It was revealed on Tuesday that Tesla Motors has filed suit against rival electric carmaker Fisker Coachbuild and two of its employees — including Fisker head Henrik Fisker. The lawsuit claims that Fisker stole design and trade secrets from Tesla.
According to the New York Times, Tesla hired Henrik Fisker and Fisker Coachbuild’s COO, Bernhard Koehler, to help design the company’s upcoming WhiteStar electric sedan — a contract worth $875,000. But, according to Tesla, Fisker and Koehler designed an inferior product and stole many of Tesla’s technical details.
Since working with Tesla, Fisker has taken the wraps off its own range-extending hybrid vehicle dubbed the Karma. Tesla says that Fisker not only stole the car’s hybrid technology from them, but also gave them a poor design so that the WhiteStar sedan wouldn’t be able to compete with the Karma. Tesla has since started from scratch with an all-new design for the WhiteStar sedan, pushing the project back about six months.
Both the Karma and WhiteStar are on schedule for a 2010 or 2011 launch with prices right around $80,000.
Tesla is seeking a refund of the project money and an unknown amount for damages. If the allegations prove to be true, Fisker might be rethinking the name Karma for its upcoming sedan.
04/15, 2:45 PM
posted by:
Blakkarr
Yeah… Two upstart car makers going head to head are really going work well together.
Who would not have see this coming?
04/15, 3:23 PM
posted by:
planet_drive
Even in death Tesla gets ripped off with people stealing his ideas. First it was Edison and now Fisker. Atleast Tesla is known all over the world as the greatest inventor in the world.
04/15, 6:16 PM
posted by:
400horseSS
Fisker ripping off builders, say it aint so
04/15, 6:57 PM
posted by:
DeansterTJ
For once me and the fag above^ agree. Fisker’s Karma steals more automotive design trademarks than the ****ing Chinese.
04/15, 7:35 PM
posted by:
Jon Luc
Who ripped off Edison, & for what invention?
04/15, 8:06 PM
posted by:
autonut
And the winner will be Volt for mere 50 grand and no patent infringements
04/15, 10:05 PM
posted by:
Eddie Willers
Deanster, your vulgar slurs in regards to your fellow comment makers only serves to make you look like an ignorant bigot. Rise above.
Hoping that Both Tesla and Fisker produce quality products.
04/15, 10:29 PM
posted by:
Veda
“…but also gave them a poor design so that the WhiteStar sedan wouldn’t be able to compete with the Karma. ”
An interesting excuse for a failing company.
04/15, 10:36 PM
posted by:
jdasch1
Tesla’s not failing. Has 2000 sold cars at 100k each. Thats not a failing company. Also backed by lots of money people like Elon Musk..billions. So, thats what happened. I saw 2 years ago an artists drawing of the “whitestar” car, and now I see the curious resemblance to the Karma. Its still all about the technology and not the curves…this is where Tesla has the game down.
04/15, 11:17 PM
posted by:
A4
tesla: “omg how could they hide the artificial V8 engine noises coming from the speakers from us?” One upping Tesla will not be tolerated.
04/15, 11:18 PM
posted by:
elviososa
Deanster…you stole the “F” word from me.
04/16, 3:04 AM
posted by:
Whiplash-C6Z06
It was Marconi and not Edison who “ripped off” the credit for radio from Tesla. Edison can only be faulted for following through on his patents whereas Telsa, as brilliant as he was, would often leave most of his ideas unfinished or unpatented. Tesla was a creator. Edison a businessman.
04/16, 8:16 AM
posted by:
DeansterTJ
“Deanster, your vulgar slurs in regards to your fellow comment makers only serves to make you look like an ignorant bigot. Rise above.
Comment by Eddie Willers, posted on April15 at 10:05 pm ”
Thank you Eddie, you’ve opened my eyes. You must be new to LLN. Just to help orient you, we’re a few notches below drunk sailors in a bar with Tourette’s. And we’ve fought tooth and nail to preserve our freedom of speech. So go eat a bouquet of dicks and save the rhetoric for your stupid over-sodomized kids.
Warmest regards asshole,
DeansterTJ
04/16, 8:17 AM
posted by:
DeansterTJ
Oh, and it’s “with regard to” or “regarding your fellow comment makers.” If you’re going to stand on a pedestal, try not to look like a ****ing grammar school dropout.
04/16, 11:20 AM
posted by:
400horseSS
^ waste of life
04/16, 1:45 PM
posted by:
Commodore
No 400horse, we need people like Deanster to (1) make us laugh once in a while and (2) make us look better. 1115 is also necessary to give us his opposing viewpoints. Deanster is not that big of a waste