Tesla Motors sues Fisker over stolen secrets

Tesla Motors can't seem to keep itself out of the press, can it? The newest flare-up concerns rival Fisker and claims that the automaker has stolen trade secrets and copied design concepts. In a lawsuit filed Monday by Tesla, the carmaker accuses Henrik Fisker -- whom the company had hired to design its WhiteStar sedan -- of accepting the work to "gain access to confidential design information and trade secrets." The company alleges that Fisker then used that knowledge to launch a competing vehicle, and believes Fisker has implemented its range-extended vehicle (or REV) technology in the recently introduced Karma. "I think it's ironic that Fisker chose to name his car the Karma, when what he's done is very bad karma," said the company's lawyer. Fisker wouldn't comment on the case, then drove silently away when pressed.

[Via CNET]

[ArthurHitler @ Apr 15th 2008 10:25AM]

cooolllll

-------------------------

Tibet, Taiwan, Diaoyu Island
were, are, and will always be part of China!

[William @ Apr 15th 2008 11:57AM]

hmmm, tesla = 100K Volt = 12K I wonder why more people will buy a Volt.

I like the competition though, I drive 500 miles a week at least and I have been holding out to find an electric car to ease some of the cost of gas prices. I was set to buy an Aptera but they will not sell it to anyone living outside California.

Great things to come!!!

[The_Steven @ Apr 15th 2008 11:33AM]

and what does that have to do with the topic at hand?

[Crayola @ Apr 15th 2008 11:43AM]

Way cool!

__________________________
Hillary for President!!!

[CraigJ @ Apr 15th 2008 12:03PM]

This site rarely engages in political discussion. Let's keep it that way. Political support bumper stickers on your post are as lame as signing your post.

[Flashpoint @ Apr 15th 2008 10:28AM]

Chevy's Volt is going to easily outsell the Tesla. The question is, what company is going to end up buying Tesla Motors and how can I use that to make some money of their stock.

I FAIL to see a small roadster like this in any less than the homes of $100,000 a year income - single family homes - or in use by young metrosexual playboys.

[Charlie Taylor @ Apr 15th 2008 10:34AM]

Well, considering this is a sports car, not a family sedan, it's no surprise that the Volt might outsell the Tesla Roadster.

Want to know what the world's top selling car in recent years has been?

The Ford F-150.

Does that make it a good car? No. The F-150 is crap to drive, and even with the same engine as the Ford GT it fails to even accelerate well, and the trim is terrible.

Just because a car sells well does not necessarily mean it is a good car. The tesla is a sports car, it's meant to be owned by rich families and playboys. This is a spartan two seater meant to be driven, and that's it: just driven, because it's fun!

[John @ Apr 15th 2008 11:01AM]

The real question is, do you buy the Porsche or the Tesla....

[Will @ Apr 15th 2008 11:06AM]

Charlie,

I worked as a salesperson at a Chrysler/Jeep store for five years in the 90s. In my opinion, one the the greatest reasons for Ford's dominance, at least in my region, was not their vehicles but rather their credit company. If we had customers whom we had to turn away because they were a credit risk, sure enough you would see them in a new Ford the next day. It was also easier for someone with poor credit to buy a pickup truck because the lender saw it as a slightly slower-depreciating asset than a car or minivan.

[JuggleNuts @ Apr 15th 2008 11:16AM]

The Tesla ... the best Porsche 911 one can realistically afford at the $100k price point (after any of the normal options + tax) is of the generic Carrera blend.

Call me a show off, but I'd rather not look like 50% of the other Porsche owners out there (the rest drive either a Boxter or Cayenne). That, or I'll wait until I can afford a GT2 (about 300 years from now).

[Nick M. @ Apr 15th 2008 12:32PM]

@flashpoint

apples and oranges...

[Craig @ Apr 15th 2008 10:52AM]

You know it's an industry when corporate espionage is making front-page news.

Between electric cars and robots, dust-ups like this makes me think we're finally moving into the 21st century.

[OnlyShawn @ Apr 15th 2008 11:07AM]

...i love competition. :)

[Matt @ Apr 15th 2008 11:08AM]

"then drove silently away when pressed"

Nicely done, good sir. It made me laugh at 8:07 in the morning before coffee, which is no small feat!

[whatishalo? @ Apr 15th 2008 12:32PM]

I agree, subtle but very witty

[Frankenstein Black @ Apr 15th 2008 11:32AM]

Hey Tesla, save some for me and my Posse. Once again Fisker, be prepared to "PAY ME FOR THE RHYMES YOU STOLE FROM ME!"
http://www.engadget.com/2008/03/14/fisker-karma-hybrid-sports-car-to-generate-motor-noise-through-e/2#comments

[Charles @ Apr 15th 2008 12:12PM]

Something I've been wondering for some time - has Tesla done anything to extend the life of the batteries? The battery life of most of the laptops we have in work has been reduced to about an hour and many of them can't hold a charge at all. Is the same thing going to happen with a Tesla?

If it is then it's going to be bloody expensive to replace the 6,831 battery cells every 2-3 years. I'd imagine it would also be quite expensive to dispose of the existing batteries and not very environmentally friendly.

[Sam @ Apr 15th 2008 1:40PM]

This is addressed on Tesla Motors' blog: http://www.teslamotors.com/blog4/?p=66

[Fangorn81 @ Apr 15th 2008 1:03PM]

I mean, just looking at the Mockup shot of the Karma you can see a strong resemblance...

[macserv @ Apr 16th 2008 2:18PM]

"I think it's ironic that Fisker chose to name his car the Karma, when what he's done is very bad karma," said [Tesla's] lawyer.

Unless, of course, the Karma is retribution for something bad that *you guys* did to Fisker, heaven forbid.

[Liam @ Apr 16th 2008 11:14PM]

Wow, that car is beautiful.