Nikola Motors sued Tesla for $ 2 billion for the theft of the Semi project
Tesla is on censorship, not only because of the slow production of Model 3, but now also by the possible theft of the patent on a fully electric Semi truck. Nikola Motor Company has sued Tesla for $ 2 billion, claiming that the company managed by Elon Musk alive copied patented construction and aerodynamic solutions.
The company from Salt Lake City presented its truck, called Nikola One, equipped with hydrogen propulsion much earlier, the year before the official Semi presentation from Tesla. Representatives of Nikola Motors accuse Tesla of copying the shape of mudguards, panoramic windshield, doors, bonnet and other elements of the truck.
Interestingly, the company even sent an official letter to Tesla, just before the premiere of Semi, but the company Elona Muska did not do anything about it, and did not even respond in any way. Nikola Motors has been forced to sue Tesla for $ 2 billion, because her representatives say that they have lost money because of problems caused by the appearance of the Semi, the resignation of investors and the departure of partners. A spokeswoman for Tesla said that the lawsuit is completely unfounded.
Nikola Motors is a powerful and underestimated competitor of Tesla. The company wants to offer the world of road transport two fuel cell trucks named Nikola One and Nikola Two. Both are to have an engine with a capacity of over 1000 HP and a torque of 2700 NM. The first version is to have a range of 1,900 kilometers, which is twice as much as Semi.
The company also wants to build a network of hydrogen stations all over the US and start selling its trucks in two years. At the moment, the total value of booking for this vehicle is currently over 6.3 billion dollars.
seems similar as to the deal between samsung and apple over the smartphone industry, however, I think this a rather tougher battle to win against Tesla.