Nikola founder Trevor Milton bought semitruck designs instead of making them 'in his basement,' report says
Two sources with knowledge on the matter, who were not named by the Financial Times, said Milton bought the original design for the Nikola One from a designer who works at Croatian EV brand Rimac Automobili.
The sources told the outlet that Milton purchased the truck's designs from Adriano Mudri in 2015 after they met during a visit to Rimac's headquarters in Croatia, authors Claire Bushey, Peter Campbell, and Ortenca Aliaj wrote. The designs were part of Mudri's "earlier diploma project.
The findings refute Nikola's claim that Milton designed the One "in his basement," made during a 2018 lawsuit against Tesla. In the ongoing $2 billion suit, Nikola alleged patent infringements against Tesla, saying that the Tesla Semi is "substantially" similar in design to the One,The Financial Times reported that a rebuttal from Tesla last week claimed Nikola could not protect the truck's design because it came from Mudri, not Nikola.
"Road Runner . . . was the internal name for Nikola's project the entire time we worked on it," an unnamed source told the Financial Times. The outlet viewed a screenshot of a Nikola document that displayed 13 people being asked to collaborate on the "Nikola Roadrunner Prototype Project." Additionally, a previous version of Nikola's website showed a truck that looked the same as the Road Runner from Tesla's court filing, according to another screenshot the Financial Times viewed. The second Google result for Mudri's name as of this writing, in fact, returns a page for the"The Nikola One truck was designed and patented by Nikola," a Nikola spokesperson told Business Insider via email.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Stocks to buy, 23 high-conviction ideas across major themes: UBS - Business InsiderBusiness Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. Launched in 2007, the site is now the largest business news site on the web.
Read more »
3 boxes to check before you buy homeowners insurance, according to a financial planner - Business InsiderBusiness Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. Launched in 2007, the site is now the largest business news site on the web.
Read more »
Not all online banks offer wire transfers, can complicate home buying - Business InsiderBusiness Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. Launched in 2007, the site is now the largest business news site on the web.
Read more »
Stock picks to buy, best global industrial software companies: BofA - Business InsiderBusiness Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. Launched in 2007, the site is now the largest business news site on the web.
Read more »
Trump denies New York Times report on tax returns as 'fake news' - Business InsiderBusiness Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. Launched in 2007, the site is now the largest business news site on the web.
Read more »
The most shocking revelations from The New York Times report about Trump's tax returns - Business InsiderBusiness Insider is a fast-growing business site with deep financial, media, tech, and other industry verticals. Launched in 2007, the site is now the largest business news site on the web.
Read more »