Many reports have claimed that Apple is working on a brand new type of product: An electric car that may also include self-driving features. Obviously, the company has not confirmed anything at this point. However, a lawsuit Apple is looking to settle might actually confirm that Apple is indeed working on a car of its own.
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Apple is expected to settle a lawsuit filed by A123 System, Business Insider reports, a large-battery maker that accused Apple of poaching its employees to develop similar technology for the future Apple car.
The blog has discovered what could be a telling detail about Apple’s future car business in court filings: the company hired the former CTO of A123, a person who had worked for 16 years at Ford before joining A123 where he oversaw production of Formula 1 batteries as CTO. The exec’s name is Mujeeb Ijaz, and he had a monthly salary of $294,000 at A123.
“[All] of the Individual Defendants [allegedly poached by Apple from A123] are working in a field of battery science, technology, and/or products that is substantially similar if not identical to the field they worked on in at A123,” lawyers for A123 said in a court filing. The company further alleges that Apple poached other employees with battery skills from rival companies, including Toshiba, LG, Samsung and Panasonic.
According to A123, Apple is indeed interested in developing some sort of battery technology, and while it doesn’t specifically state that Apple’s large-size batteries will be used for future electric cars, it certainly seems to imply that – why else would Apple poach execs with extensive background in the automotive business?
Business Insider notes this particular discovery is only one of the latest pieces of evidence that suggest Apple is really interested in making a car of its own.
