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Month: January 2022

Nikola's founder wants a look at vehicles U.S. says he lied about

Nikola's founder wants a look at vehicles U.S. says he lied about

Nikola Corp. former CEO Trevor Milton claims federal prosecutors refused access to company’s vehicles and equipment he says are crucial to his defense against fraud charges.

Milton, scheduled to go on trial in April, asked a judge on Friday to allow him to inspect and photograph certain prototypes and other Nikola property and places. He said the government and the company have refused his repeated requests.

Access to the evidence is necessary to refute claims that Milton misled investors, he said. Milton is accused of lying about the success of his debut truck, the Nikola One, and claiming the company had engineered and built an electric-and-hydrogen-powered truck called the Badger. He also allegedly claimed Nikola was producing hydrogen at reduced cost, and that it had developed batteries and other components itself.

“Inspecting these items, and demonstrating the functionality of the technology, go to the crux of his defense,” Milton’s lawyers said in the court filing. read more