From Wikipedia ...

"Trevor Milton (born April 6, 1982) is an American billionaire. He is the founder and former executive chairman of Nikola Corporation. In September 2020, Milton abruptly resigned from his position after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Justice began investigating claims that Milton and the Nikola Corporation committed securities fraud. ...

Milton is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, after high school, went on an 18-month church mission to Brazil, where he became fluent in Portuguese.

He dropped out of college after one semester at Utah Valley State College to pursue a career in sales and marketing. ...

Milton started an alarm sales company immediately after quitting college called St. George Security and Alarm and eventually exited the business for a stated $300,000, though his former business partner claims he was led to believe the exit payment was "much smaller." Milton then launched an online classified ads website selling used cars, which eventually failed and was then followed by Milton’s first alternative energy vehicles company called dHybrid. Inc that retrofitted commercial trucks with engines that could run on natural gas instead of diesel.

dHybrid landed a truck-conversion deal with Swift Transportation, leading to a mid-2012 lawsuit predicated on dHybrid's failure to deliver on its agreement. dHybrid would eventually be purchased by Worthington Industries in 2014 and, in 2015, Milton founded Nikola Motor Company with his brother, Travis, as the director of operations with a background in construction and remodeling. ...

In November 2019, the Los Angeles Times reported that Milton had bought a 2,000-acre Utah ranch with a 16,800 square foot riverside mansion for $32.5 million. The purchase set a new record for the price paid for a home in the state."


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyODMOPlz24



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/22/2020 11:54PM by Dave the Atheist.

Another overpromise and underdeliver snake oil salesman in the Elon Musk mold.

What brand name would you put on a mormon-made car?

Back in my day families called their Suburbans "BMWs" - Big Mormon Wagons. Guess those need a new name.

How about "Emma" - with advertising that says no matter how crappy you treat her she will stay with you.

Or "BoM" - with advertising that the BoM is the Shiz. But it only comes in 'white and delightsome' paint.

The "Utah" - just 20 years behind the times.

The GPS system will be called the Liahona and won't work if you have a cup of coffee in the car. Engines will be measured in tapirpower. All come with super special spare oil to carry around.

Suburbans were always called a "Mormon Mercedes", never a BMW. Minivans were always known as an MAV; "Mormon Assault Vehicle".

Car industry articles about Milton and Nikola:

https://jalopnik.com/nikolas-founder-is-pissed-and-tired-of-the-haters-1845028097

https://jalopnik.com/nikolas-founder-is-out-1845126937

https://jalopnik.com/gm-might-already-be-reconsidering-that-nikola-partnersh-1845219531

This was covered recently on RfM: Nikola towed a semi to the top of a rise, then videoed it coasting down a grade, implying that it was operating under electric power. It wasn't.

I remember noting that the two-lane desert highway they used was some part of "the Mormon Trail," and asked if anybody could ID the location.

https://thelastdriverlicenseholder.com/2020/09/14/what-other-lies-has-nikola-motor-told-us/

They will build ONE model, no more.
Will advertise it as 20+ models - by changing the name plate on the vehicle.