announced in July that the company’s new truck will be designed by the Italian design firm Pininfaria. Most know the Pininfarina name from Ferraris it has designed. The company says the truck should have 1,000 horsepower.

Though it has an ambitious timeline for producing the truck, Car and Driver said it could be here by the end of 2022, its executives are experienced. The founder James Breyer is a former GM engineer who lead the powertrain development of the Chevrolet Volt.

Could it become the first electric Nissan truck?

Bloomberg recently reported that Nissan was in talks with Hercules. Nissan would buy the batter-electric powertrain for the Nissan truck, and share parts for its own truck. One glance at the images of Hercules’ Alpha, and even a casual observer would say, “That looks like a Nissan Titan.” It has all the features of a Titan, except an EV-style grille and a large LED taillight.

But does Nissan need help?

2022 Nissan Leaf EV
2022 Nissan Leaf | Nissan Motor Corporation

However, it’s a bit unclear why Nissan would need help developing an electric powertrain. Its Nissan Leaf car has been one of the best-selling, and most affordable, EVs on the market for several years. For 2023, it launched the Ariya all-electric SUV, too. The Ariya has 238 horsepower and a range of 304 miles.

Hercules seems to be further along in the development of its motors for boats. Its Hercules Electric Marine brand makes motors with up to 250 horsepower that use both conventional solid state batteries and lithium-ion batteries. Like EV cars, they’re quiet and don’t pollute. Battery packs come in 43 kWh, 63 kWh and 94kWh versions.

It will start delivering electric Coach Marine Group boats in 2023.

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Writer - Sedans & Coupes

Dan Mayfield

Dan joined MotorBiscuit in 2022 with over 20 years of experience in journalism and a lifelong passion for anything related to the automotive industry. He grew up wrenching a 1949 Ford pickup truck and an MGB with his dad, learning how not to wire a fuel pump (he inadvertently set the MGB on fire).

After earning a bachelor’s degree in photojournalism from the University of New Mexico, Dan has contributed his expertise to a range of local outlets, including the City of Albuquerque, US Eagle, and the Alliance for Local Economic Prosperity.

On weekends, Dan spends Saturdays enjoying “cars and coffee” chats and, on Sundays, he’s watching the Route 66 Cruise roll through town. He also races motorcycles, and it’s not unusual to find him elbows-deep in his latest cafe racer build.

Taking advantage of the local desert terrain, Dan also enjoys exploring and driving off-road in his trusty Ram Rebel pickup truck, which provides personal insights into his contributions to our Trucks, SUVs, & Crossovers coverage. Dan strives to give our readers unique information about the dynamic automotive market, reading anything that has to do with cars, trucks, bikes, 4X4s, and, in his words, “everything with a motor.”

Dan has earned a number of accolades from the Public Relations Society of America, and is a University of Southern California, Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism Fellow.