The explosion of thunder is not only the patent of Chinese companies, but also the recent very popular American start-up car company Nikola.

American hydrogen fuel cell truck startup Nikola admitted some of the facts revealed in the short-selling report.

Nikola admitted to fabricating a video of its electric hydrogen truck driving autonomously on the road; admitted that founder Trevor Milton had boasted that the core components of the hydrogen energy heavy truck being researched in Haikou were actually from third parties. parts and tried to get away with it by covering the trademark with tape.

Nikola did not have a clear response to the accusations filed by Hindenburg Research Center (Hindenburg Research) regarding truck production and delivery, battery technology, and solar panel construction. It is reported that the U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation based on Nikola's exaggerated research progress, misleading investors and other related charges.

On June 3, 2020, Nikola, an American hydrogen energy truck startup, successfully listed on Nasdaq. Less than a week after it went public, its market value has already surpassed that of Ford Motor Company. The Nikola One, released by the company in May 2016, has received 14,602 orders by the end of 2019; its founder announced on June 7 that it would open pre-orders for the hydrogen-fueled pickup truck Badger, which is believed to be formed with the Tesla Cybertruck Competition, but the company has no mass-produced models so far, and has never disclosed the specific delivery time of hydrogen energy trucks.

Short-selling agency Hindenburg Research Center recently released a short-selling report on Nikola, accusing the company of being a "sophisticated scam" and pointing out that the company has expertise in semi-trailer trucks, battery technology, and hydrogen production. There are dozens of false claims in many aspects such as , Nikola One and large orders worth billions of dollars. The agency said it has enough evidence to detail numerous falsehoods throughout the career of Nikola founder Trevor Milton.

The accusations made by Hindenburg Research Center against Nikola are as follows:

1. Prototype video fraud

Nikola Corporation as early as 2016 At the press conference, it was stated that a hydrogen fuel cell truck that can be fully used normally has been developed. However, according to internal Nikola emails obtained by the Hindenburg Research Center, in the weeks before the launch, Nikola asked employees to "make the exposed wiring look as good as possible". A cable is seen running from under the stage through the cab to power the cabin screen. Hindenburg researchers uncovered numerous details that prove the prototype shown at the launch was hastily assembled.

2. Fraudulent promotional video

In 2018, Nikola released a video of a hydrogen fuel cell truck driving on a road. The Hindenburg Research Center found that the video was still suspected of being fake. The research organization pointed out that Nikola towed the truck to a gentle slope in advance, and then let the vehicle slide down on its own. By arranging the camera position appropriately, it can visually create the illusion that the vehicle can drive independently. ?

The Hindenburg Research Institute not only found the location where the video was shot, but also conducted the same experiment using an SUV, which can basically confirm the Nikola video fraud. Nikola stated that the video did not indicate that the car relies on the vehicle's own drive system, so there is no problem of deceiving the public. But from an objective point of view, this is undoubtedly a kind of deception.

3. The founder exaggerated R&D progress and used third-party products for core components

Nikola founder Milton once claimed that Nikola has been developing its own technology and products . In the video shot by Milton, it not only shows the powertrain of the truck, but also clearly emphasizes that the inverter is manufactured by Nikola. However, in the same video, what actually appears is a Cascadia inverter with the trademark covered by tape. converter. The company responded that Nikola is also designing and developing its own inverters. Nikola did use third-party parts in the pre-engineering phase, but some of those parts will be replaced with its own later, which is a common practice among automakers.

Hindenburg is not the first institution to question the company. As early as June this year, Bloomberg published an article stating that Nikola founder Trevor Milton exaggerated the progress of the Nikola One prototype truck. The prototype is nothing more than a model without key components such as hydrogen fuel cells and motors, and cannot be driven normally. In addition, Bloomberg also pointed out that although the Nikola One prototype on display at the conference was marked with words such as "zero emission" and "H2", it was not equipped with a fuel cell and lacked key components such as a motor. Get behind the wheel.

Subsequently, Nikola founder Milton denied and rebutted, criticizing Bloomberg for taking the report out of context, and stating that he would refuse to allow Bloomberg and its reporters to participate in any Nikola activities.

Short-selling institutions have pointed out many problems with Nikola. Judging from Nikola’s current practices, it is equivalent to admitting the fraud in the report. Nikola has indeed created many miracles. The sharp increase in market value and GM's large investment have caused many people to entangle its fate with Tesla. However, the delayed launch of the product and the unknown production status have to arouse the concern of the outside world. Speculation and questioning. If you lack technical confidence and cannot seek truth from facts, you will only fall into a crisis of trust and lose a great market.

This article comes from the author of Autohome Chejiahao and does not represent the views and positions of Autohome.