Tesla amps up fight with Rivian, cites battery secrets theft

Tesla escalated its trade secrets battle against electric vehicle competitor Rivian Automotive, claiming the latter is continuing to poach its employees to steal technology. — Paul Sancya

Tesla Inc. escalated its trade secrets fight with Rivian Automotive Inc., accusing the maker of electric pickups of continuing to poach its employees and stealing "highly proprietary” battery technology.

The world’s leading electric-vehicle maker says the lawsuit it filed 14 months ago against Rivian hasn’t stopped the startup from raiding its staff and looting its intellectual property. That includes one instance this summer where Tesla defectors were "caught red-handed” stealing the core technology for its next-generation batteries, "the most essential element for any electric vehicle,” according to a court filing last month.