Nikola founder and convicted fraudster attacks Tesla Semi with some decent points

Trevor Milton, the convicted fraudster who founded Nikola Motors, took to LinkedIn to attack Tesla Semi’s economics with a point-by-point takedown. Despite his near-total lack of credibility, a couple of his arguments actually hold up.

Milton, who was convicted of securities fraud for lying to investors about Nikola’s electric truck technology, posted a lengthy comment on a LinkedIn post about Tesla ramping Semi production, claiming he “knows EV trucking probably better than anyone.”

Milton’s attack on Tesla Semi

In his comment, Milton made five specific claims against Tesla Semi’s economics:

He argued that insurance costs will be “almost 2x” higher for electric trucks versus diesel because insurance is based on vehicle value. He claimed EVs destroy tires faster due to higher torque. He attacked electricity pricing, saying rates won’t be $0.15 per kWh and that California fleets will face $0.50 per kWh with heavy charging demand. He suggested Tesla might subsidize charging with investor cash, which would make the comparison unfair. And he claimed EV charging infrastructure costs will run “in the millions per fleet.”