Tesla Alleges Rivian Stole Battery Secrets, Along with Poaching Employees

Photo: Motortrend

After Tesla gained approval to continue fighting Rivian for trade secrets in March, the company is upping the game, saying that Rivian has continued to poach its employees and to steal “highly proprietary” electric vehicle (EV) battery technology.

Tesla is claiming that Rivian is still taking Tesla’s intellectual property and employees, saying that the company was “caught red-handed” with Tesla ex-employees having stolen key technology for Tesla’s next-generation batteries, according to Bloomberg.

In the complaint, Tesla called the next-generation battery technology “the most essential element for any EV.”

In the updated complaints, Tesla said, “Now apparently under pressure from investors after nearly a dozen years without producing a single commercial vehicle, Rivian has intensified its unlawful efforts.”

Rivian R1T Truck Reviewed, Including Features Borrowed from Tesla [VIDEO] https://t.co/oHQ505Sn9R

— TeslaNorth.com (@RealTeslaNorth) October 2, 2021

Tesla was approved to add the complaints to the case by a California state judge on September 28, located in San Jose.

Superior Court Judge Peter Manoukian ruled that it makes sense to broaden the spectrum of the case, though he acknowledged Rivian’s skepticism aired in the past, in which the company said Tesla has provided “so little detail” about the claims, making it difficult to even understand what the company is calling its intellectual property.

The news comes just following the release of Rivian’s R1T, also in advance of Rivian’s plans to present an initial public offering (IPO) with an $80 billion USD valuation.