Tesla Sued for $2 Billion by Nikola Motors for Patent Infringement

Electric truck startup Nikola Motors is suing Tesla for patent infringement on its Class 8 semi design, seeking $2 billion in damages.

Filed in Arizona federal court, Nikola is calling foul on Tesla’s nearly identical wraparound windscreen, mid-entry door, fuselage, side cladding, fender, and overall design, components of which hold six patents in total. Court documents provide technical details on Nikola’s design and operating functions, such as nearly identical draft coefficients, along with a description of events in a past cease-and-desist letter to Tesla regarding its pending patent applications before its Semi unveil.

Its $2 billion lawsuit valuation is calculated based on the number of Tesla’s owns and rise in stock price, which accounts for 1200-plus reservations to date.

“Tesla’s design has caused confusion among customers. The confusion has diverted sales from Nikola to Tesla,” reads a portion of the lawsuit. “Further, any problems with the Tesla Semi will be attributed to the Nikola One, causing harm to the Nikola brand.”

“It’s patently obvious there is no merit to this lawsuit,” wrote a Tesla spokesperson in a statement.

SEE ALSO: Elon Musk Donates $1 Million to Nikola Tesla Museum

Unveiled in Dec. 2016, Nikola is scheduling limited production of its Nikola One in 2020, which uses a hydrogen-electric fuel tank to deliver a claimed 1,000-mile range on a 15 to 20-minute refill, with a load capacity of 65,000-lbs.

Other plans include a $1 billion, 1.5-million-square-foot Phoenix hydrogen-electric semi truck factory in progress.

To read the entire contents of the complaint, visit Nikola vs Tesla.

A version of this story originally appeared on Hybrid Cars.