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Electrical Limousine Rivalry

There's an electrical storm in Silicon Valley or is it a case of being green with envy? Perhaps it was inevitable that once we had two legitimate and well-financed electric car companies, we would have allegations of back-stabbing and industrial espionage as the race to produce the first high-end hybrid electric sedan began. Electric car manufacturer Tesla has filed a lawsuit against Henrik Fisker and his company, saying that he stole design ideas and trade secrets.

California-based Tesla contends that Fisker fraudulently agreed to take on a $875,000 contract to design a four-door hybrid - expected to be named the White Star - in order to gain access to confidential information. The lawsuit says Fisker didn't know the first thing about hybrid technology when Tesla hired him and was subsequently given access to the White Star file - including engineering and design drawings, component specifications and analysis of various batteries. In other words, everything he might need to design a competing car of his own!

It argues that Fisker - whose coach building firm is also based in Southern California - produced substandard work, effectively sabotaging the project, and that he used the cash to develop his own electric car project: soon after working for Tesla, Fisker unveiled his own four-door hybrid called the Karma. More than that, though, Tesla accuses Fisker of doing shoddy work once hired - essentially sabotaging the White Star - then using the revenue to develop his own car. Fisker has designed cars for the likes of Ford, BMW and Aston Martin; some say he is the man responsible for designing the most beautiful car on the road, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage.

In addition to unspecified damages, the suit seeks the return of the money Tesla paid Fisker and demands that he stop using the company's design documents. Whatever the amperage draining outcome of this voltaic legal battle is, one thing is clear; the eco-conscious world of green car building isn't as altruistic as one might expect.

Meanwhile, Tesla designers have been working with Lotus to design the behind-schedule White Star in-house. And although the project is attempting to design a hybrid sports car, ultimately advances in the technology will result in more types of these vehicles on our roads. This sort of rivalry, between manufacturers, can only benefit consumers in the long run. The next time you need to hire a limo, ask about environmentally friendly limo options, like, do they have all electric or hybrid limos to choose from?

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