Here’s a story that’ll further fuel the Apple car speculation. Electric-car component maker A123 Systems is suing Apple, alleging that it poached top engineers as part of efforts to build a battery division, reports Reuters.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Massachusetts federal court earlier this month, claims Apple began aggressively poaching engineers from A123 in June 2014. It says: “Apple is currently developing a large-scale battery division to compete in the very same field as A123.”
Apple has yet to respond to the allegations in the complaint. A123 is also suing five former employees. The battery maker filed for bankruptcy in 2012 and has been selling off its assets.
While lithium-ion technology can be used in everything from consumer electronics to aeroplanes, A123 focuses on large batteries for bigger machines, including cars.
The complaint goes on to allege that Apple has also been looking to hire battery engineers from companies including LG, Samsung, Toshiba and Johnson Controls, which focuses on improving the efficiency of battery technology.
While this is the latest piece of evidence suggesting that Apple is seriously looking at the tech around automobiles, it’s still far from proof that it will actually develop a car.
➤ Apple poaching auto engineers to build battery division [Reuters]
Image credit: Apple
Read next: Jony Ive’s a Car Snob, You Don’t Want Him to Design Yours
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