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Tesla Hit With Massive Lawsuit Over Semi Truck Design

May. 03, 2018 3:00 PM ET by Jared Rosenholtz / 19 Comments The amount for damages - $2 billion! Tesla shocked the media when it revealed its fully electric semi truck with a 500-mile range and ludicrous acceleration stats. While the semi truck may have been a big surprise to the public, it seems it was an even bigger surprise for Nikola Motors, an American hybrid truck designer based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. According to Reuters' Hannah McKay, Nikola Motors filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against Tesla for alleged design patent infringements. In a court filing, the company said Tesla's semi truck is "substantially" similar to Nikola's design. Alexis Georgeson/Tesla Just looking at Nikola's truck, the Nikola One, the similarities to Tesla's truck are obvious. Nikola claims it was issued with six design patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office between February and April 2018. These patents include: a wrapped windshield, mid-entry door, fenders, side cladding, fuselage, and overall design. "Nikola estimates its harm from Tesla's infringement to be in excess of $2 billion," the company said in the filing. A Tesla spokesperson responded by saying "It's patently obvious there is no merit to this lawsuit." Tesla CEO Elon Musk hasn't given us much details about the semi truck since its reveal, so it is hard to guess if Nikola has a case here. Tesla seems to be in the news for one reason or another, so this could just be a competitor trying to hit the company while it is down. With all of Tesla's other issues, such as production delays and rapid spending, a lawsuit couldn't come at a worse time. It will be interesting to see how this situation shakes out.

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Tesla Model X Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top