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Was Nikola’s Truck Plugged In During the Demo? What the SEC Complaint Alleged

The SEC complaint alleged a cable powered the Nikola One’s cab screens at its 2016 unveiling. It did not say the cable powered the truck to drive; the 2018 downhill video was a separate event.
Entry714 Date Time3 min MechanicCarCody Team
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Yes—but the allegation was about the screens, not the truck’s propulsion. In a July 29, 2021 civil complaint, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission alleged that a cable running from beneath the stage powered the cab screens in Nikola’s not-fully-functioning Nikola One prototype at its December 2016 unveiling. The complaint’s cited passage does not say the cable powered the truck to drive. A separate video, filmed in 2018, involved a different alleged deception: the SEC said the truck was towed uphill, filmed rolling down, and the footage sped up.

Was the Nikola truck plugged in during the demo?

The SEC alleged that it was connected to an electrical cable during Nikola’s December 2016 unveiling. According to the commission’s civil complaint, the cable ran from beneath the stage and powered the screens in the Nikola One’s cab. The complaint said the prototype was not fully functioning at the event.

That allegation is narrower than saying the truck was plugged in so it could drive. The relevant passage identifies the cab screens as the cable’s purpose; it does not allege that the cable powered the truck’s propulsion.

What did the lawsuit say the cable powered?

The SEC complaint says the cable powered the displays in the cab. It does not describe the cable as a means of moving the vehicle or establish that the truck could drive under its own power at the unveiling.

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The complaint is a civil pleading: it sets out the SEC’s allegations against Trevor Milton, rather than serving on its own as a final court finding. The U.S. Department of Justice separately described the prototype as incomplete in its August 2021 announcement of criminal charges against Milton. The DOJ wrote: “In fact, the Nikola One prototype was not completed, let alone tested and validated, by the time of the unveiling event.”

Was the Nikola truck rolling downhill in the video?

In a separate allegation, the SEC said Nikola’s “In Motion” promotional video showed the truck rolling down an incline after it had been towed to the top. The complaint describes the footage as coming from a commercial shoot in early 2018 and alleges that the final clip was sped up two to three times.

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The SEC said the edited video was posted to Nikola’s Twitter, Facebook and YouTube accounts on January 25, 2018, and remained online until at least September 2020. The DOJ’s August 2021 announcement likewise described the truck as having been towed uphill before rolling downhill.

Were the plugged-in demo and the downhill video the same event?

No. The cable allegation concerns the Nikola One unveiling on a stage on December 1, 2016. The downhill footage concerns a commercial shoot in early 2018. They differed in setting and in what the allegations said was happening:

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Event When and where What authorities alleged
Nikola One unveiling December 1, 2016; stage presentation The SEC alleged a cable from beneath the stage powered the cab screens.
“In Motion” shoot Early 2018; commercial shoot on an incline The SEC alleged the truck was towed uphill, filmed rolling down, and that the footage was sped up two to three times.

These are distinct claims in government filings and announcements. The SEC’s cable allegation should not be used to imply that the cable drove the truck, and the later downhill video should not be presented as part of the 2016 unveiling.

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What happened in the legal cases?

The SEC filed its civil complaint against Milton on July 29, 2021. In August 2021, the DOJ announced criminal charges and described the prototype and promotional-video allegations.

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A later order in the investor class action recounts that the Arizona court certified a securities class on January 6, 2025, and that the parties filed summary-judgment motions in November 2025. Those are procedural milestones; the order excerpt does not establish the final outcome of the private case.

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