Web of Lawsuits Surrounds Tesla, Fisker Debuts

(MoneyWatch)  Fisker Automotive Inc. maintains that its plug-in hybrid sports car, the Karma, is still on track for delivery starting in the fourth quarter of 2009.

That would be a minor miracle, regardless of an April 14 lawsuit in which rival Tesla Motors claims Fisker Automotive took some of its ideas from Tesla, which Fisker Automotive denies. Tesla, based in San Carlos, Calif., plans to launch its own battery powered Tesla Roadster later this year.

An on-time Karma will take some doing, because Fisker Automotive still hasn't announced who will build it, or where. In terms of automotive development, the end of 2009 isn't far off. Fisker Automotive CEO Henrik Fisker unveiled the Karma at the North American International Auto Show in January, without a factory to back him up.

Lotus Cars starting building the $90,000 Tesla Roadster in the United Kingdom on March 17, according to Tesla Motors.

Fisker Automotive hasn't said who it's pursuing to build the Karma. Interestingly, one of the few automotive suppliers big enough and capable enough to build an entire car from scratch is Canada-based Magna International. In turn, Magna is involved in a separate lawsuit with Tesla. Magna claims Tesla owes Magna $5.6 million for development work on a transmission that Tesla ultimately rejected.

Fisker Automotive, based in Lake Forest, Calif., worked on Tesla's design for the next Tesla car after the Roadster, a four-door sedan codenamed "Whitestar," according to the Tesla lawsuit. Tesla Motors claims Fisker Automotive got some if its ideas from that project, which Fisker Automotive CEO Henrik Fisker denies.

"The lawsuit is nonsense," Henrik Fisker said, in a written statement on April 24. He repeated earlier statements that Fisker Automotive got the plug-in hybrid drivetrain technology for the Karma from its partner, Quantum Technologies, Irvine, Calif., and not from Tesla.

A plug-in hybrid like the Karma can be recharged either from a wall outlet or from an on-board gasoline-powered engine. That provides a greater range than hybrids on the road today, like the Toyota Prius. The battery in the Prius is recharged by the on-board engine, but can't be plugged in. The Tesla Roadster is exclusively battery powered. Tesla claims the Tesla Roadster has a range of 220 miles on a full charge.