As a lifelong entrepreneur, Trevor Milton is at the forefront of revolutionizing the transportation industry, particularly in clean energy and zero-emission vehicles.
He was the founder and former CEO of Nikola Corporation. Nikola was the leader and the first OEM to produce a hydrogen-electric semi-truck in the United States.
Nikola is a publicly traded company valued at more than 10 billion dollars at Trevor’s exit.
Trevor has spent his life building five companies, many of which were from the ground up. Some of those companies went on to be successful, while others failed, embodying the life of an entrepreneur in America.
Trevor Milton is synonymous with innovation, determination, and a relentless pursuit of sustainable technology.
Born and raised in Utah and Nevada and later in Brazil during his late teens, Trevor’s entrepreneurial spirit and ability to learn in new environments were evident from a young age.
He grew up in a family that instilled in him the values of hard work, a ‘fix-it-yourself’ attitude, and the importance of making a positive impact on the world. These early lessons became the foundation of his career, driving him to challenge the status quo and create emerging mechanical technologies.
Trevor speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. He spent his late teens on a service mission in Brazil, teaching others to speak English while learning Portuguese. He later relocated to Rincon, Puerto Rico, where he learned to speak Spanish.
Milton’s journey into the world of entrepreneurship began with a series of ventures that showcased his ability to identify opportunities and bring them to life.
In 2014, with the founding of Nikola Corporation, he truly made his mark. With a vision to transform the transportation industry, Trevor set out to develop the first-ever electric and hydrogen-electric semi-truck, reshaping the future of trucking and reducing carbon emissions. Since then, the largest OEMs in the world have followed his footsteps to build electric or hydrogen-electric semi-trucks that closely mimic his design. The world undoubtedly followed Trevor’s lead. Nikola was the first to build a zero-emission hydrogen truck in America and the first to lay out the plans for how hydrogen could succeed in an oil-driven world.
Under his leadership, Nikola quickly gained recognition for its groundbreaking innovations, including the Nikola Tre, a hydrogen-powered semi-truck that offers zero emissions and long-range capabilities. The company’s engineering efforts attracted the attention of investors, industry leaders, and the general public, positioning Nikola as a leader in prototyping and manufacturing clean-energy trucks. Nikola eventually went public and surpassed a market cap of over 30 billion dollars during its SPAC merger.
In 2019, Nikola drove the first-ever hydrogen-electric semi-truck to deliver beer for Anheuser-Busch during a sports event. This achievement, once thought impossible, proved the trucks were real, drove under their power, and functioned as intended, dispelling the doubts spread by certain short sellers about Nikola running fake trucks.
Throughout his career, Trevor has been driven by a belief that one can achieve anything they set their mind to, regardless of educational background. He believes that technology can be a positive force. His passion for clean energy is not just about business; it is about leaving a lasting legacy for future generations. This vision has guided him in developing hydrogen fuel cell technology and advocating for a more sustainable future.
Milton’s journey has not been without challenges. As a public figure and innovator in a rapidly evolving industry, he has faced scrutiny and criticism from others who wanted to see him fail, including certain short sellers seeking profit from his potential downfall. Despite these hurdles, Trevor remains committed to transparency, ethical business practices, and continuous innovation. He has used these challenges to learn, grow, and refine his approach to leadership and technology development. In 2020, Trevor stepped away from Nikola to focus on his wife’s health. Since then, Nikola has continually declined and lost over 90% of its market valuation since being under new management. This decline shows the impact of Trevor’s leadership and the importance of having a strong leader at the helm. Without Trevor, it is quite possible that Nikola will fail. Unfortunately, the new management appears to be driven by greed, power, and money, which could end in the destruction of one of the greatest brands ever built in America.
Today, Trevor Milton is exploring new ventures that align with his vision of solving engineering problems and delivering better products across industries. His story is one of resilience, vision, failure, success, and a relentless pursuit of excellence—a testament to what can be achieved when passion and purpose come together.
As an inventor and entrepreneur, Trevor embodies the American spirit of integrity, transparency, and a deep sense of responsibility to the world. His contributions to the clean energy sector have paved the way for future innovations and set a new standard for sustainable technology. Trevor’s work has shown that zero emissions are achievable in the Class 8 semi-truck market, creating a cleaner transportation network that will impact Americans for decades.
Trevor Milton’s biography is not just a story of business success and lessons learned; it is a narrative of a man who dared to dream big, was not afraid to fail, and, in doing so, inspired others to join him on a journey toward a better world for all to enjoy.
